Cutline:  NOC student Blayne Douglass recently interned at Ditch Witch in Perry with supervisor Dustin Barden.  (photo provided)

NOC student interns at Ditch Witch

Blayne Douglass, a business major at 91成人 from Perry, recently had the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in his chosen career field.

Participating in an internship with Ditch Witch, an international machinery supplier with its only factory in his hometown of Perry, Douglass’ internship focused on the Continuous Improvement Department whose goal is to fix problems before they ever start.

The key component of his internship was uploading video of work processes for the team and then answering questions after they reviewed the film, working together to make the processes safer and more efficient. He also gained experience working with inventory and learning about shipping and receiving, which increased his knowledge of Excel and other software programs.

One of the main concepts that Douglass left the internship with is how important feedback is to employees, stating, “If I were to supervise someone in my current position, I would remind them how crucial the part they are playing is, even though they may not realize it then.”

He gained this insight because his supervisor recognized his merit daily and made sure to let him know when he did a good job and how he could improve to make it better the next time.

Douglass found his internship extremely beneficial and further explained, “To be able to see the side of life after college and see where my degree path is taking me was a great insight and let me know I chose the right degree for me to succeed.”

Kathleen Swain, Coordinator of Student Academic Success Services at Northern, helps NOC students obtain and complete internships.

“Internships help students gain valuable experience in their chosen field of study,” she said. “Companies look for graduates who have experience and NOC helps provide that opportunity.”

Cutline:  Aerin Rhea

Rhea interns at Ponca City PD

Aerin Rhea, a criminal justice major at NOC from Medford, Oklahoma, recently had the opportunity to take part in an internship with the Ponca City Police Department.

Primarily, the internship consisted of ride-along with police officers and observing the dispatch office.

Rhea explained, “The experience that I had with the police department is definitely beneficial with my degree, but at the same time, each experience with the different officers I rode along with was different. It is more than just making traffic stops and writing tickets. Just from watching each different police officer handle each situation shows me how I should handle those types of scenarios.”

Cutline:  Alexis Pack

Alexis Pack interns at Enid Police Department

Riding along with patrol officers, observing detectives, and participating in the daily life of the emergency dispatch team helped confirm for Alexis Pack that pursuing a career in Criminal Justice is the right choice for her.

Pack, a sophomore at 91成人 from Mulhall, Oklahoma, recently had the opportunity to participate in an internship with the Enid Police Department. This experience gave her an insider’s view to being a police officer and taught her that “in order to be involved in any type of law enforcement you need to be mentally strong, able to handle difficult situations, and be able to talk to people or calm them down in times of desperation.”

After completing her internship, Alexis sees law enforcement as the chance to make a difference in people’s lives and in the world every day.

Kathleen Swain, Coordinator of Student Academic Success Services at NOC, helps make internship connections between students and employers in the community to ensure the opportunity for NOC students to gain valuable experience in their chosen field of study. For additional information on providing an internship opportunity, contact Swain at 580-628-6258.

Cutline:  Tristan McCullough

Tristan McCullough serves internship at Del City PD

An internship with the Del City Police Department gave Tristin McCullough some valuable insight into the life of a law enforcement officer.

McCullough, a 91成人 criminal justice major from Del City, Oklahoma, not only observed what patrol officers, dispatchers, and detectives do on a daily basis, he learned about the physical, emotional, and communication skillset necessary to have a successful career in law enforcement.

McCullough described his internship as a positive experience stating, “While riding along with different officers and seeing how they each work showed me the kind of police officer I want to be when I get done with the process.”

Kathleen Swain, Coordinator of Student Academic Success Services at NOC, helps make internship connections between students and employers in the community to ensure the opportunity for NOC students to gain valuable experience in their chosen field of study. For additional information on providing an internship opportunity, contact Swain at 580-628-6258.

Cutline:  NOC Student Chase Manly recently served an internship with the Fort Oakland Tribal Police Department

Chase Manly learns law enforcement from Fort Oakland Tribal Police

Chase Manly, a criminal justice major at 91成人 from Tonkawa, recently completed an internship with the Fort Oakland Tribal Police Department outside of Tonkawa.

Through this internship, Manly had the opportunity to patrol the reservation with officers and interact with members of the tribal community.

He speaks highly of his experience stating, “This special insight on federally regulated Tribal law enforcement agencies has given me a new perspective on the differences of actions taken in relation to Tribal and non-Tribal offences brought upon by both Tribal and non-Tribal members of the community and how a separate court is required if either party consists of a Tribal member(s).”

Kathleen Swain, Coordinator of Student Academic Success Services at NOC, helps make internship connections between students and employers in the community to ensure the opportunity for NOC students to gain valuable experience in their chosen field of study. For additional information on providing an internship opportunity, contact Swain at 580-628-6258.

