Each year about 30 universities apply to host a NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP) Intern. Selected interns spend a few months in the summer learning about student affairs from mentors at their host site. The benefits to both mentors and mentees are tremendous and have a lasting impact. Vice President of Student Affairs at Michigan Technological University, Les Cook, put it well when he said, "This was our first year of hosting a NUFP intern. What a great experience! Nelly (NUFP Intern) brought fresh eyes, an inquisitive mind, and innovative ideas to student affairs. The NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program provides colleges and universities a significant opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young professionals who will in turn make a difference in our field, and most importantly, our students."

Nelly Moreno, an undergraduate student at Northern Illinois University who was studying nutrition and dietetics, applied to be a NUFP Intern at Michigan Tech in the spring of 2008. After reviewing Nelly's qualifications and interviewing her over the phone, an offer was extended to her at Michigan Tech. Nelly shared some of her earliest thoughts: "At first I was skeptical about going to an institution that was so far and different from home. Houghton, Michigan, is about a 7-8 hour drive from Chicago. Because of the recent shootings at Northern Illinois University, my parents were nervous about me going away for two months. They drove with me to Michigan Tech and were immediately impressed by the hospitality that was provided. One of the things that really stood out to us was that I was given a University apartment rather than a dorm room in a residence hall. This made me feel like an adult and it gave me privacy too."

Located in Michigan's scenic Upper Peninsula, on the south shore of Lake Superior, Michigan Technological University enjoys a well-established reputation for excellence in sciences and arts, engineering, humanities, business, and technology education, with continued development of numerous new degree offerings. Founded in 1885, the institution has gained world-wide attention for innovative education; the faculty strives to be mentors; the academic programs stress learning hand in hand with application; and the students learn to value inquiry and knowledge discovery. More than 7,000 students are enrolled in undergraduate and graduate programs. Recognized as one of the safest campuses in the nation, Houghton and the surrounding Keweenaw are well known for natural beauty, pleasant summers, winter recreation, and abundant outdoor activities year-around.

Nelly's internship experience at Michigan Tech was designed to offer her exposure to a wide array of opportunities in student affairs. She participated in a rotation where she spent two-weeks in each of four primary areas: Housing/Student Activities (mentored by Assistant Vice President for Student Life, Beth Wagner), Enrollment Services (mentored by Assistant Vice President for Enrollment Services), Dean of Students/Judicial Affairs (mentored by Dean of Students, Gloria Melton), and Educational Opportunity/Diversity Programs (mentored by Executive Director of Educational Opportunity, Shalini Suryanarayana). Her schedule also included the chance to shadow her mentors in meetings, attend the division-wide student affairs retreat where she assisted with a presentation on learning outcomes, join the University-wide working team for the implementation of Michigan Tech's Safety First Alert system, and join the University-wide Early Intervention Team (EIT) that worked to proactively address issues of concern about students. In addition, Nelly took a break during her internship to attend the NUFP Summer Leadership Institute in July at Seattle University in Seattle, Washington.

In Nelly's Voice...

Involvement

"I had a great experience at Michigan Tech! Being able to have an overview of each area in student affairs was very enlightening for someone who has barely gotten into the profession, like me.  Some of the things that I stayed busy with were benchmarking, organizing a workshop, evaluating the department's programs and websites as well as other tasks that challenged me to think like an administrator. I also learned many important useful tactics from the great mentors that I met during my stay.

I was truly thankful to be a part of the student affairs retreat. It made me see the environment that I want to work in, and it was very inclusive to everyone regardless of title or job duty. I was equally thankful to sit in many other meetings especially since I knew a lot of them were highly confidential. That gave me an insight of the reality of what goes on behind the scenes."

Assumptions that Changed 

"Before coming to Michigan Tech, I thought I knew a lot more than I did. I thought my Northern Illinois NUFP experience had exposed me to student affairs, but I learned about much more after I got here. I started out my internship thinking I only wanted to get through it; I wanted to fulfill this expectation of myself. Along the way something changed for me, and I found it so much more engaging than I had expected, so it became a much richer learning experience. In fact, it has also positively impacted my work now (I have applied much of my Michigan Tech experience into my coursework now, like the way different approaches are used in different offices).

