STORY BY PEG WEST
PHOTOS BY KENDRA STANLEY-MILLS

Grand Valley celebrated this spring the culmination of the first cohort for the Laker Accelerated Talent Link, an innovative enhanced internship experience that pairs students with leading West Michigan companies.

It was developed as a way to offer a customized learning experience while helping to build Michigan's talent pipeline with well-rounded students who are prepared with in-demand skills to meet the needs of the employers of today.

Five companies were part of this initial group: Acrisure, Amway, Cascade Engineering, Corewell Health and Michigan Software Labs. GVSU is also an employer partner. Twenty-one students participated this time.

The inaugural cohort finished with hires by partner companies and valuable experience for students as program leaders prepare for the next group of students to participate.

“Programs like Talent Link, which connect degrees, in-demand skills and job commitments from employers, are celebrated by students and employers and critical to meet Michigan’s talent needs,” said President Philomena V. Mantella. “The successful completion of our first cohort is paving the way for more innovation collaborations in the future.”

The enhancements for the program that help set it apart as a co-op experience include opportunities to earn a certificate in an area related to business or technology on top of a degree; scholarship support from the partner employer and, if the program is completed, a good-faith job offer from the employer upon graduation.

For Jenna Duursma '24, the ability to earn a certificate in project management in tandem with the internship was key to enhancing her internship at Acrisure, where she was hired for a position as a human resources associate. Duursma said her internship was also successful because her supervisor provided her with varied opportunities to develop skills.

“The Laker Accelerated Talent Link has been a great way for me to get involved, not only with my peers, but also businesses in the West Michigan area,“ Duursma said. “So my piece of advice would just be to take a chance.“

Feedback from students included praise for their internships and the skills they learned as well as the connections they made within their cohort, at the companies and beyond, said Dana Hebreard, who coordinated the Talent Link through the CLAS Center for Experiential Learning. 

Ethan Wagner ’24 said studying psychology and writing at GVSU honed communication skills that served him well during his internship at Amway, where he has accepted a role as a contract scrum master, a position that requires extensive communication with teams as projects move along.

“I really enjoyed the process of negotiating with people and finding out what works best for them and the way they work, because then we're probably going to get a better product overall,“ said Wagner, who added that the Talent Link was “one of the best opportunities I have ever had.“

CLAS Dean Jennifer Drake said the inaugural year of the Talent Link was “a learning experience for all constituencies: students, HR professionals and the college.“

“Creating an equitable talent pipeline takes adaptability, consistency and commitment and would not have been achieved without the foundational support from GVSU senior leadership,“ Drake said. “This alchemy allows liberal arts and science students to showcase their knowledge and create connections between classroom learning and real-world applications.“

Meanwhile, some recurring themes in the feedback from employers were that the students exhibited good communication skills, teamwork and professionalism, according to Hebreard.

“Acrisure’s immense growth and intentional culture make having strong skill sets a must within our company,” said Sozon Vatikiotis, Acrisure’s chief operating officer. “Innovative partnership programs like Talent Link are a powerful way for us to connect to talent and skills that would otherwise be difficult to source. We couldn’t be more impressed with the students we partnered with via Talent Link.“