Undergraduate Kristin Hayes, serving an internship at YAI, a home for developmentally disabled adults, as part of a cooperative education program at Stony Brook University, was the focus of a recent online report on changing job prospects for young people.
American Public Media’s “Marketplace” web site followed Hayes, a biology major planning to become a physician’s assistant, through her first day in a part-time internship in her chosen field. The story was prompted by a survey appearing in The Chronicle of Higher Education revealing that potential employers may care more about applicants’ real-world experience than letter grades and academic honors.
The SUNY system, under the leadership of Chancellor Nancy Zimpher, is piloting cooperative education on nine of its campuses. In co-ops, students work in paid jobs with faculty supervision and earn credit toward their degrees. Stony Brook has been a leader in providing cooperative education opportunities for its students.
The report includes a sound file quoting Hayes and conveying the experience of her first day on the job.
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