Category: Academics

TN Tech’s Rural Reimagined is proud to announce that Emily Buckner, a Human Resources major, has accepted an internship with the Upper Cumberland Development District (UCDD) and the Human Resources Agency (UCHRA). Through the internship, Emily will use her organizational and communication skills to collaborate on-site with UCDD’s leadership to identify and develop internships within the organization. This internship is a great way for Emily to become involved with Rural Reimagined and to gain real-world experience, while it will also create RR internships for other students in the future! UCDD’s Rebecca Smith states, “We are delighted about this new phase of our partnership with Tennessee Tech and look forward to creating new opportunities for students to further their education through hands-on learning.” She adds, “Collaboration through the Rural Reimagined Grand Challenge will make it possible for our agencies to recruit and develop highly qualified employees who are passionate about excellence and serving others.” Regarding her internship, Emily states, “This opportunity is not only going to benefit me in using my skills in a real-world environment but in return, I will be helping my fellow colleagues in their professional lives, one of the main goals I have for my career!” Stay tuned for updates on Rural Reimagined. Wings up!

March, 2019 marks one year of partnership between Rural Reimagined (RR) and the Professional & Technical Communication (PTC) program in the English department. Regarding her program’s involvement, Dr. Kristin Pickering states,  “Rural Reimagined is an excellent experience for students, especially through our required PTC internships. It gives students opportunities to work with the University and the community and see how their degree skills, such as grant writing, technical writing, and communication, can be utilized.” One PTC graduate and past RR intern, Matt Billings, states, “My opportunities from Rural Reimagined, coupled with my learned skills in the English PTC Program, undoubtedly gave me professional experience for my current career.” Similarly, PTC graduate Kinsey Potter states, “Working with Rural Reimagined has allowed me to utilize my PTC skills in real life. I now see that communication has a strong capability to make a change.” Matt now has a job at the Upper Cumberland Development District, and Kinsey is working on her M.A. while continuing as the RR graduate assistant. Dr. Pickering encourages students and faculty to become involved, as she states, “We have seen so much success so far in this partnership. No matter what interests students have, they can find a place in Rural Reimagined.” Wings up, Dr. Pickering and the PTC Program!