At a session in early June at the Charlotte headquarters of the charitable trust, the interns were given an introduction to foundations, philanthropy and the grant-making process. The interns then moved into two student apartments on Duke's Central Campus and started their six-week summer jobs, which will end on July 28. This summer, for the first time, the interns have been housed on the Duke campus and placed with Triangle area organizations. In the past, the interns lived at Davidson College and interned in the Charlotte area. Another new wrinkle for The Duke Endowment interns this summer is the emphasis on the service learning component of their work.
Reflection is the key to getting meaning from service experiences.
New learning occurs through a mix of theory and practice, knowing and doing, observation and interaction. I believe they have learned as much from each other as they have from the internship itself. Her daily discussions with her new roommates have also proved important. We can give each other ideas and feedback. One key contributor at the reflection sessions has been Sean Sutton, who will be a senior this fall at Johnson C. Smith.