2026 Internship Academy
Students Complete SHECP Academy & Begin Summer Internship
The SHECP Internship Academy serves to provide additional preparations for interns to responsibly engage with host communities and to frame the upcoming internship within the larger academic context. This year's Internship Academy took place virtually from June 1-4 and included cohort meetings, an alumni panel full advice, practitioner presentation focused on vocational exploration, and various skills development sessions.
The official welcome address was given by a SHECP alum, Dr. Jill Waity. Dr. Waity is a Professor of Sociology at UNC Wilmington and a 2005 alumna of Washington and Lee University. Dr. Waity now teaches courses such as Applied Social Research, Poverty Studies, The Community, Modern Social Problems, and Social Policy.
Dr. Kelly Hamshaw, a Senior Lecturer and Research Specialist at the University of Vermont Center for Rural Studies, gave the keynote address, “Building Resilience in Rural Places: Insights from Vermont's Flood-Impacted Manufactured Housing Communities.”
On Monday, several recent SHECP alumni participated in a panel discussion to share insights from their summer and advice for current interns. The event was co-hosted by SHECP's new Alumni Engagement Committee and included:
Dora Kreitzer (SHECP 2023: Intersection of Change, Baltimore)
Gracie Lawhon (SHECP 2024: ReSOURCE, Burlington)
Cameron Stith (SHECP 2025: Kanawha Co Public Defender, Charleston)
On Tuesday, another SHECP alum, Sam Wilmoth, kicked off the summer's Practitioner Insights event series. This series provides an opportunity for summer interns and all members of the SHECP community to hear from innovative and dynamic leaders doing anti-poverty work. Sam is currently a Senior Manager of Consulting for RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network). He completed his Shepherd Summer Internship in 2005 with Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia.
On Thursday, SHECP's Conflict Transformation working group hosted breakout practice sessions to revisit existing ideas about conflict and concepts of Conflict Transformation, and then to practice new skills for the summer and beyond. Later, members of the larger SHECP community were invited to join students to discuss “What tools, skills, mindsets, and understandings do students need to adapt to and thrive in vocations in the Common Good?”
Starting with the Internship Academy, interns engage in a variety of academic and professional development programs throughout the summer to strengthen their connection with practitioners, local communities, and their peers. SHECP aims to develop student civic responsibility through experiential learning, promote respect for diverse communities, and facilitate poverty awareness that leads students to intentionally integrate anti-poverty action in their post-graduate vocations and personal lives.
