蘑菇短视频

When Jackson Pyles first arrived at 蘑菇短视频, he was excited. Coming from Greenville, North Caroline, he wanted a campus with mountain views and an affordable path through college. Western checked every box. That decision would lead him to one of the most formative experiences of his college career.

Learning To Implementation

Pyles鈥檚 days at the internship followed a rhythm that mirrored real professional life. Mornings began around 8 a.m. with a marketing meeting alongside his supervisors, where the team mapped out priorities for the week. From there, Pyles dove into a mix of responsibilities, managing social media, editing the department website, and lending a hand at events whenever the schedule called for it.

That structure felt remarkably familiar. Much of the credit goes to his coursework at WCU, particularly his public relations campaigns class. The class walked students through the same cycle he now uses on the job: plan, design, review, and execute as a team. "It really prepared me for working within a team and in an office," Pyles explained, "and getting the materials I needed and the confidence I needed to work."

A Conference to Remember

The most memorable moment for Pyles had to be the Native Plants Conference. Known for drawing a big, energetic crowd, the event required the team to think on its feet and adapt in real time. This would also be the final year the conference was hosted. Between the fast pace and the wide variety of attendees, he described the whole experience as fun, spontaneous, and full of interesting people to meet.

Building Real Confidence

For Pyles, the internship's biggest win wasn't a single project, it was confidence. As his first experience working in an office, he admitted to some early nerves about fitting in and finding his footing. Those worries didn't last long. Surrounded by a supportive, welcoming team, Pyles found the environment gave him exactly what he needed. The professional confidence to succeed.

Telling Stories That Last

Among all his projects, Pyles is proudest of the interviews he conducted over the summer. They were also the most demanding part of the job, requiring travel, preparation, and the ability to connect quickly with new people. One trip took him to the Highlands Biological

Research Station, a location he described as breathtaking. The resulting articles will hopefully remain on the Summer Sessions website for years to come.

Looking back, Pyles has no regrets about missed opportunities. His supervisors were flexible and encouraged him to pursue anything that interested him, so whatever he didn't get to try was simply a matter of his own choice, not a lack of opportunity.

Advice for Future Interns

Jackson's biggest piece of advice for fellow students? Don't wait.

"If you need an internship, you should get it 鈥� especially if you need it to graduate," he laughed. He encourages students to start their search early and to lean on the network already around them: professors, in particular. They have connections in students' fields of interest and can open doors that might otherwise stay closed.

A Success Story in the Making

By his own account, Pyles鈥檚 internship was a resounding success. It's a story that reflects exactly what the Department for Continuing Education and Summer Sessions and 蘑菇短视频aims to offer students when they give out internships, real-world experience, meaningful mentorship, and a launchpad into a career they can feel confident pursuing.

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CULLOWHEE, N.C. 鈥� For Antonia Romano, 蘑菇短视频 was never really a question. Now, a Parks and Recreation Management major with a minor in Social Justice, Romano is turning that early love for campus life into hands-on experience that's shaping her future career.

A Legacy in the Making

Romano's connection to Western Carolina runs deep. As a legacy student whose older sister attended WCU, Romano grew up cheering at football games and soaking in campus energy long before she ever filled out an application. The university's NC Promise tuition program made the decision easier. Watching her sister fall in love with the campus at a young age was just the cherry on top.

鈥淪he (my sister) fell in love with it and so I would come to football games and get to hang out with her, and I fell in love with the campus.鈥� "I didn't want to go anywhere where my sister went," Romano laughed, reflecting on her college search. "But I ended up here anyway."

Real-world Integration

This summer, Romano has been putting her Parks and Recreation Management coursework into action through an internship that's as dynamic and rewarding. Her days have ranged from leading engagement activities for rising fifth graders at a Lego robotics camp, complete with battle-bot showdowns and maze challenges, to preparing for a native plant conference, where she's taking on a new set of responsibilities working alongside professionals.

"There's definitely a divide in Parks and Rec between the people-people and the nature-people," Romano explained. "I think Western does a great job preparing us for both 鈥� but they really push us to be people-oriented." That training, she says, showed up immediately: from coaching kids through coding challenges to knowing exactly when to shift from playful camp counselor to polished professional.

Growth, One Connection at a Time

For Romano, the most meaningful moments of the internship haven't been the big milestones, they've been the small, human ones. Watching a group of campers grow more confident over the course of just a few days. Learning to adjust her approach on the fly between working with children and working with adults. Building genuine relationships with supervisors and colleagues she'd previously known only in passing.

"A successful internship, to me, is about creating new relationships," she said. "But it's also personal growth 鈥� understanding when to be my goofy, fun self, and when I need to be that professional person."

