Special events planning, Homecoming activities and the Connections newsletter are important functions of the UW Alumni Association. For the past several months, intern Shelby Burroughs has helped make them happen.
Burroughs is an English major from Yoder, Wyo., graduating in May with a B.A. She says her internship has increased her future prospects and has expanded the skills she’s learned at UW.
“The internship has expanded my writing beyond the sort we do in English,” Burroughs says. Instead, she’s writing for public relations purposes and gaining insight into what it takes to make very complex special events happen. “Homecoming, especially, was hectic and crazy. It was such a cool thing to do events for alumni coming back for their 50-year class reunion.” Burroughs enjoyed hearing their stories and seeing pictures from their days on campus.
Burroughs says the highlight of her college career was in spring 2017, when she spent a semester in London. Now she’s an ambassador for the UW Education Abroad program. “It’s been so fun to come back and my share experiences with those just getting ready to go and do the things I did.”
The runner-up for her UW highlights will possibly be her UWAA internship. “This is such a fun crew to be around, and they are very efficient in how they get things done,” she says. Now she’s looking toward the future, potentially law school. “It is all so exciting and scary,” Burroughs says. “There are so many opportunities, I just need to decide which one is right.”