McCOOK, Neb. — McCook’s Hannah Goltl recently completed her junior year at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, and is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She’s currently employed for this summer as a Summer Hometown Intern, which is a collaboration between the McCook Community Foundation Fund and the Nebraska Community Foundation.

Though the internship only began a few weeks ago, Hannah says she’s thoroughly enjoying the experience. She’s a part of several different projects, including developing succession plans with local businesses, expanding the Reality Check program (a hands-on experience that teaches area 8th-graders about personal finance), and coordinating a youth portion for the Prairie Roots Music Festival and BBQ Contest.

Hannah hopes to bring an aspect of the past to her current work, saying, “Throughout the duration of my internship, I hope to gain a comprehensive understanding of the extensive historical significance of McCook.”

Hannah believes others should consider taking up internships as well:

“I strongly recommend pursuing an internship, as it provides an excellent opportunity to gain insights into your community.”

Ronda Graff, the “Chief Instigator” of the McCook Community Foundation Fund, discussed the importance of interns:

“The goal of these internships is to help students learn more about their communities so that hopefully they can eventually move back here.”

Out of the five years that the Nebraska Community Foundation has made it possible for the area to hire interns, the McCook Community Foundation Fund has participated four times, says Ronda. She says the internship is important to the Foundation because it feels it’s valuable to get young people involved in their communities. “The people here learn just as much as the interns do,” she says.

If you are an intern working in the area, or if you are a business that has hired a summer intern, and would like to be featured, please call or text Isaac at the Gazette (308) 340-5707.