I am currently a second-year Masters student at the University of Denver’s Korbel School of International Studies and as a part of this program students are required to intern for class credit as a part of professional development. When I found the listing for PROJECT C.U.R.E. through my school’s career services, I applied and had my first interview with Allison Carey (Office of the President). Allison told me about literally everything that the internship would entail including: a intern competition called the “Project Challenge,” which has turned out to be an incredibly inventive and proactive way to get interns together into teams-mobilized and thinking creatively to raise support toward the delivery of one of PROJECT C.U.R.E.’s medical supplies and equipment containers.

The internship has also included weekly intern professional development meetings that feature guest speakers from all different working realms and vocations in order to give us interns real-world application and growth. Finally and most fundamentally the internship has consisted of concretely defined internship job descriptions with real hands-on tasks specific to whatever department may suit the internship candidate from operations and clinics to government relations and corporate social responsibility.

Now Allison divulged all of this during our very first meeting and it would be one thing of an internship, and in fact a very common practice I’m sure, to say that an intern program consists of this or that or that the program seeks to accomplish these things, but I can honestly say that over the past 7 weeks every single one of these amazing professional development aspects has come to fruition. I have learned a great deal about what amazing forms health intervention can take and I have grown a great deal in my experience of how non-profits operate and succeed in this rapidly changing world of aid. In working with PROJECT C.U.R.E., I have gained incredible insight into myself as a fledgling professional and what my place could be within an organization such as this. Up to this point I sincerely did not have a clue much of what goes into affecting change in the world from an organizational standpoint and I can say now that after 10 weeks I will be one step closer to understanding what it really means to take on such a bold and humane motto: “delivering health and hope to the world.”

We are pleased to welcome the following individuals to PROJECT C.U.R.E. for the 2011 summer internship program.

• Alyssa Bonelli, who is currently pursuing a double major in International Business and Spanish at University of Denver, will intern in the Communications department.
• Amanda Kragt, who is currently pursuing a Bachelor of Arts in International Spanish for the Professions at the University of Colorado, Boulder, will intern in the Office of the President.
• Ben Applebee, an MA Candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at University of Denver, will intern in the Corporate Development department.
• Chris Troeger, Master’s in Public Health Candidate at the Colorado School of Public Health, will complete his epidemiology practicum interning our Grants department.
• Courtney Culpepper, who is currently pursuing a Bachelor’s in French and International Studies from the University of Denver, will intern in the C.U.R.E. Clinics and International Travel department.
• Denise Stafford, a Health Informatics major at Western Governors University, will intern in the C.U.R.E. Clinics and International Travel department.
• Jacqueline Mulcahy, who is currently pursuing a M.B.A. at the University of Denver, will intern in the Office of the President.
• Leela Velayudhan Gautam, who is currently a Doctor of Pharmacy Degree Candidate from University of Colorado School of Pharmacy, will intern in the Grants department.
• Lisa Guetzkow, an MA Candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at University of Denver, will intern in the Government Relations department.
• Susie Typher, an International Studies and Journalism major at Baylor University, will intern in the Communications department.
• Valeria Garcia Malamoco, who is pursuing a Bachelor’s of Arts in Economics at University of Colorado, Denver, will intern in the Operations department.
• Clare Mikhail, who is currently pursuing a double major in Political Science and       Philosophy at University of Northern Colorado, will intern in the Grants department.
• Rylee Applebee, an MA Candidate at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies at University of Denver, will intern with the Director of Operations for the Denver C.U.R.E. Community.