19 Aug Dipping a Toe into a Potential Career

summer internship at anjc provides doorway to opportunities

by Cadence Crow, CITC Communications Summer Intern

CITC’s new Summer Internship program puts young adults first, as they build their resumes and explore the fields they’re interested in.

This summer, three interns joined CITC and ANJC through the program.

Last week, we featured Human Resources Intern Kendra Klotz. This week, meet Shelby Wholecheese, who interned with the Alaska Native Justice Center (ANJC).

Shelby Wholecheese: Connecting with Her Future Career

Since Shelby’s first day, she has been doing a little bit of everything to make her experience at ANJC worthwhile.

“I do outreach work, so I went to the Covenant House, Third Avenue Resource Center, and the Henning Cold Weather shelter,” Shelby listed. “I cover the front desk, attend meetings, and I’m in the working groups for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Two Spirit.”

Like Kendra, Shelby didn’t have much experience in her desired career field. She’s majoring in criminology and criminal justice, with hopes to add a psychology minor at UAA this fall. When Shelby’s mom, Lorrinda Wholecheese, told her about the intern program at ANJC, she thought it was a great opportunity.

“The experience and being able to dip your toes in the water in your career field is important,” Shelby explained. “I’m seeing a lot of different aspects of the legal system that I wouldn’t have if I had never applied here. I thought I knew what I wanted to do, like probation or parole, but now I’m thinking about outreach or case managing.”

Not only is Shelby connecting with her future career, but she’s connecting with her culture too.

“I’m Inupiaq, Athabascan, and Mexican,” she stated. “It’s refreshing how culturally based everything is, especially with the beading. It’s culturally significant. I’ve never had a job that let us do arts and crafts of our culture.”

Read about our Human Resources summer intern here. To learn more about internships at CITC, visit our Career Development page. For additional youth opportunities, explore Youth Education at CITC.