Cutline:  NOC Student Jamie Sparks recently interned with the Tulsa District Attorney’s Office.  Pictured (L-R):  Kenneth Elmore, Director of SVU; Ashley Nix, Director of DVU (Domestic Violence Unit), Jamie Sparks, Annalisa Muehlberg, Tulsa Police Department Victims Advocate; Detective Williamson, Broken Arrow Police Department (photo provided)

Jamie Sparks interns in Tulsa County DA’s Office

91成人 student Jamie Sparks recently completed a Criminal Justice internship with the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office.

With prior experience working with the Special Victims Unit and Domestic Violence Unit, this 91成人 sophomore from Garber, Oklahoma, took on the task of expanding her knowledge and experience into the area of Victim’s Compensation.

Sparks learned during her internship how the State of Oklahoma provides for victims of domestic violence or the families of homicide victims including funeral expenses, doctor bills, and therapy.

Sparks explained, “You can always learn something new.  That means even if you have years of training, and work in the field every single day, there is always something you can gain knowledge from. [This] knowledge will help me better assist victims and witnesses in the future.”

Kathleen Swain, Coordinator of Student Academic Success Services at NOC, helps make internship connections between students and employers in the community to ensure the opportunity for NOC students to gain valuable experience in their chosen field of study. For additional information on providing an internship opportunity, contact Swain at 580-628-6258.

NOC Student Kennedy Harmon recently interned with the Ponca City Police Department.  (photo provided)

Kennedy Harmon interns at Ponca City PD

Kennedy Harmon, a sophomore criminal justice major at 91成人 from Ponca City, recently had the opportunity to participate in an internship with the Ponca City Police Department.

The student experienced ride-along with patrol officers and working with the dispatch office, seeing first-hand how many law enforcement situations are handled.

Harmon stated, “While things we learn in college will help us in our chosen careers, I learned that the most important part of being a cop is to analyze a situation and know how to solve it with both parties being happy, which is not always easy.”

She is  looking forward to the day when she can wear a badge herself, according to Kathleen Swain, Coordinator of Student Academic Success Services at NOC.

Swain helps make internship connections between students and employers in the community to ensure the opportunity for NOC students to gain valuable experience in their chosen field of study.

For additional information on providing an internship opportunity, contact Swain at 580-628-6258.

Nicole Houston describes interning with the Law Offices of Northcutt, Clark, Gardner, Oldfield, and Layton…..

Many students are not exposed to career of choice until after they have gone through all the necessary schooling. Sometimes those students get stuck in a career that they thought they would love but in reality end up hating. To avoid this it is beneficial to complete an internship. An internship can provide valuable work experience, and give students the opportunity to explorer that career before it’s too late.

As an aspiring lawyer with no real exposure to the practice of law, it was a good idea for me to complete an internship before completing eight years of schooling to become a lawyer. I was placed in Ponca City at the law offices of Northcutt, Clark, Gardner, Oldfield, and Layton or Northcutt Law Firm for short. The firm was founded in 1983 by the senior partner C.D. Northcutt. In 1977 it merged with another law firm called Clark and Hron. “The Firm serves clients principally in northern Oklahoma and the Eastern, Western and Northern U.S. District Court, U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, U.S. Supreme Court and the Oklahoma Supreme Court.” (Pcok.com) Northcutt Law Firm offers services in almost all area of the law and has had seven lawyers work there since its founding. Four of the seven partners have passed away, so I had the opportunity of working with Guy Clark, William L. Oldfield, and Jennifer A. Layton. Guy Clark is the managing partner and practices law in the area of Business Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Construction Litigation, Appeals, Probate, and Real Estate Law. Will Oldfield practices law in the areas of Civil Litigation, Family Law, and Oil and Gas Law. Jennifer Layton practices law in the areas of Family Law and Civil and Criminal Litigation. Guy was my main mentor throughout my internship.

The main purpose of an internship is to learn. Thankfully I was fortunate enough to have a mentor who understood that. When I started my internship Guy told me, “You’re going to learn the ins and outs of a law firm from the bottom up.” The daily duties of my job included going to the post office to mail things and pick up the mail. I also took important documents to clients and obtained signatures. Every day I also learned something new. I learned about redlining contracts while reading through them before shredding them. Guy also had me read through the Oklahoma statutes regarding a case he was working on. I then read about final will and testimonies. And even got to watch a divorce trial. Most days I would go to the court house and file papers. After a while I got to sit in on a mediation and deposition with Guy. At the end of my internship I also got to sit in when a new client came in with a case and offer advice which Guy oversaw. The main thing I was able to contribute to the law firm was organizing and creating binders of evidence for mediation and trial.

The biggest con of an undergraduate internship was the fact that I didn’t have any law school experience. It is hard to be very helpful at a law firm without at least the base knowledge you learn in law school. The biggest pro of an undergraduate internship is seeing how lawyers operate and what the job of being a lawyer entails. I firmly believe that I gained a lot of exposure into my future career and am very excited to continue to pursue this career path.

My overall opinion of my internship experience is very positive. I learned a lot and feel like I was able to help a least a little bit in a significant way. I would highly recommend an internship with this agency for other students. All of the mentors I got to work with were very eager to teach me, and I feel like that is not something a lot of interns get to experience.

