Drake Shadle

Major: Political Science; Minors: Spanish, Business Economics, and Religious Studies 

Student Ministry Summer Intern, Covenant Church

1.) How did you learn about this internship opportunity? 

I started attending Covenant Church during my freshman year at Purdue, and I began doing activities and some volunteer work with the college group. The Director of Student Ministries at the church sent out the information for a summer internship position to all the Covenant Church college students, so that is how I found out about it.

2.) How has your internship helped build your skills and clarify your career goals?  How do you apply your Liberal Arts skills to your internship?  

The internship was huge for my own personal growth, and I loved all the experiences I was able to have. I was able to work on collaboration in an office setting and develop skills in organization and planning. It also allowed me to explore ministry as a potential future career option. Being in Liberal Arts has helped me become more well-rounded and creative, which helped me in coming up with new ideas for lessons and events.

3.) What is a piece of advice you would give someone looking for an internship?  

I would recommend just getting involved in your community and doing whatever activities you enjoy doing and are beneficial to you. Career fairs and research can be really helpful for getting an internship, but you also can have many great opportunities from the people you meet personally through your hobbies and passions. I was able to get an internship because of my church community, which ended up being an amazing opportunity for me to get to know my community better. 

4.) What specific responsibilities have you undertaken during your internship?

Being in student ministry does require some heavy responsibilities, many of which are not super obvious from the outside looking in. As an intern serving in ministry, I had students dealing with a wide range of mental and emotional challenges, and it was part of my job to ensure that they had someone to talk to and provide them with counsel. Some of their struggles were really difficult to work through, but I am glad I had the opportunity to experience that. Some of my other responsibilities included planning for trips, budgeting for various activities, creating flyers and messages, planning high school Bible studies, studying scripture, planning and giving lessons, volunteering in and leading ministry, and mentoring students.

5.) In what ways has the College of Liberal Arts at Purdue University supported your internship journey? How has your participating in our job-ready program specifically aided your professional development? 

The CLA supported my internship in a big way by providing me with a Job Ready Scholarship. This covered a month of my rent, which made it more affordable for me to live in a different city during the summer and allowed me to focus more on my internship and other activities without worrying as much about the pay.

6.) Could you highlight a standout aspect of your experience in this program that you find particularly noteworthy? 

One of the aspects of my internship that I loved was being able to travel and really connect with my students during this time. The youth group that I worked for traveled to Colorado and Wisconsin for week-long trips, and the relationships I was able to establish working with students are ones I will never forget. The way that God was able to work in me and through me and show his presence throughout my internship experience is truly live-changing, and I'm so excited to continue working with the group as a volunteer and continuing to do ministry in some form for the rest of my life.