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Commerce student Katie Gordon came to Mount Allison because she wanted a more personal experience at university. For Gordon this meant being able to get involved in extracurricular activities at a higher level and taking part in other experiential learning opportunities. She found that these experiences, especially her summer internship with Eastlink in Halifax, have complemented and reinforced what she has learned in the classroom.

“I thought if I went to a small university there would be more opportunities to become involved in a bigger way, you could become an executive on a society instead of just a member,” says Gordon, who is from Stillwater Lake, NS.
Gordon has taken a leadership role in a number of activities. She is the community services co-ordinator for the Mount Allison Students’ Union, which is the liaison between the university, the Students’ Union, and the Town of Sackville.

“I work with organizations in Sackville to provide them with student volunteers, and help students find the volunteer opportunities they have been searching for. I also help the staff at the elementary and high schools setup peer-tutor programs, where Mount Allison students tutor the younger students.”

As well, she is a co-captain of the ultimate frisbee team and on the executive of jack.org Mount Allison, which is a mental health initiative that focuses on peer-peer engagement to eliminate the stigma of mental health. Gordon is also a TA and a tutor for the course Intro-financial Accounting.

Another initiative Gordon is part of is the Ron Joyce Centre for Business Studies Internship program. This summer she was the corporate finance and accounting intern at Eastlink.

Gordon applied for this particular position because she realized it would give her exposure to a number of areas of business.

“During my first week I was able to join an operations team, attend an Eastlink TV production, and visit the Customer Care Centre, so I immediately received exposure to many areas of the company,” she says. “As an accounting student, I think it’s really important to learn about these different areas in order to understand how to properly account for them, and how they all tie together.”

Her responsibilities on the job ranged from straightforward tasks to more challenging projects as the internship progressed.

“These projects have definitely given me a more in-depth understanding of what I have learned in class. I am actually putting things into action here; it makes a big difference in your understanding and takes it to a new level.”

Gordon says she was happy to have found an internship that related so well to her studies.

"This internship allowed me to continue my studies throughout the summer by gaining real-world, hands-on experience, which is really exciting and prepares me for my plans after graduation.”