Final instructions await MSU-Meridian student interns

MERIDIAN, Miss.—Five student interns at MSU-Meridian got their final instructions at student intern orientation held Friday, August 15 at the university's College Park Campus. 

One student intern, Ellen Belk of Philadelphia, will be going into Union Middle and High School to do her special education internship.  Belk, a East Central Community College transfer student chose to attend MSU-Meridian because she wanted to stay close to home and be on a small campus. Although she always intended to be an elementary education teacher, once arriving at MSU-Meridian - those plans changed.

"All my life, all I wanted to do was elementary education," said Belk. But I took some special education classes at MSU-Meridian and got a job as a special education assistant at my local middle school and I fell in love with it!"

Tory Shirley, program coordinator for the office of clinical/field based instruction at MSU-Meridian noted the orientation conducted for these students is to provide final instructions before the group heads into their respective classrooms, Monday, August 18.

"We are excited each time we send a group of soon-to-be educators out into the field.  This is what they've been working toward - becoming a teacher," said Shirley.  "Our students are majoring in elementary education, special education and secondary education and they have been placed in five school districts in east Mississippi."

 Belk, who will be doing her student internship at Union Middle School and High School, says she is ready to go.

"I'm so excited and honored that after this semester as a student intern - I will have my own classroom where I can make a difference in my students' lives every day. The special education program at MSU-Meridian has taught me, no matter what the diagnosis of the child, he or she is capable of learning. I can hardly wait!"

For more about the Division of Education at MSU-Meridian, visit www.meridian.msstate.edu/academics/education.

For more information about Mississippi State University, see www.msstate.edu