STEM Pipeline Blog / September 20, 2022

Work Base Learning Blog – Ty Jarvis

Ty Jarvis on how Internship Opportunities with GLBRA and STEM@SVSU Opened More Doors in STEM

I’m a student at Saginaw Valley State University (SVSU) currently in my sophomore year and in May 2022 I was offered a summer internship to work with the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance (GLBRA) and STEM@SVSU working on STEM-related efforts that helped me gain experience, knowledge and ultimately resulted in additional opportunities for me. 

This internship gave me the chance to connect with graduating seniors in the area and help them connect with local businesses for potential internships, job shadows, etc. This was an amazing opportunity to work with these students and I was also able to work on my networking skills with organizations looking to connect to our talent pipeline in the region. 

Through my internship experience with GLBRA, I had the opportunity to represent the Alliance and the Chief Science Officers (CSO) at the international STEM Ecosystem Conference in Bay City. Here, I had the opportunity to network with many companies in the area and many STEM professionals from around the world. The first day of the conference I was able to connect with CSOs from across the country and even some from Mexico and Canada to hear about their CSO journey and connect with CSO Director Kelly Greene. 

At the conference, I was able to attend different sessions and spoke with several people from various backgrounds. My favorite session was STEM in Sports which detailed using sporting events of various sizes to host STEM events and increase youth involvement. Later in the day, I helped lead a session at Saginaw Valley State University to advertise the CSO Program. We gave a tour of campus, had CSOs from the GLBR share their stories, and allowed guests to explore SVSU’s Mobile STEM Lab.

I also helped with a STEMazing event at SVSU and assisted with putting together a STEMazing Race for all the CSOs that attended the conference. The STEMazing Race (like the show The Amazing Race), is a competition where teams get a clue and race from stop to stop. The twist is each stop is a different STEM activity that they must complete before receiving their next clue. The race was a hit with all of the CSO’s and it definitely ended their trip with lots of laughs and smiles. 

As I was settling down for lunch at The Marketplace that day, I got the offer of a lifetime. Due to the great success of the STEMazing Race and representing CSO Alumni and the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance throughout the conference, the director of the CSO Program, Kelly Greene offered me the opportunity to work for her at CSO International. This offer took me by surprise, but I knew immediately it would be a perfect fit for me to continue working with young students interested in STEM.

After the conference, I continued to work for the Alliance for the remainder of summer on various STEM efforts. During that time I also received the opportunity to attend Central Michigan University’s Center for Education in STEM Excellence to continue to broaden my eyes to working in education and it was spectacular. 

On July 26, 2022, I attended Central Michigan University’s Center for Education in STEM Excellence with the opportunity for a job shadow experience. Walking in, I was excited for the opportunity to see the roles of educators outside of the traditional classroom setting and to see how educators can play a major part in children’s lives in a field trip/camp setting. 

After getting to meet and talk with director Julie Cunningham, I was off to my first experience of the day with K-3rd grade students attending a STEM camp at CMU. Greeted with about 20 kids, I received first-hand experience working and listening to some brilliant young minds as they began to learn what STEM is all about. Although this was my first time, I was welcomed to step right in and guide students that were building structures and creating art, while understanding how to work with young children. With never really having the thought of working with children this young, it broadened my eyes to considering the possibility of working with younger students and giving them their first insight into STEM. 

During the second half of the day, I worked with 4th and 5th grade students from Bay City on a field trip to CMU as they continued to build their math skills. This session was a little less interacting with the students but more of seeing two different teaching styles from educators. It was very interesting to watch and take away things that I could use if I become an educator. 

I’ve now completed my internship with the Great Lakes Bay Regional Alliance and am currently preparing to start my position working remotely for CSO International. I’ll be working as the Chief Science Officer International Program Coordinator to plan, connect and work with our alumni board to continue to grow our International Alumni Program. I’ll eventually get to travel internationally with the organization, but given the ties to the CSOs in the Great Lakes Bay Region, I’ll still be in touch with the Alliance, STEM@SVSU and other local efforts. 

My summer internship experience was wonderful, filled with opportunities to broaden my skill set, attend regional events and meet new people. Had it not been for the opportunities gained in my internship, I would not have had my upcoming internship with CSO International and I would not have had job shadowing experiences to assist me as I decide on a career. 

Any Mid Michigan College students or Great Lakes Bay Region businesses interested in learning more about internships should explore more here or reach out to Amy Dykhouse at (989 317-4613 or adykhouse@midmich.edu.

Other Work Base Learning Blog Articles:

Rachel – My Experience with the Mid Michigan College Internship Program