Long was ready to see what the city itself had to offer. “Sandi seemed pretty surprised to see a rising sophomore in her office seeking a summer internship,” laughs Long. “But the thought of a summer without some sort of involvement was almost scary to me.” He’s referring to Sandi George Tracy, who has held the position of Career Services director at Rhodes for almost 20 years. Tracy has the critical task of matching students with internship opportunities at businesses and nonprofits around the city, and has a keen eye and almost sixth sense when it comes to knowing what will make a good fit for both student and organization.
what she’s doing and it was a great match from day one. The assistant news director asked me what my interests were, and being a Political Science major with a Film Studies minor, I naturally wanted to explore that but was also open to seeing what else was out there, so I was sent out with various reporters to see them in action. “It was very hands-on, that’s for sure. On my second day there, I was sent out with a news camera to cover a murder trial. The case ended in the death penalty, and it was a real-life experience if there ever was one,” recalls Long. “I loved being part of the team covering such a big story.”
During his months with WMC, After discussing his goals with Tracy, Long has been exposed to parts of the city and its people that even some he found himself with a position at the local NBC news affiliate WMC- Memphians have never experienced. TV, Channel 5. “Sandi really knows “Covering everything from sports to
crime and other major news events really helped me sink my teeth into the city. I got to help write the stories and now am even more interested in political journalism.” His time with the station has helped Long channel his academic interests, while giving him a unique appreciation for the city he now calls home. “There is something fantastic about Memphis, a mojo of sorts and I can’t exactly put my finger on. It’s just a place that accepts everyone. There is culture and diversity, and I can’t imagine what my life would be like had I chosen to go somewhere other than Rhodes and Memphis,” Long says. “It’s a perfect combination: If you have an interest in something, Rhodes will find a way to get you involved in it. That kind of commitment to students isn’t found just anywhere.”
Community Connection Carson Duffy ’12 Long isn’t the only Rhodes student whose interest in politics and what makes cities tick has been fostered by the college’s internship and fellowship programs. Carson Duffy, a senior from Charlotte, NC, was, like most high school seniors, struggling with choosing the right college. After a campus visit, Rhodes was high on the list, but when she was offered a Bonner Scholarship, a service-based scholarship requiring hundreds of hours of community service, Duffy knew Rhodes was the right choice. The Urban Studies major with a minor in Education was drawn
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immediately to the Rhodes setting in the heart of the city. “Rhodes is very much a part of the community, and its dedication to service and helping the city thrive was an instant draw,” she says. In addition to taking on Rhodes’ challenging academic curriculum, Duffy was just as interested in seeing what difference she could make outside the campus gates. Her freshman summer she returned to North Carolina and interned with A Child’s Place, a nonprofit whose mission is to help homeless families with elementary-school-aged
children. “It was eye-opening, to put it mildly,” she admits. “It redefined what being homeless meant to me. When children are involved, you have to work through the parents, and the best way to do that is to connect them with the right resources for them. The children are so receptive. They are just like other children in that they crave love and attention and need to be taken care of. When a child is hungry or tired because he or she slept in a shelter or worse the night before, it makes learning impossible, and the cycle of poverty is perpetuated when children don’t get a basic education.”
WINTER 2012 • RHODES
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