I also started out thinking that Houghton was too much of a small town and that although I was glad to be here for my internship, I could not imagine living in such a rural town. After a few weeks I started to understand why others would want to live there, but it still didn't seem like something I could adjust to because I am a city girl. Then, after about a month, I started feeling I might actually want to stay — I started to appreciate the natural beauty and serenity of a small town, the friendly people, and the safety of a small community. By the end of my internship, I actually started wanting to try living here for a while!"

Biggest Surprises

"I had heard about how friendly people were in small towns, but I've never experienced anything like it before. People were truly hospitable; everyone says HI...even to strangers! They make everyone feel welcome.

It felt like Lake Superior was an ocean!! On the drive here I saw it and called Shalini because I thought I had arrived, but it took 45 more minutes from when I first saw the Lake to when I got to Houghton. It really is more like an ocean!"

Lasting memories

"I feel like there were a million things that I'll never forget. Three that come to mind right now are the people I met, the location and small town lifestyle, and being included in all kinds of meetings and activities.

The people — I really respected the work ethic of my mentors and the other people at Michigan Tech. Bill made Financial Aid much more interesting and showed me a whole new perspective. Pat showed me a new side to judicial affairs. Chris took me to breakfast and discussed why an increase in multiculturalism is so important. Shalini gave me insights and encouragement and still does. To be honest, though, it would be unfair to identify only these people because in reality I felt like I got something of value from everyone. I also got to meet and make friends with many students. My best friend over the summer, Carla, was from another undergraduate exchange program, MICUP. She was from Puerto Rico and by the end of the summer we were both planning a trip to come back to Michigan Tech.

The location — being on the water here is so different from the city. The school embraces the surroundings and climate instead of avoiding it or acting like the remote location or heavy winter are a problem. I liked the hikes in the woods. I was really impressed that the University has its own hiking and snow shoe trails, ski hill, and golf course.

The activities — the student affairs retreat is when I saw how people really are when they interact with each other. I saw people at all levels but everyone was treated equally regardless of titles. I felt glad to be part of that. The Early Intervention Team meeting showed me how much I was being trusted with highly confidential and sensitive materials. It was intense but it really felt good to be included and trusted."

The internship ends, but not the relationship...

"The internship ended with an evaluation/overview from both ends of the spectrum. I was glad when I was asked for feedback because that showed me that the institution had a sincere interest for the NUFPs and the future ones to come. During my experience as an intern, the departments were strongly encouraged to use learning outcomes. I was also asked to write and suggest learning outcomes for each department and to share them in the end.

My parents decided to take a mini summer vacation and visited me before I completed my internship. They had dinner with the student affairs staff that mentored me during my stay and many were kind enough to show them tourist attractions in the area. In the end, both my parents and I realized that I had made a wise choice in coming to Michigan Tech, it was a great experience and a once in a life time opportunity. Since then, one of my mentors, Shalini, has visited me and my parents in Chicago when she was attending a conference here. We are talking about presenting a session together at a NASPA conference some day, too. I made great relationships with the students and staff and I will be visiting again this week for a Michigan Tech tradition known as Winter Carnival. Even though my internship ended, my relationships did not."

Nelly wasn't the only one who got a lot out of her internship. Many members of the student affairs community have commented on the benefits of having Nelly interact with us. Beth Wagner, assistant vice president of student life said, "It was wonderful having Nelly with us this summer as an intern. You truly get a chance to see your daily work through a new pair of eyes." And Vice President of Student Affairs, Les Cook, added, "In today's environment there is a lot of talk about return on investment (ROI), I cannot imagine a better investment than hosting a NUFP intern.  Nelly was truly an extraordinary addition to our team and has a bright future in student affairs."

As the Executive Director of the Educational Opportunity Department at Michigan Tech, I get the opportunity to work with a diverse array of students; however, it is rare to be able to work with a "student" who, during her internship, quickly became a colleague and regular staff member. The NUFP Internship program allowed us to interact with a highly motivated, talented, bright, and hard working young woman. Nelly was delightful and she gave all of us the gift of seeing things again for the first time, and sometimes, seeing things in a brand new way. It felt wonderful to be able to share our insights with her and to be able to gain valuable feedback from her. We are so pleased to maintain our contact with Nelly, and we're already eager to host our 2009 NUFP Intern!