NEH grant supports senior’s future
This school year, Alyssa Voigt, a sophomore from New Holstein, Wis., majoring in marketing, is creating content for the Lakeland blog. She was named Lakeland’s Outstanding Student in Marketing this year. This is the latest in a series of blog stories she has written.
When Lakeland University received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant, the institution had students like Annslee Runsat and her career goals in mind.
Runsat, a senior from Iron Mountain, Mich., majoring in elementary education with a minor in English, has benefited from the NEH Grant, which supports experiential learning opportunities for humanities students in non-profits and small businesses.
The grant provides funding for employer partners who otherwise might not be able to afford an intern.
The NEH Grant Initiative supported Runsat’s experience last fall working at the non-profit Above and Beyond Children’s Museum in Sheboygan, Wis.
Runsat was a community engagement coordinator, responsible for handling day-to-day projects in preparation for programs that Above and Beyond hosts for the community and kids.
“I have gotten so much experience and insight that they allowed me to see how things are being run and how to run them as well,” said Runsat, a member of the Dean’s List for three years who is set to graduate on May 9.
Runsat initially came to Lakeland for elementary education, though, with encouragement and credit to Lakeland Associate Professor of English Mark Heimermann, Ph.D., she decided to pursue her love for English and writing in a way that supports her future endeavors.
The principal applicable aspects Runsat said she gained from working at Above and Beyond were observing the prep and the behind-the-scenes of a non-profit organization, the opportunity to work with kids up to age eight and the importance of interactive learning not only for kids, but for families and communities as well.
“This opportunity has been really rewarding and such a learning experience that I am so glad I was able to have,” she said.
Some of the noteworthy tasks and projects she worked on at Above and Beyond that have strengthened her learning experience include:
Compared to other experiences, such as classroom placements, Runsat noted that this opportunity was beneficial for pursuing a career in teaching.
“This opportunity has shown me another way to be able to help, interact, and teach kids,” Runsat said. “It helped shape and made me come back to what learning is all about, and that kids can have fun with it. It has also allowed me more experience working with kids, whether that is prepping activities, allowing me to tap into my creative side, or managing groups of kids, where the goal is for all of them to learn.”
The NEH grant and supportive advocates were the prime factors in making this effective opportunity possible for Runsat, one that she is profoundly grateful for.
“This grant allowed me the possibility to even think about having an opportunity like this,” she said. “This grant gave me more experience with kids before going into student teaching and a reason to explore different environments where I can still work with kids, rather than just a school setting. John Ellis-Etchinson (Lakeland assistant professor of English) also really helped me realize that this opportunity was even possible, and I am extremely grateful to have people around me who want me to succeed to such an extent.”
Runsat’s advice for students interested in a future in English is to “lean into what you love and really explore your love for English. Here at Lakeland, we have a wide variety of interesting English courses and amazing English professors who all want to be able to provide the support to help you grow not only as a writer and a lover of literature, but also as an individual, which is truly amazing to have such support here at Lakeland.”
To learn more about NEH-funded internships for Lakeland humanities students, contact Karl Kuhn, Ph.D., the program coordinator, at kuhnk@lakeland.edu.
