Internships

Developing skills and gaining experience: internships with CVRF provide an important platform for developing professional skills and acquiring knowledge, thereby preparing students to thrive in any work environment.

Gain valuable knowledge for success

As part of the pathway programs, our goal is to invest in the future of CVRF communities. At CVRF, interns receive focused career coaching, are assigned meaningful work assignments, and have the opportunity for learning experiences in other member villages, Seattle, and Dutch Harbor to increase their understanding of Coastal Villages’ operations. In 2019, 16 interns from 12 different CVRF communities worked in Anchorage or a CVRF community and earned nearly $110,000.

Setting an example

Kyle Kanuk has worked as a CVRF intern for four summers, after completing four summers of Youth to Work. In 2019, he worked at the Kongiganak CSC and supported CSRs and M/Ws in carrying out YTW program activities. Kyle appreciates the skills he learned while working for CVRF, especially the importance of listening carefully and respecting everyone around him.

Kyle is majoring in Yup’ik Language at UAF with an Occupational Endorsement for entry-level welding and expects to finish his degree in 2021. After finishing his coursework, he plans to work as a Yup’ik Language teacher in the Lower Kuskokwim School District.

"I have participated in the CVRF internship for two summers. It has helped me cultivate skills that I will need as I transition into the workforce after I finish college…One of the skills that I find most important is time management. It is a skill that you continue to improve upon as you practice it. In college, you must manage your time between multiple classes. In the workforce, you must manage your time between different tasks. In life, you must balance time between work and pleasure. The CVRF internship has helped me hone this important life skill, among many others."

DESIREE CLEVELAND

UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA STUDENT, QUINHAGAK