Article by Linda Relyea
Photo by Linda Relyea
Dr. Ed
Crowther, History, Anthropology, Philosophy, Political Science, and Spanish
Department chair and professor of history; Tammy Lopez, executive director of
the ASU Foundation; Dr. John McDaniel, emeritus professor of history, and the
2017/2018 McDaniel interns Germaine Duran, Pauline Luhman, Wyatt Moran, Morgan
McMaster Neely, Kendra Riehl, and Alex Lopez. Not pictured: Amos Harris, Logan
Hjelmstead, and Whittney Westphal.
Adams State University Emeritus Professor of History Dr. John McDaniel never really retired from Adams State, at least in terms of assisting students receive a quality education with a personal touch. In 2014, McDaniel began funding the McDaniel Internship program.
His fully-funded program places Adams State students in positions on-campus or in the community and provides real-world experience in chosen careers. Internships, which award the student $2500/academic year, include positions as supplemental instructors. Upper level classmen who have completed a course continue to attend the class with current students and offer office hours and study sessions for those needing extra assistance.
Kendra Riehl will graduate in May with a degree in accounting and an emphasis in taxation. She was a supplemental instructor for accounting and taxation courses through the academic year. "I cannot imagine life without the internship. I am more comfortable in front of people, sitting in on classes reinforced my knowledge of tax law, my communication skills increased tremendously, and I made friends."
According to Tammy Lopez, executive director of the ASU Foundation, this program helps to recruit and retain students. "Having extra help from a fellow student keeps our students in school. When we can offer this type of prestigious internship, it helps recruit quality students."
Riehl was also the site coordinator for the Tax Help Colorado program which provides free tax preparation for low-income families. "It was an awesome experience. Families struggling to make ends meet would have to pay a tax preparer from their hard-earned refund without this service. I also enjoyed making taxes and the process for filing less scary for people and I loved interacting with the clients."
A Sargent High School graduate, Riehl will take the summer off before starting her new job in Fort Collins with an "awesome" accounting firm, Soukup, Bush and Associates. "I will also study for my CPA exam." She will graduate with minimal student loan debt, occurred from her first semester at a different university. "I haven’t accumulated any student loan debt since being at Adams State."
