INDIANAPOLIS, IN — A local student, teacher, and their schools received statewide recognition when the 16th Annual Indiana IMPACT Awards were presented by Work and Learn Indiana on Tuesday.
Franklin County’s Shelby Rosenberger was named High School Intern of the Year while Oldenburg Academy teacher Eric Feller received the High School Career Development Professional of the Year award.
Rosenberger is an intern at United Way of Franklin County in Brookville and Laurel Elementary School.
“Shelby is gaining practical skills, real-life experience of the school workplace – particularly in the school counseling field. However, no matter what career she chooses to pursue, she is a person I would want on my team,” said Laurel Elementary Counselor Pam Gutzwiller.
In his role at Oldenburg Academy, Feller facilitates internships for high school students. He has developed extensive contacts around Southeastern Indiana so he could place students in internships most closely related to their interests. This commitment pays off in that employers take notice of the quality of the OA students they interact with.
“Oldenburg Academy’s internship program is one of the best high school programs with which I have worked,” said Ripley County Community Foundation Executive Director Amy Streator. “[Oldenburg Academy] students are eager and ready to learn, and engage in hands-on activities that will give them the largest return on their time.”
“Interns are increasingly a critical component of Indiana’s workforce, especially for developing future talent and growing our economy,” said Todd Hurst, Executive Director at the Institute for Workforce Excellence, a subsidiary of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce that houses Work and Learn Indiana. “The ongoing partnerships between employers and high schools and higher education institutions should be a point of pride for the state and it’s exciting to see.”
The awards program was sponsored by Ivy Tech Community College.
The Work and Learn Indiana program cultivates the creation and expansion of high-quality experiential learning opportunities within the state. For more information about Work and Learn Indiana, visit www.workandlearnindiana.com or call (317) 264-6852.
For more about the 2022 IMPACT Award winners, visit www.indianachamber.com/IMPACTAwards.