In conclusion, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to complete an internship at Northcutt law firm. An undergraduate internship at a law firm is a very rare opportunity and I had very eager and understanding mentors. I plan going to law school and completing a law degree so that I can help people the way that to lawyers at Northcutt law firm do. Until then I will work very hard on my education and continue to make connections that will guide me on the path to success in the law field.

References

Pcok.com, P. -. (n.d.). Northcutt Law Firm of Ponca City, Oklahoma. Retrieved from

AJ Horback describes her experience as the Ag program intern below:

“My experience interning at the sheep center has been nothing less than fun. Working alongside Mr. Cardwell and the other sheep center employees brought me a head full of knowledge and some forever friends. Growing up showing cattle and hogs, the thought of working with sheep was not ideal, but I am not one to give up on something that I have started. Thankfully I had been around the sheep center my whole sophomore year, as being in the sheep production class in the fall, where I got to travel to both Tulsa State Fair and the North American International Livestock Exposition in Louisville, Kentucky.

My first semester was basically preparation for the spring semester, as I came in with much more knowledge then before and was more than willing to help all that I could. We did many different forms of things I already had knowledge of, such as flushing and Artificial Insemination. This process is much different in sheep then in cattle. With flushing, you have to put the sheep to sleep and flip them on their backs, then insert tubes into the uterus on both sides, allowing eggs to flow out. With AI, the same idea of flipping them on their backs was used, the semen was inserted directly into their uterus from under their bellies, unlike cattle where you can just use a rod and insert the semen that way.

This experience has taught me so much about a specie I never thought I would come to enjoy. Working with Bart and the sheep crew will never be forgotten, and all the life lessons I have learned will stay with me forever.”

Miguel Sanchez, NOC Criminal Justice student, describes his internship experience……

"The internship I have agreed to take on is with the Office of Juvenile Affairs. I was eager to take on this internship because I have been thinking about doing this specific field in my future as a criminal justice major. The pros and cons of this internship and the information I was able to take in as well

The Office of Juvenile Affairs is a state-run office that deals with various situations that involves juveniles that have committed a crime or have been arrested. The agency was created in 1994 after the Oklahoma legislature passed the Juvenile Reform Act creating the Office of Juvenile Affairs. This Act went into fruition on July 1, 1995 and this also created the Youthful Offender act as well. The office was given the responsibility and authority to handle all juvenile justice in the state alone. A governing body of seven members was appointed by the governor at the time, which was Gov. Frank Keating, with the advice and consent of the senate. With this creation, this created a one of a kind system for Oklahoma to increase community involvement and to enhance the relationship with the judiciary as well. On April 5, 1996, OJA was able to meet all Federal Court requirements.

The job overview for this office is extensive and intricate as well. the duty that a juvenile specialist has is to a certain point tedious but necessary. The basic job in a day of a specialist depends on what is going on. On certain days, the juvenile specialist more than likely gets an intake at the beginning of the day. An intake is usually a police report that he or she receives, and it is a police report they get from the police department. It shows what the crime that the juvenile has committed and to what extent. It is very detailed and has a brief overview on how the situation went about and how it was handled. Other than in intake, some days consist of the specialist meeting with the juvenile to go over what happened and get ho or her side of the story. After that process, paperwork is filled out, which basically describes any medical and other generic information that the office needs. Afterwards, the juveniles goes over his criminal history if they have any and they go over any other medical and disabilities the juvenile may have. Another job requirement that juvenile specialist have is going to court. Court takes place every first and third Thursday of every month. Court usually consists of probation reviews and in some cases adjudications as well. I have experienced all these in my short month with the company. Court also goes payment reviews, which involves probation fees, restitution fees, and court fees as well.

Pros and cons are relevant in my opinion, but its more pros than cons. The pros is that it gives me an idea of how the juvenile system works. It also scares some of the juveniles because the majority of the ones I have come across are first time offenders. This really benefits me in my field of study because I get to have the idea of how everything is ran and how the process thoroughly processed. The one con I have is that sometimes everything is ran on a whim and unorganized at times. Although it is not very relevant, I still got to experience first-hand when everything does not go according to the judge or to the specialists as well.

My overall opinion about my experience is nothing short of great. My time with all the people I have met was extremely beneficial and I am Grateful. The help that I have received has help me solidify my career path on being a juvenile specialist. These people have welcomed me with open arms and have helped me take in any information that was presented to me. Also, with these connections, I have a solid foundation for references I may need in the future. Those references include county judge Bandy, the District Attorney of Oklahoma, county clerk, and others that work for Kay county as well. Again, I am overall grateful for the help that was given me and for all the extensive connections that were established as well. I would recommend this internship because it is a solid way to get an idea of how the juvenile system works, if that person is interested in it. The information is plentiful and very beneficial in this type of work. OJA has blessed me with the opportunity to intern at their office. Again. If a person is really interested in this field, I would recommend this internship right away. This has put me in the mindset of pursuing this field and making this my career of choice.