Internship Program Builds Careers

You have the smarts. you have the skills. And you have the motivation. But when you have the support – the belief and confidence – that you really need, you have full access to your future.

The College of Charleston Career Center helps give students the tools they need to be successful as they embark on their professional journeys after graduation. And – thanks to the support of the Wittich family – the center is expanding its role in the futures not just of students and alumni, but the College as a whole.

With gifts that have allowed the Career Center to begin an internship award program and expand its reach among alumni and corporate partners, Denise and Peter Wittich – parents of William Wittich ’17 – are strong believers in the power of the center as another boon for the College’s national reputation.

Career Center Executive Director Jim Allison (center) talks with students participating in the internship award program. (Photos by Reese Moore)

“We think the College of Charleston is a great institution that has not yet received the appropriate recognition of its excellent programs and well-trained graduates, and we want to change that and show the rest of the world that this is a source of experienced, ready-to-work professionals,” says Denise Wittich. “Professional development is at the center of what colleges do, and supporting and providing the resources necessary to broaden the overall capacity of the Career Center elevates its graduates and takes the College’s national profile to the next level.”

The possibilities are not lost on Career Center Executive Director Jim Allison.

“Peter and Denise Wittich have set the standard that career development and outcomes are essential to the college experience,” he says, noting that The Princeton Review recently ranked the Career Center No. 18 among the “Best Career Services” in the country. “While we are proud of recent success data, accolades and rankings, we are even more driven by the direct impact we have on individual students.”

With the Career Center internship award program, that impact is bigger than ever – providing recipients with opportunities to attend weekly boot camp–style workshops on résumé development, professional job correspondence and interviewing skills. Recipients also receive a stipend for expenses like commuting, housing, technology and work-related meals and supplies.

“Positive experiential learning, internships and conversion to jobs help us to develop highly engaged students and alumni, furthering the value of the College of Charleston degree,” says Allison. “The center will continue to execute strategic programming aimed at converting support and gifts to directly increasing student professional development and access to highly competitive internships and jobs. Our employer outreach is rapidly expanding, and our role in producing job-ready talent is ongoing and will continue to be bolstered by financial support.”

The Wittichs hope that their financial gift will continue to inspire both further growth and further giving.

“We believe in the Career Center and hope that someday it will have a greater physical presence,” says Peter Wittich, noting that he and Denise envision something like an Apple Store “with a storefront that is visible from the street, where students can look in and see everyone inside working hard to make their lives better: That would excite people and draw them in, too.”

“We look forward to seeing the Career Center and the College expand its reach,” says Denise. “This is a place where students thrive, where they are happy – and showing that that success continues after graduation is something that everyone can and should get behind.”