The Blue
Tribune
The Blue Tribune is your place to learn about all things Covenant and keep up with stories from campus and beyond. By guiding you through the different aspects of Covenant, we'll help you decide if you want to pursue your very own Covenant experience.
Summer as a Scot: Internship Highlights
Across disciplines, Covenant students take their talents and passions outside of the classroom over the summer to engage in unique work experiences. Often, for students, these experiences serve as stepping stones to learning about their interests and discovering their future careers.
Exploring Publishing in Chattanooga
After spending some time thinking about how to spend her summer, senior English major Emily Boer was a little nervous about entering an internship as an assistant editor at Walnut Street Publishing in Chattanooga. However, after her summer as an intern, she was encouraged and excited to find that she really enjoyed the work. “Since I always say that I want to work in publishing and editing as my career, I was originally nervous that I would hate my internship,” Emily says. She continues, “However, the opposite has proven true. I’m thankful that this internship has brought me from a place of deep uncertainty about life after graduation to daydreaming about getting a job like this.”
Over the course of the summer, Emily was given a variety of opportunities to explore different aspects of publishing and editing. This included tasks such as transcribing copies of articles for a historical project and reading through the manuscript of a poetry collection soon to be published, which she loved doing. “[The poetry manuscript] was possibly my favorite thing to work on, and it was when I started to get really excited about working as an editor professionally.” While her English courses that teach critique and structure helped equip Emily for the internship, Covenant prepared her for more than just the editorial work. While working with writers and editors in a secular field, some of the conversations she had were “disorienting,” but she was thankful that, “Covenant prepared me well to be able to interact in a loving way.”
Biology in Practice: Saving Sea Turtles in Surf City
After researching and applying to multiple internships that piqued his interest, Hunter Friederichsen ’27 accepted a competitive position as a rehabilitation intern at the Karen Beasley Sea Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center in Surf City, NC. A biology student with a biomedical sciences concentration, Hunter assisted with the daily husbandry of turtles, which included cleaning, attending to medical needs, monitoring water quality, protecting nests, and educating the public. To Hunter, the most striking aspect of his internship was the full circle experience of going out in the rescue van to rescue the turtles, working to rehabilitate them, and then releasing them back into the ocean at the end of the summer with the other interns.
While they could not save every turtle, Hunter reflects on some special moments he was able to witness: “The whole summer was really beautiful. Some of my happier memories were getting to watch a nest boil, watching the hatchlings come out of the nest was remarkable. During one of these, there was this beautiful bioluminescence in the sand, so as they were going out, they left trails and speckles of bioluminescence in the sand; it was magical.” During these experiences, Hunter saw his faith grow as he saw the reality of the fall when turtles did not survive, and also the reality of restoration through the healthy turtles that were released. “Every single time we release a turtle, it's fighting back against the effects of the fall, and every time an animal is released back out into the wild, it helps me see eternity because it points to a new creation.”
To Hunter, having the lens of a Covenant education not only prepared him to enter the field but also allowed him to appreciate the work he was doing on another level. “The biomedical sciences program really trains you well to go into any field of medicine, especially with animals,” says Hunter, who, following the summer, is leading a pre-vet club for students who have similar interests to his.
God’s Provision on the Yakima Reservation
In another, completely different summer experience, senior Rebekah Hitchcock spent her summer working on the Yakima Reservation in Yakima, WA, with Sacred Road Ministries. She engaged in worksites, including painting and roofing projects, and worked with a Kids Club in the afternoon for the community while sharing the gospel. Over the course of the summer, Rebekah was able to see how the Lord is working through the church in this area, watching people serving and showing the love of Jesus. “During Kids Club, kids from K-5 all over the community come to play games, hear Bible stories, sing songs, and eat snacks. This was my favorite part of the day where I could get to know these kids, run into the sprinkler, and give them piggyback rides.”
Rebekah was not only impacted by the relationships she built within her team and the work they did, but also by the community, who, as she put it, “welcomed us with open arms.” In this work and community, she saw the faithfulness and goodness of the Lord. “He frequently reminded me that He sees what I need and provides in ways I least expect,” she reflects. Similar to many other student experiences, God worked in Rebekah’s summer both in the positive and negative experiences, showing again and again His love and provision for His children.
