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Matthew Fowler, an Honors College junior majoring in public health and sociology from
Brewster, Ohio, is currently completing an internship with the Kent State LGBTQ+ Center
for

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the spring 2020 semester. His responsibilities include contributing to annual events and furthering the center’s health advocacy initiatives, both of which help connect the internship to his academic studies. Matthew learned about the internship in fall 2019 when the College of Public Health forwarded students in the college an email from a member of the LGBTQ+ Center’s staff, encouraging interested students to apply for an internship. Matthew had visited the center before, and he was also excited about the prospect of gaining work experience in “such an accepting environment,” so he decided to apply.
 

Matthew says that his Honors College professors have always motivated him to pursue all possible opportunities to prepare him for graduate school and obtain knowledge that will be necessary in his career. Matthew says that he has gained numerous invaluable skills through his internship, such as being okay with needing to ask questions and not knowing everything, which he says is a “monumental step in [his] professional development.” The internship has also helped him learn how to come up with creative solutions to complex issues that affect the student population that the LGBTQ+ Center serves. Lastly, Matthew says that the internship has helped him greatly improve his networking skills, and that he feels more confident talking on the phone or meeting with administrators of different departments. All of these skills will benefit Matthew in his future career as a researcher and public health official.

For students who are looking for internships, Matthew advises not limiting one’s search to common job search websites such as Indeed and and research specific organizations for which they are interested in working. Students can show initiative in their internship searches by emailing, calling, or visiting a person who works at a location they might like to work for and explain their qualifications and their interest in that organization. Matthew adds that it is important to shape your college experience into what you want it to be, and that students get out of their degree what they are willing to put into their classwork. Matthew’s best advice for students that he received from some of his own professors is to “seize any opportunity that you can!”

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PHOTO CAPTION 1:

Photo of Matthew Fowler, Honors College junior.

Media Contact:
Stephanie Moskal, smoskal@kent.edu, (330) 672-2312