That growth has paid off in a big way. Romano says the experience has sharpened her sense of purpose, reaffirming her goal of working with children who are severe and profound, within the recreation profession.

"It really helped me solidify that this is what I want to do," she said.

The Power of Networking

If there's one lesson Romano hopes to pass along to fellow students eyeing their own summer internships, it's this: don't be afraid to start the conversation.

Her own internship came about through exactly that kind of connection, a conversation with a colleague at a previous job that led to an introduction, which led to an opportunity. It's a chain reaction she's seen play out again this summer, after mentioning her career goals to the person running the robotics camp, who immediately offered to connect her with more opportunities down the road.

"Somebody always knows somebody else," Romano said. "Just don't be afraid to talk to people and make connections."

Looking Ahead

With hands-on experience across age groups, program types, and real-world challenges, Romano is proof of what happens when a hard worker also gets strong academic preparation. As she looks toward the next chapter of her career in recreation and youth services, one thing is clear, Western Carolina's Parks and Recreation Management program and Antonia Romano's drive to connect with people are a winning combination.

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Cullowhee, NC 鈥� A Homecoming for Haley

McLeod, the administrative support specialist for 蘑菇短视频's Human Services Department, spent her summer interning with New Student Orientation. Now pursuing her graduate degree while working full-time at WCU, McLeod returned to orientation with fresh eyes and a clear sense of purpose.

Return to Form

McLeod chose Western for both her undergraduate and graduate studies, drawn by its close-to-home familiarity and the opportunity, her full-time role provides tuition support for three classes each academic year and these are just some of the many benefits 蘑菇短视频can provide for its interns-to-be. But her connection to 蘑菇短视频orientation runs deeper than convenience. Having earned her undergraduate degree in 2020, McLeod stepped back into the orientation world after six years away.

"It's been six years since I've been working for orientation," she said, "and just getting back into the groove of things, I think that was the biggest achievement." The orientation schedule had been completely redesigned since her time as a counselor, meaning McLeod had to learn the program from the ground up, including mastering new systems like Slate, WCU's undergraduate admissions portal.

Learning by Watching and Doing

Rather than working from the sidelines, McLeod immersed herself in the day-to-day rhythm of orientation season. Some of McLeod鈥檚 favorite moments of her internship included shadowing Director Josh Thompson through every twist and turn of two-day orientation sessions. Check-ins, packed schedules, and countless conversations.

"I got to learn how he navigates difficult conversations, specifically with guests and parents, as well as navigating upper leadership," McLeod shared. She even witnessed firsthand how orientation adapts on the fly, including a session where leadership successfully advocated to expand capacity to 300 students to meet demand. "I got all the ins and outs of orientation more so than the orientation counselors did, because I was with the pro staff for the whole summer."

Her academic coursework laid the groundwork for her internship. Classes in student development theory helped her understand how students think and transition, while an introductory course in higher education student affairs gave her a working knowledge of the university's structure and campus partners.

Community Connection

Beyond the logistics and long days, McLeod found something more meaningful in connection with her community. McLeod cites her closeness with her peers as some of the best memories and experiences she has gained throughout her internship.

The season's high point came at a closing celebration hosted by her Director Josh Thompson's. complete with a slip and slide, cake, and a lighthearted awards ceremony. McLeod herself was voted "most likely to adopt a stray animal." "It was really awesome just to get to see the team bond outside of orientation," she reflected.

Clarity for the Road Ahead

Perhaps the most powerful outcome of McLeod's internship was the clarity it brought to her career path. After earning her undergraduate degree in interior design and working as a designer, McLeod joined 蘑菇短视频in 2023 as an administrative assistant. It was there that a new calling took shape.

"It solidified me wanting to be an orientation director," McLeod said, "even though it does involve long nights and a lot of preparation. It just solidified everything, and it was so much fun. It made me realize that my passion is with orientation at a university, no matter what orientation or university that is."

Advice for Future Interns

McLeod's parting wisdom for students pursuing summer internships was simple but succinct.

鈥淪tart looking as soon as possible. The sooner you start, the better opportunity you'll have." And when it comes to reaching out to organizations who may not have an established internship program, McLeod encourages others not to hesitate. "Always ask the question. The worst that someone's going to say is no 鈥� and even if you think a company may not be ready for an intern, just ask, because it's never going to hurt."

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When Avery O'Neill first walked into Highlands Biological Station last spring as a volunteer, she admits she was nervous. A student in 蘑菇短视频's Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources, O'Neill wasn't sure she belonged in the lab.

"I was very unsure of myself," she recalls. "I was like, am I doing this right? I was really scared of messing up the process they had already established."

Fast forward to this summer, and that same student is preparing to stand in front of an audience and present original research on data she collected, analyzed, and turned into real, meaningful scientific findings.

