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Public Service

Learning through summer service

Carolina students are giving back to their communities during the summer through the APPLES Service-Learning program.

Tar Heels do not stop learning when the academic year breaks for the summer.

For nearly 30 years, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill students have found a way to continue learning throughout the summer with APPLES Service-Learning based out of the Carolina Center for Public Service. The student-led program pairs Carolina students with community or governmental organizations for internships in either the spring semester or during the summer.

Through this program, rising senior Jennifer Barber of Waxhaw, North Carolina, a public relations major, spent her summer as a paid intern at the North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center, working with children of all abilities during summer camp sessions.

“People usually say, ‘What does therapeutic horse summer camp have to do with a major in public relations?’ But I really get to use those skills here,” explained Barber. “I am working with campers of all abilities, but I’m also writing press releases, sending those out and doing professional communications. I can take these examples, a portfolio, to an employer.”

This week, we’ll profile three Carolina students participating in the program.

Learn more about the APPLES Service-Learning program by visiting the program’s website.