Maryville College has partnered with Maryville-based NS4ed to provide research-based internship opportunities for students.
NS4ed is a rising leader and valued education partner that “seeks to improve system processes and outcomes through an engaging approach to practice and implementation design,” according to its website. It partners with state and local entities to provide research, policy and practice deliverables that yield high value and actionable results in the education environment. To support career readiness efforts, Pathway2Careersä offers a critical bridge between education and industry that can help educators connect with the realities of their local job market.
NS4ed’s relationship with Maryville College began through work with the Blount County Chamber of Commerce in developing “career cluster pathway maps” designed to assist students and job seekers with identifying high-value career opportunities in the area, said Dr. Danielle Tallent, chief learning officer for NS4ed. For this project, Jessica Belitz, director of events and partnership programs with the Chamber, gathered education leaders from local community colleges and school districts to provide input.
“Christy McDonald Slavick (then-director of the Maryville College Career Center, now director of strategic initiatives at MC) was a valued and active participant in the project,” Tallent said. “As our company began to grow and reach out to local institutions to fill open positions, my path crossed again with Christy. Having remembered our work in career readiness programs, Christy suggested we connect with the intern program at Maryville College.”
“The reputation of Maryville College in offering high-quality, well-rounded education to its students is well-known in the area,” Tallent continued. “Thus, we were honored and eager to invite Maryville College students to our company. Today, we work in a joint effort with five MC students to support the needs of our company, while also helping students grow toward their career goals. I’ve said this many times … we simply could not do what we do without the support of our MC interns. They are skilled, professional and simply a joy to have in our office!”
Additionally, Dr. Joseph Goins, the chief executive officer of the company, has a Maryville College connection – he is the son of MC alumnus J.L. Goins ’63.
Several Maryville College students and alumni are working with NS4ed this summer, as part of this new partnership.
Kirksey Croft ’21, a political science major from Maryville, Tenn.; Baileigh Goforth ’21, a psychology and criminal justice double major from Maryville, Tenn.; and Antonella Moscoso ’22, a literature in English major from Kodak, Tenn., are completing internships as research assistants. In this role, they support project work related to K-12 education and career preparation programs. They work with the company on several education and career-focused projects at a variety of levels – from initial concept development to implementation of products and services – and are gaining experience in literature and content reviews, data collection and analysis, technical writing, creative content development, team planning, and solution generating.
MC alumnus Nico Velez ’18, who majored in mathematics at MC, is working as a part-time math writer, and Meredith Bonee ’22, an international business major from Powell, Tenn., is completing an internship as a marketing assistant with the company.
NS4ed has had “a wonderful experience” with the internship program offered in partnership with Maryville College, Tallent said, and the company is excited to work with more Maryville College students in the future.
“The students on our team have been a tremendous addition to our company. They are both highly skilled and exhibit incredible professionalism in their interaction with our staff and our clients,” Tallent said. “Because of the work they do within our company, we have been able to increase our delivery of high-quality products and resources to our K-12 partners. Furthermore, Maryville College has supported our company every step of the way from locating interns to ensuring we offer successful experiences for the students. We are grateful for Maryville College and their amazing students who have become part of our NS4ed family.”
A valuable learning experience
Croft, who graduated from Maryville College in May, said she was initially interested in the research assistant internship because it offered an opportunity to sharpen her research skills and explore education policy more in depth while establishing herself with a business outside of her current connections.
“However, one of the biggest reasons I chose this internship actually came after I did more in-depth research on the company and its mission,” Croft said. “Joseph Goins, our CEO, strongly motivates us to conduct additional volunteer hours and community service outside of our work. It is important for those who work for Pathway2Careers/NS4ed to also have ties to our local community.”
Croft said that during the internship, she learned how to be more accurate and precise in her research and data entry skills.
“As a political science major, I already had a lot of experience taking real world issues or ideas and analyzing them down through research to more direct data points and evidence pieces,” Croft explained. “However, I did not have much experience actually taking that research and changing it to fit certain criteria, codes and formats to become something that a company is able to use for greater purposes. At my internship, I was responsible for all parts of the research process in that not only did I search and locate various data points through a number of research platforms, I also created ways through Microsoft, Adobe and other platforms which allow that information to be processed by the company and clients effectively. This has really been so valuable.”
“It has given me experience in an incredibly positive and healthy working environment, surrounded by very intellectual and driven individuals, as well as allowed me to fill in that extra missing puzzle piece of applying skills that you learn in class to the ‘real world,’” she added.
In the future, Croft plans to attend law school and pursue a dual degree program that allows her to become a practicing attorney who holds a master’s degree in a related business or international studies program.
“This internship, which is now my current job, is incredibly helpful in that I am constantly utilizing new research skills and learning more about the business world through each work day,” she said. “This internship is helping me understand the inner workings of independent businesses, which I hope to have myself in the future, as well as how effective and precise my future research and work as an attorney will need to be. I also am learning so much about the education and labor market world that I never knew before, which I hope I will be able to apply to more research in my future career and potentially cases or policy, as well.”