Written by Cheng Lee ’10
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Cynthia Yang '10
The St. Paul, Minn., native credits her placement success with the experiences she undertook during her four years at Gustavus, including internship, leadership, and service experiences. Through them, she found a passion for helping others.
Yang explored her possible career interests through two different internship experiences. During a January 2010 internship with the Gustavus Admission Office, she worked with college-bound high school students. During Spring Semester 2010, Yang worked as an intern in the Gustavus Annual Fund. There, she connected with Gustavus alumni and families and sought their monetary support for the College.
Through these internships and other volunteer leadership and service activities at Gustavus, Yang discovered her passion for working with underprivileged students to get them into college. By trying to obtain excellence, she found her desired niche—to serve others, promote education, and help change her community.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my management major, but by doing these internships, I found something I could relate to and something I am passionate about. I know what it is like to come from a low-income family, to be under privileged. I want to help similar students obtain an equal opportunity,” Yang says.
After graduation, she will spend her summer working in the admission office. Then, in the fall, Yang will work with AmeriCorps’ Admission Possible, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping promising, low-income students obtain college admission. She will serve in communities in either Wisconsin or Minnesota for ten months.
Watch the following video to hear more about the value of student internship experiences at Gustavus.