From Left: Emily,
Stephanie, Aundrea, Bullet, Mary Caroline and Jeff
As the heat index rises, the lightning bugs become aglow,
and an abundance of fresh produce returns to our kitchens, it is clear that
summer is again upon us. For the Walker
Area Community Foundation, the onset of summer signals the arrival of a new
batch of students from The University of Alabama who serve for eight weeks as Jean
O’Connor Snyder Interns. The internship
is a partnership between Alabama’s New College, David Mathews Center for Civic
Life, and the foundation. The interns,
who spend the summer working for the foundation and various community partners
throughout Walker County, immerse themselves in life in the area. Years past
have brought interns who discover a passion for service in Walker County, and
we hope this year will be no exception.
This summer’s interns have diverse backgrounds and interests, yet their
common denominator is each student’s steadfast dedication to service. We hope that throughout the summer you will
have a chance to meet and get to know the interns on a personal level.
So without ado, here are this year’s interns…
Aundrea Bevis is
a fifth year senior pursuing a double major in Psychology and the Sociology of
Health. She is passionate about health in regards to its social dynamic and is
interested in addressing health disparities in communities due to the class
system. She is especially interested in mental health disparities and addiction
and recovery. Aundrea is originally from Suffolk, Virginia, but her current
hometown is Killen, Alabama. In her free time she likes to cook and run.
Emily Pickert
is a junior at the University of Alabama studying nonprofit management with a
concentration in the arts through New College. She loves the arts, especially
visual arts, and hopes to one day open and run her own organization dedicated
to them. She is incredibly excited to work with Walker County and to learn
about and meet many new people.
Jeff Rogers is
from Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated
from Mountain Brook High School in 2013 and joined the University of Alabama
Class of 2017, majoring in Chemical Engineering. He is passionate about public
education and hopes to make an impact in shaping the way we interact with
students to make their experience in school more productive and personal. He enjoys reading, golfing, and listening to
music in his spare time. This summer
Jeff will be working with the Walker Area Center for Technology.
Stephanie Ray is from Birmingham, Alabama and is currently pursuing a dual degree in Elementary and Special Education at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. She is also studying Nonprofits through New College. She is passionate about Education and Education policy, specifically concerning low-SES and at-risk individuals. Her dream is to establish a mentoring program and facility for foster youth and at-risk youth. This summer, she will be working closely with the Walker Area Community Foundation on connecting nonprofits throughout the area.
Mary Caroline May is a recent graduate of The University of
Alabama, where she pursued an interdisciplinary degree in Community Development
through New College. Her admiration and
passion for Walker County brought her back to Jasper this summer to serve as
intern coordinator after she spent summer 2014 working on the foundation’s
Early Childhood Education initiative.
Mary Caroline is passionate about connecting with people and seeing
communities and individuals develop and realize their goals. She plans to attend The University of Alabama
School of Law in August.
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