RABAB ALRAYES Students gain a competitive advantage—and make a positive impact—through internships University of Michigan-Dear- born was built on a foundation of experiential learning. Its cornerstone was laid with a commitment to provide real-world skills and experience. Students would participate in off-campus work experiences in addition to their academic courses. That was in 1959. Today, nearly 60 years later, the focus hasn’t changed—it has only grown stronger. What began as a way to help the area’s expanding automo- tive companies find employees has evolved into a program that produces stronger job candidates with more marketable skills in a variety of areas. UM-Dearborn collaborates with companies, agencies and nonprofits through- out the region to provide students with more than 700 co-op and internship opportunities annually. Through college-level internship/ co-op offices and programs, students can find the right fit for their interest and skills. They also could find full-time employment after graduation. According to the National Asso- ciation of College and Employ- ers 2017 Internship and Co-op Survey, more than 75 percent of employers say that the primary goal of their company’s intern- ship program is to recruit college graduates for full-time work. A job offer at the end may be the most visible benefit of an intern- ship. But for many UM-Dearborn students, making an immediate impact in their chosen field is equally important. Whether work- ing to improve public health, build safer cars, or enrich the communi- ty with art, UM-Dearborn interns want to achieve good things. One hands-on experience at a time. Real-world experience When MAWJ MOHAMMED was six months old, her family fled the war in Baghdad. Years later, in middle school, she became a U.S. citizen. Today, trying to better understand how the events of her life unfolded, Moham- med is majoring in political science and psychology. From campaigning to voting, Mohammed is committed to being involved in the political life of this country. But she also wanted to see the politi- cal arena from another view- point: an international one. Mohammed took part in the Ottawa Political Internship, a five-week experience where University of Michigan students get an up close and personal look at Canada’s parliamentary gov- ernment. The program, offered through UM-Dearborn’s College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters and UM-Ann Arbor’s College of Liter- ature, Science, and the Arts, has been offered for nearly 35 years. Working for Member of Parlia- ment Julie Dzerowicz, Moham- med’s responsibilities included researching Bill C-16, an Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code, and reviewing the Canadian government’s 2017 fiscal plan. She also observed Canadian protests, attended political receptions and even shook hands with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Mohammed is grateful for the opportunity to learn about Amer- ica’s northern neighbor, learn about a different political system and gain a better understanding of the international community. “There are times when a country’s decisions may be out of the hands of the people,” said Mohammed, who only has two baby pictures because her parents had to flee Iraq literally overnight. “But I’ve learned that other countries lever- age their economy or position in the world to have their say on be- half of the people. It is something that I didn’t realize before this experience. It’s helped me appre- ciate how connected we all are.” Sky-high success Seeing the NASA logo in the College of Engineering and Computer Science co-op/intern- ship office, then-freshman RABAB ALRAYES thought to herself, “I’m going to work for them.” Three years later, she did. While interning at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Alrayes helped create an interactive mo- bile app encouraging employees to explore the 140,000-acre com- plex. The app employs geocach- ing, which uses GPS technology to find specific locations. | 15