Internship Program Gives History Students a Capital Experience

LWC history seniors Morgan Reck and Jared Radford are among 10 Kentucky private
college and university students who were selected for the Association of Independent
Kentucky Colleges and Universities' Frankfort Semester.

FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Two Lindsey Wilson College students are spending the 2010 spring semester in a unique classroom setting. 

Jared Radford of Columbia and Morgan Reck of Winchester both won a prestigious Frankfort Semester internship in the Kentucky capital.  

The two are among 10 students who were selected for the program from Kentucky's 20 private colleges and universities. The program is sponsored by the Association of Independent Kentucky Colleges and Universities.

The students spend part of the week in two specially designed classes that focus on Kentucky state government and policy-making, and they devote about 30 hours a week getting real-world experience as interns in state government.

"The internship program gives students at our colleges an opportunity for some practical experience in the public sector and the opportunity to consider public service as a career option," said AIKCU President Gary S. Cox.

AIKCU has sponsored the internship for the last 11 years. It's the only full-time internship program offered in Frankfort to Kentucky college students, which Cox said is made possible thanks to the support of various state agencies as well as the leaders of Kentucky's legislative branch.

Radford, a history senior, is serving his internship with State Rep. Jody Richards, a Bowling Green Democrat; and Reck is spending the bulk of her spring semester as an intern at the Kentucky Historical Society and the Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History.

Radford, the son of Marilyn Radford and Larry Radford, is a graduate of Adair County High School. He hopes his internship will lead him toward a career in public service.

Although Richards represents a house district in Warren County, the 16-term state legislator has deep Adair County roots. Richards was born in the Adair County community of Garland; his late mother, Mary Stevenson Richards, was an LWC alumna who taught in Adair County schools; and his late father, Demaree Richards, helped build several LWC buildings, including the Emily Hundley President's Home.

In addition assisting Richards on constituent issues, Radford has also worked on Richards' efforts to enact a law banning text-messaging while driving.

"It's been a great experience for me, and I've learned a lot from Rep. Richards," Radford said.

Reck, who is the daughter of Bruce Reck and Cindy Ewen, is a graduate of George Rogers Clark High School. At LWC, she has been a consistent Dean's List student, a resident assistant and active in various campus activities.

For Reck, working at the critically acclaimed Thomas D. Clark Center for Kentucky History has helped her learn a lot about how history and museum work come together.

"It's really exciting because I get to see all aspects of museum work and how people use various degrees to make the history center work so well," she said.