Rise welcomed eight spring interns in January. College students from universities across Minnesota and Wisconsin went from virtual classrooms to remote offices for hands-on work experience in human resources, communications, event planning, grants and fundraising and video production. Learn more about our interns:
Paige Cihunka returned to Rise as a
Cassidy Bins served as Rise’s grant writing intern this fall. An English major with a minor in history, Cassidy will graduate from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota, in 2022.
“I wanted to apply my writing skills outside of the classroom, and Rise’s mission really stuck with me,” said Cassidy. “I’ve
Paige Cihunka will graduate from Winona State University in May 2021 with a degree in human resource management and business administration. “I have always wanted to work for an organization that works with helping people and the community,” said Paige.
As a Rise intern, Paige created her own training program
Elizabeth Trainor first interned with Rise’s Human Resources department in 2019, and was excited to return this fall as the health and wellness intern. She will graduate from North Dakota State University in May 2021 with a major in human resource management and a minor in women’s and gender studies.
Despite the many challenges posed by the pandemic during the fall semester, Grace LaNasa found her internship with Rise to be rewarding. Grace will graduate from St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, in May 2021, where she is majoring in history and Asian studies with a concentration in film studies.
Tynslei Spence-Mitchell applied to Rise because she wanted to explore a career in the nonprofit sector, and over the course of her internship, she contributed meaningfully to Rise’s diversity and inclusion efforts. A doctoral candidate in public administration at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, Tynslei will graduate in May 2021.
Bea Chihak was introduced to Rise through Cow Tipping Press, a local organization that works to amplify the voices of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through creative writing. A spring graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul, Bea majored in history, with a concentration on law and social justice,
Alex Samek graduated in May 2019 from Minnesota State University of Moorhead (MSUM) with a major in film production and a minor in advertising.
Alex created short videos that clearly explained and showed what has been done or altered in Rise’s many work places and the precautions taken so that
Izzy Spriggs attends Indiana University Bloomington and plans to plans to graduate in May 2021 with a degree in psychology and minors in German and sociology.
“I enjoy working with people with disabilities,” said Izzy. “I am also am interested in developing volunteer coordination skills.”
As the lead intern of
Although Selena Munson hadn’t heard of Rise before she began her research for meaningful internships, she was drawn to the agency’s important mission. Selena is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in human resource; she plans to graduate in May 2021 from Dordt University in Sioux