EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine February 2019 | Page 33

Work study students gain valuable skills at the Southeast Museum of Photography
“Digital arts is the largest of our programs, but by putting them
together we can create better synergy across our arts programs,”
said Wolek. “It has also led to a lot to a lot of students majoring in
one area and minoring in another area,” he said.
Experience Is Key
Launching a career in any industry can be challenging,
especially when a student lacks experience on their resume.
Looking to bridge the gap, institutions reach out to build
relationships among the business community,
in an effort to facilitate connectivity between
students and work experience, while offering
on-campus work study positions as well.
Daytona State College’s Southeast Museum
of Photography, housed in the Hosseini Center
on the Daytona Beach campus, offers both work
study and internship opportunities to train
students, according to museum director
James Pearson.
“I try to create tasks based on what they’re
good at, that way they get to practice that skill
set while giving a service to the museum and
getting paid for it,” Pearson says of the work
study students.
Stephanie Shaw, a lead museum technician
on site, found the chance to participate in the
work study program valuable as she pursued
her art history degree at the college before
completing her bachelor’s degree at the
University of Central Florida and her master’s
degree at Florida State University in 2017. Her
previous work with the museum helped Shaw
land her current position after graduation, and
she enjoys being able to pursue her passion for
art and help oversee the work study program
of today, which has grown from eight to
15 students.
“It’s easy to guide somebody when you’ve
had similar experiences and even though it’s
a different time, I feel like college student
struggles have not changed in any way, so
we always encourage them. They don’t have to have previous
experience, we are willing to train them and teach them to do
everything they need to do and to me that’s really important,”
she says.
Linking the Business Community to Education
The final piece of the puzzle comes from the business
community. Mike Curb, chairman of Curb/Word Entertainment
At Florida Power & Light Company
we are working together with the communities
we serve to make Florida an even better place
to raise a family and do business.
#FPLCares
FEBRUARY 2019 | 33 |