SUNY Potsdam Presidential Internship Program to Fund Selective Paid Summer Internships at Local Businesses & Organizations
Emily Pijanowski, an environmental science major from East Aurora, N.Y., who will serve as a conservation intern for the Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative in Potsdam, N.Y., is one of 16 students who will complete the College’s new Presidential Internship Program.
SUNY Potsdam is pleased to announce the first class of students who will complete the College’s new Presidential Internship Program, a competitive paid internship program allowing students to gain professional experience while assisting select North Country employers.
Launching in Summer 2025, the pilot program will match high-achieving students with completely paid internships at select sites, where they will receive academic credit, professional development opportunities and stipend support. Interns will be fully paid, and there is no cost for approved internship sites to participate.
In 2023, Potsdam was one of 12 SUNY campuses invited to participate in a project led by Jobs for the Future, a not-for-profit organization that works to advance equitable economic benefits for all. The project aims to reduce the financial barriers students often face when completing unpaid internships and other applied learning experiences. Following on the project, the campus applied for and received $100,000 in Empire State Development Funding to support stipends, tuition and other costs associated with the new Presidential Internship Program (PIP).
The first group of Presidential Internship Program participants includes:
- Nadia Atkinson, an art education major from Harrisville, N.Y., who will serve as a teen summer program intern for the St. Lawrence County Arts Council in Potsdam, N.Y.
- Elie Barbolt, an environmental science major from Glenville, N.Y., who will serve as a mosquito surveillance intern for the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department in Canton, N.Y.
- Chase Bond, an environmental science and biology major from Stanley, N.Y., who will serve as a mosquito surveillance intern for the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department in Canton, N.Y.
- Sarah Dauenhauer, a biology and psychology major from Malone, N.Y., who will serve as a health educator for the Seaway Valley Prevention Council in Ogdensburg, N.Y.
- Sarah Fitzgerald, a psychology major from Madrid, N.Y., who will serve as a health educator for the Seaway Valley Prevention Council in Ogdensburg, N.Y.
- Katie Fowler, a visual arts major from East Setauket, N.Y., who will serve as a graphic designer for the SUNY Potsdam Office of Campus Life in Potsdam, N.Y.
- Mia Iaccino, an environmental studies major from Ronkonkoma, N.Y., who will serve as a farmers market ambassador for GardenShare in Canton, N.Y.
- Jack Luck, an environmental studies major from Heuvelton, N.Y., who will serve as a summer intern for the St. Lawrence Land Trust in Canton, N.Y.
- Mikey Miller, a music education major from Chester, N.Y., who will serve as a production assistant intern for the Community Performance Series in Potsdam, N.Y.
- Tarek Nazmul, a business administration major from Melville, N.Y., who will serve as a marketing intern for the St. Lawrence County Community Development Program in Canton, N.Y.
- Margo Neth, a music business major from Verona, N.Y., who will serve as a sales associate for Brick & Mortar Music in Potsdam, N.Y.
- Garrett O’Hara, an environmental studies and environmental science major from Bainbridge, N.Y., who will serve as a mosquito surveillance intern for the St. Lawrence County Public Health Department in Canton, N.Y.
- Kadi Palmer, an environmental studies major from Averill Park, N.Y., who will serve as a STEAM education intern for the North Country Children’s Museum in Potsdam, N.Y.
- Emily Pijanowski, an environmental science major from East Aurora, N.Y., who will serve as a conservation intern for the Algonquin to Adirondacks Collaborative in Potsdam, N.Y.
- Aidan Sherwood, a music education major from Clifton Park, N.Y., who will serve as a camp counselor and administrative intern for Crane Youth Music at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music in Potsdam, N.Y.
- Emily Taylor, a business administration and literature/writing major from Brasher Falls, N.Y., who will serve as a marketing and public relations intern for Blueline literary magazine in Potsdam, N.Y.
The Lougheed Center for Applied Learning invited North Country businesses and organizations to apply to host interns through the new program. Sites outlined detailed internship descriptions, and students admitted to the program then select their top choices through a matching process.
During the experience, student interns will complete a minimum six-credit internship for a total of 240 hours in Summer 2025.
Students will work with SUNY Potsdam faculty members to develop academic learning outcomes related to the job description/site tasks. Site supervisors will evaluate students at the midway point and the end of the internship experience. Weekly professional development sessions will be offered to all student interns, supported by staff from the Lougheed Center for Applied Learning.
This new internship opportunity comes on top of other recent significant investments in applied learning support, thanks to the SUNY transformation fund. SUNY Potsdam was able to offer support through the incremental internship programming fund to help 30 students completing internships last summer. Thanks to the success of that program, the campus has received additional funding to more than quadruple the capacity of that opportunity for Summer 2025 as well. The Lougheed Center for Applied Learning also used a portion of these funds to create an internship stipend, which students can apply for each term to offset the costs of pursuing an internship.
In addition, SUNY Potsdam is currently participating in the Empire State Service Corps program, participating in paid public service opportunities spanning assignments in areas such as K-12 tutoring, SNAP and basic needs outreach, peer mental health, sustainability, anti-hate and anti-bias prevention, nonpartisan civic engagement and FAFSA completion.
Local internship sites with questions about any of these placement opportunities may reach out to Internship Coordinator Max Grube, at grubejm@potsdam.edu.
SUNY Potsdam’s Lougheed Center for Applied Learning is the first integrated academic opportunity center of its kind in SUNY. Its formal mission is to provide coordinated experiential learning opportunities that broaden and integrate students' knowledge and skills, and to foster self-discovery, for engaged and life-long academic, personal and career success. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu/academics/appliedlearning.
About SUNY Potsdam:
Founded in 1816, The State University of New York at Potsdam is one of America’s first 50 colleges—and the oldest institution within SUNY. Now in its third century, SUNY Potsdam is distinguished by a legacy of pioneering programs and educational excellence. The College currently enrolls approximately 2,500 undergraduate and graduate students. Home to the world-renowned Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam is known for its challenging liberal arts and sciences core, distinction in teacher training and culture of creativity. To learn more, visit www.potsdam.edu.