MSU Career Center helps students make national internship connections

Contact: Allison Matthews

STARKVILLE, Miss.—Mississippi State’s Career Center is making connections that are launching the dreams of Bulldogs through internships across the country, on-the-job student experiences that often open doors to future employment and informed career path decisions.

With employer partners around Mississippi and the U.S., MSU is introducing a new resource for students interested in the chance to work in Washington, D.C., debuting a new webpage providing details on opportunities, application resources, housing considerations, funding support and next steps.

Executive Director for the MSU Career Center Bethany Mills said now is the time for students to be thinking about their plans for next summer.

“It’s not too early to apply for opportunities in D.C. and to begin connecting with our career advising staff to finetune application materials. In addition, the Career Center can also help to find ways to offset some of the cost of living in D.C. From college and department-specific scholarships and stipends to the Career Center’s Summer Internship Support Fund, we hope to help make a student’s dream of interning in D.C. a reality through financial support,” Mills said.

Suzanne Wells, an MSU political science senior from Houston, Texas, spent 10 weeks this past summer working in the nation’s capital for Entergy. The multi-state power corporation routinely recruits MSU engineering majors for internships and co-ops from Mississippi to Texas, but Wells jumped at a new chance to work with the company’s government relations team in D.C.

“Internships are a great tool for interns to get a feel for what the real world will be like and gain the chance to understand, first, what they really want to do, and they get a good jump start,” said Entergy Mississippi Inc. President and CEO Haley Fisackerly.

Fisackerly is a 1987 MSU College of Business graduate who has held his leading role with the company since 2008. Before joining Entergy in 1995, he managed the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran. The alumnus said his passion for public service was ignited during his student days, and he’d like for today’s MSU students to understand the various roles that make an impact, including not only governmental positions but industry positions in the private sector as well.

Employing student interns “allows us to learn about an individual very early on and see if they have the work ethic and abilities that are attractive to us,” Fisackerly said, noting that a very high percentage of students who complete internships and co-ops later return as full-time employees. He encouraged other alumni in business to seek out MSU interns.

“While you may be giving them a gift or opportunity, you’ll be surprised what you get in return. It has been a very rewarding program for us,” Fisackerly said.

Entergy’s Alex Washington, director of federal governmental affairs, worked with MSU’s Career Center to select a student intern this year. A Bulldog alumnus and former MSU employee, Washington knows students can gain a lot of career and life insight from a short-term internship experience.

“They get to be in a corporate environment and around executives with years of experience, and MSU students see a large Mississippi State network in D.C.,” said Washington, who explained that D.C. internships can show students how governmental work impacts Mississippi and other states and local communities, as well as broaden their awareness of career paths.

Wells said the experience taught her a great deal about public policy work and career options.

“I was following a lot of legislation that affects Entergy’s operations and doing research and writing reports for the team,” Wells said. “I focused on the Energy and Commerce Committee in the House, and on the Senate side, the Energy and Natural Resources Committee.”

She also got to experience other aspects of the D.C. area, such as visiting the Smithsonian museums and national mall, and attending the annual Mississippi on the Mall event that brings together Mississippians in the capital.

Part of MSU’s cohort of Demmer Scholars, A.J. Horstead also spent this past summer interning in Washington, D.C. His role with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation focused on fisheries policy. A senior wildlife, fisheries and aquaculture major from Helena, Alabama, Horstead said the internship opened his eyes to the policy side of natural resources conservation.

“Being able to communicate scientific work and different management decisions in natural resources with legislators and sharing how their work might affect us as well, I think that’s something I want to carry with me into my career,” Horstead said.

“It’s a great opportunity to learn about how policy relates to whatever your desired profession is. Policy is impactful to all of our lives, and a lot of times you just aren’t seeing how that’s being developed, and you might not realize how it’s going to impact you. Being able to see that first-hand is very helpful and gives you an idea of how you might have an impact,” he said.

MSU’s Career Center provides resources, services and programs to support Bulldogs at every career stage, from exploring potential careers to securing job offers. Students from any major interested in Washington, D.C. internships can contact the MSU Career Center or Department of Political Science and Public Administration Associate Director for Assessment and Internships Caragh Boyles.

Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters.