APEX Fellowship gives sociology and history student insight into social service organizations

Samantha Jones ’25, a sociology and history major at the College of Wooster, took advantage of an APEX Fellowship after hearing about the program from her roommate. During her internship at Community Action of Wayne and Medina Counties, Jones assisted with outreach to social service organizations, meetings, and other tasks as needed. Cassie Shaum, a licensed social worker and social service manager at Community Action of Wayne and Medina Counties, helped Jones to engage in challenging conversations tackling the topic of poverty.

“This internship hasn’t necessarily made me change career paths, but it has definitely made me more passionate about helping others. It gave me an interesting platform to examine the world through real life application of the theories that I have been learning about.”
—Samantha Jones ’25

How did you learn about the internship opportunity for your APEX Fellowship?

“I learned about the APEX fellowship through my roommate who had a physics internship on campus the summer before. The position was a good fit for me because it reflected things that I was passionate about while also giving me professional experience.”

What interests you most about the work you did? What were some of the things you did each day?

“What interested me the most was getting to hear from different social service organizations and learning what they did. It was interesting to see the different needs in a community and how those needs have been attempted to be met. My day would consist of reaching out to and meeting with social service organizations through a variety of mediums. When I wasn’t doing that, I would go into the community action office and help with whatever tasks my supervisor needed.”

Who was your fellowship mentor and how did they help you to succeed in this position?

“My fellowship mentor was Cassie Shaum. She helped me immensely by providing a space where I found it comfortable to ask questions and to have difficult conversations about what poverty and trying to combat it looks like.”

What are some skills you’ve learned that you see yourself carrying forward in your career?

“I learned professional communication with others, preparedness for meetings, and how to conduct oneself while in one.”

How has the internship helped you to see what’s next for you?

“This internship hasn’t necessarily made me change career paths, but it has definitely made me more passionate about helping others. It gave me an interesting platform to examine the world through real life application of the theories that I have been learning about. It made me realize just how important history and sociology are for understanding the world around us.”

Posted in Experiential Learning, Showcase Stories 2023 on August 11, 2023.