By Cole Hatcher
Ten Ohio Wesleyan University students are spending the summer completing paid internships in Northeast Ohio – an opportunity made possible by the university’s Career Connection partnership with the Summer on the Cuyahoga program.
Ohio Wesleyan is one of only eight colleges and universities nationwide whose students are eligible for Summer on the Cuyahoga (SOTC) internships. The program seeks to recruit talented college students and to help them explore the professional, civic, and social opportunities of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. The hope is that some of them choose to return after graduation to live and work in the region.
‘A Great Opportunity’
“Summer on the Cuyahoga (SOTC) is a great opportunity for students,” said Mindy Agin of OWU’s Career Connection office. “It offers paid internships in multiple areas, housing is free, and networking and social opportunities abound.
“Ohio Wesleyan students also gain valuable connections to the OWU Alumni Network through the involvement of our wonderful Northeast Ohio Alumni Association,” said Agin, Career Connections’ assistant director for internships and externships.
Ohio Wesleyan’s 2021 Summer on the Cuyahoga interns and their assignments are:
- Zainab Asghar, a junior from Karachi, Pakistan. Asghar is working at The MetroHealth System as a program and project management intern.
- Dmitri Ashakih, a senior from Norwalk, Ohio. Ashakih is working at the nonprofit Summer on the Cuyahoga organization as an assistant program coordinator.
- Muhammad Hassan Askari, a junior from Islamabad, Pakistan. Askari is working at the nonprofit Linking Employment, Abilities and Potential (LEAP) organization as a job coach.
- Avery Detrick, a senior from Ashtabula, Ohio. Detrick is working at Aspire Greater Cleveland as a core teacher working with adult learners.
- Sana Hussain, a senior from Karachi, Pakistan. Hussain is working at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum as a human resources intern.
- Jahanzaib “JZ” Khan, a senior from Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Khan is working at MetroHealth as a virtual care enterprise intern.
- Micaela “Mic” Kreutzer, a senior from Dayton, Ohio. Kreutzer is working at College Now as an AmeriCorps program intern.
- Rachel Madore, a senior from Galion, Ohio. Madore is working at MetroHealth as marketing and communications-government relations intern and at J&M Real Estate Advisors as an administrative assistant intern.
- Muhammad “Anas” Moosani, a senior from Delaware, Ohio. Moosani is working at MetroHealth as a human resources diversity solutions intern.
- Samavi Sultana, a senior from Baltimore, Maryland. Sultana is working at Vecmar, a computer solutions firm, as a summer intern.
A Valuable ‘Test-Run’
Mic Kreutzer, a Sociology/Anthropology and Women’s and Gender Studies double-major, said she is enjoying both her internship and her exploration of the Cleveland area.
“Having a program like SOTC – where you can have a strong professional experience as well as an exciting personal one without having to worry about money to the extent you will have to post-grad – is a nice test-run for the real world,” Kreutzer said.
“I honestly can’t possibly speak more highly of the Summer on the Cuyahoga program and the experiences that I have had here,” Kreutzer said. “I love my job, the events I have gotten to attend, and, at this point, the hundreds of new, phenomenal people that I have gotten to meet.”
A Collective Desire to Succeed
Dmitri Ashakih, an English and Communication double-major, said he also is learning a lot about Northeast Ohio through SOTC as well as a lot about career-ready skills from his internship and Ohio Wesleyan’s Career Connection.
“I love Cleveland because something is always changing here,” Ashakih said. “The city is full of great food, music, art, and entertainment. I admire the people here because they all have a collective desire to see Cleveland succeed. Exploring the quaint shops in Little Italy and watching the sun go down in the nearby park while eating gelato is my favorite experience so far.”
As for the help provided by Career Connection staff, Ashakih said: “They have provided me with knowledge that I never would have learned on my own like how to create a strong resume, how to write a good cover letter, and opportunities in my desired career path. Without the OWU Career Connection office, I wouldn’t have known about Summer on the Cuyahoga.”
Valuable Alumni Connections
In addition, Ashakih is benefiting from being paired with Shelli Reeves, with a 2016 OWU graduate-mentor already living and working in the Cleveland area. Reeves is a community engagement specialist with Ideastream.
Ed Lenane, Ohio Wesleyan’s associate director of regional alumni engagement, helps to connect students with alumni-mentors through SOTC and other outreach.
“Summer on the Cuyahoga is an excellent opportunity for Ohio Wesleyan students to gain meaningful summer internships in a city with such a large and passionate alumni base,” Lenane said. “Through the program, and through the support of the Northeast Ohio Alumni Chapter, the students have unique opportunities to engage and interact with professionals across numerous career fields and to see first-hand the passion Ohio Wesleyan alumni have for their alma mater and the success of the students.”
About Summer on the Cuyahoga
Founded in 2003, Summer on the Cuyahoga brings together between 50 and 70 students each summer from its eight partner universities, which also include Case Western Reserve University, Colgate University, Cornell University, Denison University, Oberlin College, Smith College, and University of Chicago. More than 160 SOTC interns have returned to Cleveland after graduation for jobs, graduate school, or other opportunities. Overall, 99% of former participants said they would return to Cleveland for the right opportunity or recommend the city to their peers. Learn more about the nonprofit program at www.summeronthecuyahoga.com.
About OWU’s Career Connection
Ohio Wesleyan’s Career Connection provides career development, planning, and job search assistance to students and alumni by providing resources to help connect theory and practice with meaningful career objectives and by building partnerships with faculty, staff, alumni, parents, employers, and graduate schools. The office uses individual counseling, creative programming, and technological services to help students identify and enhance networks and skills necessary to achieve career goals and to become actively engaged in a global society. Learn more at owu.edu/CareerConnection.
