HIGH POINT, N.C., Oct. 7, 2014 – High Point University senior and Ramsey, New Jersey, native Erin Karpovich is putting her non-profit skills to practice during a semester-long internship with the United Way of Greater High Point.
As a resource development intern, Karpovich helps manage company campaigns and encourages charitable giving. Through networking with the community and delivering presentations to businesses and supporters, her internship has helped her develop public speaking skills. She says the key to delivering an impactful message is to know your audience – a tip she picked up from seeing HPU President Dr. Nido R. Qubein deliver speeches throughout her time at the school. She also credits Dr. Pamela Palmer, her advisor at HPU, in encouraging her to go beyond her comfort zone and seek an internship with the United Way.
Since beginning her internship with the United Way in August, Karpovich has helped organize and execute Ride United, a fundraising event presented in conjunction with the 2014 High Point Cycling Classic to benefit agencies in the area, and CANpaign, a canned food drive that collected more than 50,000 pounds of food and signified the start of the United Way’s campaign season.
“Events like this are important and allow our name to continually permeate our community,” says Karpovich, a human relations major. “We don’t want to be an organization that comes around once a year and asks for support; we want to be visible year-round, fully invested and proud to join one another to show how much we can make a difference.”
Combining her in-class knowledge with real-world tools and experience has proven valuable in her professional development journey.
“Everything I have learned in my non-profit courses has come full circle,” says Karpovich. “I am utilizing skills that HPU models – skills like service, generosity, leadership and going the extra mile to make something extraordinary – in a professional environment. It is meshing into a beautiful thing, where I can bring in the knowledge from my classes and the tools from outside of the classroom to become a vibrant young professional.”
Karpovich is also realizing the value of being prepared, yet ready for anything, in order to excel.
“You need to be on your A-game every day,” she says. “Be quick to think on your feet, and when things come up at the last minute, know that it’s your time to shine and show people what you are capable of doing.”
In addition to being recognized as a leading contributor to United Way campaigns each year, HPU students, faculty and staff volunteer more than 100,000 hours annually at a variety of United Way partner agencies, including the Boys and Girls Clubs, YMCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, The Arc of High Point, Open Door Ministries, West End Ministries, Salvation Army and many more.
The United Way of Greater High Point supports community impact programs that promote and improve education, health and income in the Greater High Point area, which includes High Point, Jamestown, Archdale and Trinity.