Career Readiness Internship Summer Program (CRISP)

Nolan: The first time I came to CRISP, I learned how to edit podcasts. After that project was done, I broadened my skill in Canva by creating logos and social media posts for the company I was working for. The second time I came to CRISP was this past summer. I learned how to transfer info from a file to a website for a wine company. After that project was done, I did some Excel work for them. But that was just the non-TKU side of the internship. On the TKU side, I learned how to create websites of my own. This was part of the first time I joined TKU CRISP. For the second time, I continued to update my website and I also created a LinkedIn account.

Alex: I think I learned the most about web auditing and how to do it on WordPress. I think that is an extremely important skill because I am considering getting a job in that after college. The second thing that I feel was equally important was being able to focus. This is not only about sitting through a long period of time but also about focusing on doing what I was asked to do without doing my own thing or doing it my own way.

Jared: In my time at CRISP, what I think I learned the most was adaptability to an ever-changing goal and objective list.

Alex: I’d say that it absolutely did. Even though it was uncomfortable to sit for five hours at first, it got easier throughout the summer, especially since I got breaks and it was broken into 2 sessions. It not only helped me with stamina, but it also let me get to know a little bit more about the back end of web design. In the present, the stamina skill that I built on in CRISP carried over into my classes in community college. I even needed to use my mental stamina today to get some important assignments done, including this work right here.

Jared: CRISP actually helped me with the hiring process of becoming a counselor at TKU!

Alex: I learned about optimizing web pages for accessibility. One way to do this is to add “alt-text”, which is the text that says what the image is. For example, a picture of a flower would say that it is a flower, maybe alongside what type of flower it is. I also learned about making websites organized and user-friendly in different, more obvious ways. The first way that I can think of is that I looked through the websites to find grammar mistakes. That was fairly easy on paper, but it took a lot of concentration to actually get the job done.

Jared: Some skills I have learned at TKU have included working with CSS, Javascript, working with the Adobe Creative Cloud, and troubleshooting.

Nolan: Yes I did. Among the staff, I have the phone numbers of Grace Gerber, Halenur Komsul, Hunter Soileau, and some more (this was mainly because I would forget to join TKU and they would have to text me and remind me that TKU was starting). Among the students, I think the only one I have is Raymond Spinelle, though I am not sure if he is still a student of TKU.

Alex: I did not make new friends (though I do know Nolan from real life). However, I did get to know someone named Lizzie (full name Elizabeth Stewart) who was very nice. Lizzie really inspired me to work on the Web design stuff and helped unlock my talent on websites for the group. I also have her work e-mail, which I might need someday for a future CRISP session or being an intern or employee outside of CRISP if it gets to that point.

Jared: I have developed several work contacts and candidates for letters of recommendation for future employment. I made several positive connections with peers during TKU and plan to connect with them soon in some capacity.

Nolan: The first time I joined TKU CRISP, I enjoyed making a website and writing it since I knew who I was and I knew what to write on my website. I also enjoyed playing games during the breaks and I enjoyed editing the podcasts, even though they were long, and making the logos and social media posts for the company.

Alex: I enjoyed the collaborative nature of it. By that, I mean that I was pleased by the fact working with CRISP involved working with a real business. In my case, that meant working with PointPolish, a small business dedicated to web design. My favorite part was being able to choose my own hours. This lets me be flexible and let me choose to split it into 2 sections of 2 and ½ hours.

Jared: During my first time in CRISP, I enjoyed the anticipation of making a project that would ultimately give back to the younger audiences of TKU.

Nolan: The way that TKU has changed my life is that I got make new friends because, in high school and middle school, I only had 5 friends that were close to me (I mean, I had other friends too, but they were more like acquaintances than friends). But when I joined TKU, I got to make some new friends with the students and with the staff.

Alex: The answer to this question has many components, but I will focus on CRISP to make sure to keep it simple. The positive way CRISP changed my life was by letting me know what I am able to do with my life in terms of concentrating on my work. It also showed me that my passion for web design could become a viable career. The negative way is that I didn’t have time to go to the beach and do other things I wanted to do.

Jared: TKU has taught me that anything is possible if I keep working hard. Once when I was 14, I was studying stop motion and playing smash bros with fellow peers. The next day at 18, I got to see Kyle Mooney in person while working on coding. Now at 23, I am giving back to the community that inspired me to pursue an associates in IT.