INTERNSHIPS ARE AN INVALUABLE PART of a student’s education, providing practical experience that connects classroom learning to real-world challenges. As Truman looks to the future, the University’s new strategic plan emphasizes intentional curricular and co-curricular opportunities to prepare students for life beyond the classroom. By building essential professional skills within the richness of a liberal arts and sciences education, Truman graduates gain a distinct advantage.
That advantage grows even stronger when alumni open doors for current students and recent graduates. Whether by offering internships, hiring Truman graduates, serving as mentors or making professional introductions, alumni play a powerful role in helping students translate their Truman education into meaningful careers.
Knowing the value of an internship experience and the power of alumni engagement, Shannon (’02) and Mike (’02) Favazza hosted 50 close friends and colleagues for a Truman event at their home at the end of February. Shannon, a principal at Edward Jones and member of Truman’s Business Advisory Board, and Mike, chief financial offers at Remiger Design, an architecture an interior design firm, were looking for ways to support the University and knew they could make a big impact if they gathered the right people together.
The Favazzas established the St. Louis Are Internship Access Fund to offer more opportunities to Truman students seeking internships in the St. Louis area. The initiative advances student access, equity and career readiness and is especially designed for students in unpaid, underpaid financially inaccessible internships.
With gifts from the kickoff event, the fund initially reached more than $35,000 in commitments. The momentum continued at the Growing Truman Connections event hosted at Edward Jones’ St. Louis headquarters on April 22, where more than 150 guests heard from Alison Ayers, executive director of career services and employer relations, and Truman student Anna Kuhnert (’26) about the new initiative. Now at more than $40,000, the fund is expected to support 20 students.
Internships have the power to completely shape a student’s future, but not every student has equal access to those opportunities. My internship in St Louis gave me the confidence and professional experience that helped me for a full-time career after graduation. Through my experiences at Truman State University, I learned how to communicate professionally, adapt quickly and contribute with confidence from day one. Support for internship access means investing in students’ futures and creating opportunities that truly can change lives.
Anna Kuhnert (’26)
As Truman continues to emphasize experiential learning and career readiness, alumni and friends have an exciting opportunity to help students take the next step. private support makes internships more accessible, while alumni employers create lasting impact by hiring Truman students and graduates, offering internships and connecting talented Bulldogs to meaningful professional opportunities.
The St. Louis Are Internship Access Fund demonstrates how philanthropy can help students pursue their goals while reinforcing one of Truman’s greatest strengths: a network of alumni who invest in the next generation through both generosity and opportunity.
