Amista Lujan, Staff Writer
The SMU Internship Hub was established in 2020 during the height of Covid. Originally, the internship office was not established and the only available source for career readiness was located in Old Main. However, a grant that was provided to the Center for Career and Calling allowed Saint Martin’s University to open a separate internship hub to allow students to look for internships during school.
The internship hub has two available internship navigators, and today we talked with Ryne Oshiro. Firstly, Ryne Oshiro is an ‘22 alumni with a master’s degree in business who came back to work at our internship hub. The resources available for students, he had explained, are to help students look for jobs on and off campus, have mock interviews, assist with cover letters, and create resumes. While talking to Ryne, he explained that there is an increase of students that have been using the internship with an average of 10 students making an appointment every week, and at least one student every day coming in for drop-in appointments. Their goal for the semester is to increase the number of students using the internship hub for future opportunities after university and increase the number of students that come into the internship hub weekly. Some of the upcoming events that they have planned are:
- November 29: Campus Ministry and Internship Hub Collab for Donut Wednesdays
- November 30: Hot Cocoa and Handshake Workshop
- February 15: Internship Fair
- Pending: Etiquette Dinner
Due to it being close to the end of the semester, the Internship Hub has found themselves very busy with a lot of students seeking internships following the spring semester. Ryne explained that because of this, a lot of their time is dedicated to helping all students looking for these internships to be prepared for their next steps. This was exciting to hear as many of the students that are looking for internships are utilizing the available resources provided by the school.
I asked Ryne what his favorite memory was working with students in his current position. His response was when he helped a student with the entire cover letter, résumé, mock interview, and interview process for Boeing. The student was very consistent with updating the process with his internship and ultimately received the position. That is the goal of the internship hub which is to see students here to succeed and be a part of that journey. Overall, the internship hub is looking to guide students to use Handshake as a way to look for future opportunities after graduating, and while looking for internships that are available. However, students are still welcome to drop in if they are having trouble looking for internships.
The internship hub is located in Harned Hall Room 113 with office hours 8AM-5PM. You can contact Ryne through his email ryne.oshiro@stmartin.edu. He is welcoming all students to drop in during office hours or to email for an appointment.
The Belltower 