Prior to Graduating in May of 2017, Joey participated in the Internship Program on two different occasions while completing his undergraduate degrees in Nonprofit and NGO Studies and Political Science. In 2015, Joey was an intern for Sycamore Public Library, and in 2017, an intern for Sycamore Education Foundation. Joey recently graduated from NIU’s Master of Public Administration program in May 2019. He is also a proud NIU Football season ticket holder.

Q: What was the biggest benefit and/or the coolest part of your internship experience?

Joey: The biggest benefit I had from this program was gaining real life experience to relate to the classroom teaching.

Q: In your opinion, why should students pursue internship opportunities?

Joey: It gives students a chance to understand the “nitty gritty” details of nonprofit work. It is so valuable…I believe that it should be a graduation requirement and it outweighed any coursework I completed in terms of lessons learned.

Q: What are you up to now?

Joey: I recently graduated from NIU’s Master of Public Administration program and am working as a Management Analyst with the Village of Bartlett. The DCNP internship sent me down this path and was an instrumental part of starting my career.

Q: Please share any additional comments you have about your internship experience. 

Joey: These two internships were great experiences for me. Thank you to the Roberts Family Foundation for supporting these opportunities.

PHOTO CREDIT: Northern Illinois University