Students to serve as summer interns with Appalachia Service Project

ISSUED: 30 April 2024
MEDIA CONTACT: Cecelia Mason

SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV - Three Shepherd University students who spent their spring break performing community service with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP) came away from the experience with the satisfaction of helping others and summer internships.

Taylor Beam, an English and global studies major from Jane Lew, West Virginia; Carter Warhurst, an English major from Harpers Ferry, West Virginia; and Shelby Daugherty, a college student development and administration master's degree student from Buckhannon, West Virginia, will work for ASP this summer.

ASP was founded in 1969 as a Christian ministry bringing thousands of volunteers from around the country to rural Central Appalachia to repair homes for low-income families. The organization works with 20-30 communities across the region.

Pictured (l. to r.) are Carter Warhurst, Taylor Beam, and Shelby Daugherty.

Warhurst, who was also awarded a yearlong fellowship with ASP, said this was their year participating in Alternative Spring Break.

"I just really loved being hands-on helping people," said Warhurst, a graduating senior. "This coming year I will help coordinate volunteers and projects and work within the nonprofit to make sure things keep running smoothly. I'm very excited. It's a great opportunity and I'm really glad to get this internship and fellowship."

The March trip was Beam's second ASP Alternative Spring break experience. This summer Beam will serve as a story-gathering intern.

"That [position] will entail curating different material, whether that's social media posts, blog posts, photos, and videos," Beam said. "My major interest in doing this was the blogging because you can take it in your own direction and report on what they're doing with the homeowners they're helping."

Beam will drive around to the various work sites throughout Eastern Kentucky, Western Virginia, Southern West Virginia, and parts of Tennessee. She is excited about the opportunity and appreciates ASP's mission.

"I think that they're really delicate with the people they're helping, and they work to understand why there's poverty present in Appalachia instead of just trying to fix the issue without understanding it," Beam said. "They also try to help volunteers who might not be from the area understand it as well, which I think transforms the experience and leads to a better experience between volunteers and homeowners."

Daugherty describes Alternative Spring Break with ASP as life changing.

"I'm really appreciative that Shepherd offers us that kind of access to opportunities that let us break barriers with other students and find more comfortable ways to validate our ability to do hard things," said Daugherty, who will spend her summer serving ASP as a chaplain, or spiritual leader, at various locations.

Daugherty will create spiritual workshops, helping people in the community and staff members better connect with God and/or their own spirituality to better serve ASP clients.

"I've always inherently wanted to work with the root of all things to help people understand who they are and what kind of potential they can exert into the world," Daugherty said.

Melanie Ford, Division of Student Affairs principal systems analyst, along with Aly Nazarok, graduate assistant for student community service, led Shepherd's Alternative Spring Break group.

"I am so proud of each of these students for participating fully in Alternative Spring Break, immersing themselves in the experience, and taking a leap in applying for different positions with Appalachia Service Project," Nazarok said. "These students are great proof that service changes lives. I can't wait to see how each of them continues to make their mark on the world."

Ford is excited that the experience has led to career opportunities for some of the students who participated.

"This shows the importance of what student community service is to our campus, whether it's within the classroom or giving students the opportunity to volunteer out in the community," Ford said. "A program like Alternative Spring Break opens students' eyes to employment opportunities and offers experiences that broaden their academic understanding. It continually reminds us that within our campus culture, student community service is more than just volunteering."

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