Internship at Alphapointe a Rewarding Experience
Every year, Alphapointe invites students in high school and college to participate in the Career Enhancement Internship Experience program. Madeline Abrams participated in the program in the summer of 2022 and we caught up with her to ask about her experience.
Q&A with Madeline
Tell us about you…
I am from Overland Park, Kan. Outside of school and work, I love to watch movies (“Back to the Future” is my favorite!), find new places to visit in Lawrence, Kan., go thrift shopping with friends and spending as much time as possible with family and friends. A fun fact about me is that I am a lefty when it comes to writing and using utensils, but when it comes to sports, I use my right hand.
Tell us about your education…
I am a third-year student at the University of Kansas majoring in accounting. Going into my first year of college, I was unsure what major I wanted to pursue. I was interested/passionate about two fields of study: accounting and neurology. Working with children with Down Syndrome and other disabilities, I was curious about how the brain works/functions for everyone. Math comes easy to me, so accounting was a natural fit. I enjoy working forwards and backward with accounting, figuring out why the numbers do not match, how a total amount was calculated, etc. Eventually, I chose accounting because I felt neurology was more of a personal interest rather than a career choice. Along with my accounting major, I am also a part of a sorority, business fraternity and two religious organizations at KU.
Tell us about your internship experience at Alphapointe…
This past summer, I was a part of an internship program through the organization Leadership Tomorrow, which immerses exceptional college students in Kansas City’s non-profit community and partners with local top-rated organizations for internships designed to provide learning opportunities and positions to students for future success. Leadership Tomorrow helped build teamwork, research, grantsmanship and presentation skills alongside other emerging student leaders. After my interview with Cheryl Rayburn and Christina Limon at Alphapointe, it was an easy decision on where I wanted to intern. Not only did I fall in love with what Alphapointe does, but I was also able to work in a department where I could gain direct experience with my area of study in accounting. Following my nine weeks at Alphapointe, I felt more confident than ever about my major. During my time at Alphapointe, I managed various tasks for the Accounting and Purchasing Departments, including updating monthly budget sheets, editing and logging check registers, reconciling short pay invoices, analyzing new product artwork designs to ensure quality control compliance and conducting warehouse cycle counts. I loved every aspect of my internship and gained new skills, experiences and guidance. I believe that others should consider interning at Alphapointe as it was a rewarding experience to work for an organization that does so much good for our community.
What did you know about Alphapointe before your experience?
Before my internship, I had no knowledge of Alphapointe. As someone who was relatively new to the Kansas City area, I was unaware of the fantastic work the organization does to support visually impaired people in our community. From my perspective, the most important thing Alphapointe does is that they give people with vision challenges the ability achieve their goals and lead productive, independent lives.
How is your experience at Alphapointe helping you?
Just recently, I accepted a part-time position as Junior Accountant. In this role, I will assist the rest of the Accounting Department, helping with short pay, budget development, annual audit preparation and other various tasks. I loved my internship experience working with the Accounting Department. When Christina asked if I would like to continue working for as a part-time employee, I immediately accepted. On the first day of my internship with Alphapointe, Shaun Prescotte told me everything I learned in college will prepare me to understand the basics. What Shaun told me stuck with me ever since, because I am now able to apply what I am learning in college to the work I do for Alphapointe. At the same time, I use the knowledge and skills acquired from the work that I do with Alphapointe to assist with my college accounting classes.
