College of Education's Amy Dressel honored as ISU Spring 2020 Career Path Intern Supervisor of the Semester

“What I enjoy about being a CPI supervisor is seeing the improvement in my students,” said Dressel, who is a supervisor and mentor for ISU College of Education CPI students. “Many times students start their internships unsure of their skills but by the time they leave their internship their confidence is much higher.”

A handful of Dressel’s CPI interns are currently working in the local school districts including the Pocatello/Chubbuck and Jerome School Districts. These internships revolve around small-group lesson planning, assisting instructors and tutoring students. Even with the disruptions to the classroom resultant from the recent stay at home orders, the CPI interns have been able to assist and support their local school teachers.

“I have received very positive feedback from our School District 25 teachers explaining that their CPI interns have been very helpful in supporting the move to online instruction,” Dressel said. “During this difficult time both our local teachers and their interns are stepping up to the challenge.”

Dressel’s other interns assist with the College of Education’s marketing and promotional material, including print and social media as well as developing better study guides for upcoming graduates planning on taking the Praxis test that measures academic skills and subject-specific content knowledge needed for teaching. The Praxis tests are taken by individuals entering the teaching profession as part of the certification process required by many states and professional licensing organizations.

The wide variety of internships within the College of Education have helped their interns hone their skills while still in school while also benefitting the college’s general student population at the same time.

Originally from the Chicago area, Dressel holds a sociology degree from Illinois State University. She has been passionate about education and upon graduating, Dressel spent two years working in the City Year Americorps program in inner-city Chicago. In 2017 Dressel relocated to Pocatello and was hired at ISU.

This semester, the CPI Office received more than 100 nominations for the CPI Supervisor of the Semester award. In addition to the grand prizewinner, the CPI Office selected five runners up: Abbey Hirt, College of Nursing;  Jason Pilarski, Department of Biological Sciences; Jesse Pruitt, Idaho Virtualization Laboratory; Steve Schaack, athletics; and Molly Swallow, Southeast Idaho Council of Governments.

“The experience that our interns gain from their CPI internships not only prepares them for success after graduation, but also improves the campus and local community,” said Emily Jahsman, associate director of the ISU Career Center. “Without excellent supervisors to help guide our interns throughout their experience our program would not be anywhere near as successful. I am very grateful for all our past, present and future CPI supervisors.”

Operating in its 10th year, the CPI program provides approximately 1,000 paid internship opportunities annually to ISU students. CPI internships provide career-related experiences to help students confirm their academic pursuits, gain valuable work experience, and prepare them for life after graduation. For more information about the CPI program visit isu.edu/career.