It's a transformation O'Neill credits almost entirely to her internship experience, and to a university that gave her the tools and the courage to dive in headfirst.

Choosing the Mountains and Finding a Home

O'Neill , who is originally from Reidsville, North Carolina, always knew she wanted to attend college somewhere in the mountains. After touring both Western Carolina University and a nearby competitor, the decision came down to fit.

"I ended up just liking Western's campus and community better," O'Neill says. As a smaller school, 蘑菇短视频offered something that mattered to her. Real one-on-one opportunities with faculty and mentors. Acceptance into the university's Honors College was the cherry on top.

A Day in the Life of a Young Scientist

O'Neill鈥檚 internship centers on a long-running microplastics research project at Highlands Biological Station, a research and teaching facility that partners with WCU. Her days start around 9 a.m., setting up in the lab, checking email, and mapping out her tasks. From there, it's hands-on science: running samples, entering data, and helping keep a major research project moving forward.

"There was a lot of backlog of samples that needed to be analyzed and data that needed to be entered," Avery explains. "Myself and some other staff and high school interns this summer have really helped make a lot of progress on that."

Classwork That Pays Off in the Field

O'Neill points directly to her coursework as the foundation for her success this summer. Her Methods in Natural Resource Management class, completed just months before her internship began, introduced her to the field methods, data organization, and scientific process she now relies on daily.

Even more pivotal was an honors contract she completed the previous semester in NRM 150. the course that first connected her to Highlands Biological Station.

"That was the class that really got me into this," she says.

The Day She'll Never Forget

O'Neill most memorable moment of the summer comes without hesitation: a day spent wading through the Cullasaja River in Franklin, conducting a fish survey alongside Mainspring Conservation Trust.

"We were in the river for most of the day, from like eight to two, just catching fish and crawdads and stomping around in the river," she says. "It was awesome."

Turning Data Into Discovery

For O'Neill , success this summer means more than just finishing tasks. She's been working to compile years of accumulated data from the ongoing HBS and 蘑菇短视频microplastics project, using it to help garner new insights.

That work is culminating in something she considers a major milestone, her very first research presentation.

"It'll be my first time compiling data and turning it into something physical 鈥� an explanation," she says. "Everything you're listening to me talk about is stuff I was directly involved with. These are the predictions I made. These are graphs I made. It feels very huge to me."

Building Real Professional Confidence

Perhaps the most striking part of O'Neill鈥檚 story is her own growth in confidence. The anxious volunteer of last spring has become a capable, independent researcher.

"I've done the filtering process enough times, and the data entry, and analyzing the samples, that I'm just so used to it now," she says. "It's really prepared me very well for other professional opportunities down the line."

When asked if there was anything she wished she'd had the chance to do but didn't, her answer speaks to just how full her summer has been: "Anything that I didn't do this summer

was something I chose not to do. I'm very happy with what I've been able to be involved with."

A Sharpened Career Path

O'Neill entered college with her sights set on botany and plant-based conservation work. Her internship has opened her eyes to a different, equally urgent path, environmental toxicology and hydrology.

Working hands-on with microplastics research has given her a firsthand look at the scale of the problem. "I knew microplastics pollution was an issue, but it's really eye-opening being the person coming up with the lab results and counting everything," she says.

That experience has fueled a new sense of purpose. "I'm really glad I got to do a pollution-related project, because it's definitely made me a lot more passionate about pushing for different changes 鈥� policy-wise, and just ways that everybody can lessen their own pollution contributions."

Her Advice to Future Interns

When asked what advice she'd offer other students searching for a summer internship, O'Neill鈥檚 answer was simple.

"Talk to people. That's everybody's advice, but it's the truth," she says. It was a conversation with her NRM 150 instructor that led directly to her opportunity at Highlands Biological Station. "He knew somebody up here, so he had me email some people, and it just went from there."

Her advice to students who don't yet have a paid position lined up: don't wait for the perfect opportunity. "Just ask if there are any opportunities, and if there's not anything paid available, just see if you can help out and see where that leads."

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Yes! For the most up-to-date information on summer tuition and fees, visit the Summer Tuition and Fees page. Summer tuition rates will be posted once they are approved by the UNC System Office.

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Payment is due on the first day of each class, based on its Part-of-Term as shown on your bill.

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Unfortunately, payment plans are not available for summer classes.

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Yes! You can use leftover financial aid from the 2025/2026 academic year to pay for Summer 2026 classes. For more information, please contact the Office of Financial Aid.

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While there are not summer-specific scholarships, 蘑菇短视频sometimes has access to grant funding to help offset summer tuition costs for some students. Make sure you're monitoring your email over the Spring semester for any announcements about these opportunities.

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