A public relations major in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, Woods used the skills she learned in the classroom to support the organization’s volunteer recruitment and engagement efforts and assist with community events.
By assisting with social media, creating graphic designs and collecting important feedback from volunteers, her internship gave her a real-world learning experience that she said she might not have gotten without the support of Penn State and the Franco Harris Pittsburgh Center.
“I am so grateful for Penn State that I had this opportunity because I wouldn’t have been able to find this or be able to have the support in a program like this otherwise,” Woods said. “I gained valuable communication skills, and it was a very rewarding experience that will help me in my future. I wouldn’t have gotten that without Penn State.”
Along with 412 Food Rescue, this summer, City Semester interns supported Tree Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Conservation District, Green Building Alliance, the City of Pittsburgh Planning Department and Riverlife, a nonprofit where junior Kaitlyn Loomis gained experience as a project and planning intern.
As a landscape architecture major in the College of Arts and Architecture, Loomis was drawn to Riverlife’s work, which enhances the Steel City’s vast riverfront areas to provide an asset for the community.