Mesa College was recently chosen as “Outstanding Two-Year College Internship/ Work Experience Program” for 2008 by a respected organization, the California Internship and Work Experience Association. The CIWEA will officially present the award to Program Coordinator Lydia Signorelli-Brown in April.

“It really honors the work the faculty has done together to make this a really good program for students,” said Signorelli-Brown.

When she first came to the position four years ago, the program had 79 students. Now approximately 300 students enroll in the Work Experience Program each year. Signorelli-Brown said the program is “essential to making the transition from school to the work place” and will continue to grow.

The Work Experience Program is available to any student at Mesa, provided that they have a job or internship. An orientation meeting is required at the beginning of each session, but then the professor and students stay in contact through phone and e-mail. The credits transfer as electives to CSUs, but not the UC system.

The program has a comprehensive collection of surveys completed by students before and after completion of the program. In the application that Adjunct Child Development Instructor Susan Ferguson submitted to the CIWEA competition, she notes the positive implications these surveys have for the program.

“Our statistics and student comments motivate us to keep improving and remind us that what we do has lasting results in the lives of our students,” said Ferguson.

Results from the spring 2007 survey indicate that the students find the program helpful. Out of the 72 students who completed the survey, 67 percent responded in the “excellent” category to “I improved my ability to analyze work-related issues” and 79 percent to “I have a better understanding of how time management affects the workplace.”

“The Work Experience Program has absolutely helped me develop my career goals and marketable skills because not only does this internship look great on my resume, but it has connected me to other individuals in the music industry who can help me achieve future goals,” responded one student.