By Jill Dougher

The Career Center is offering students new opportunities for on-the-job experience through internships — and they don’t all involve going for coffee.

Companies like Southwest Airlines often approach the Career Center requesting student applications for part- or full-time positions rather than internships.

Daniel Orozco, associate director of the Career Center, said the center is a full-service office for helping students prepare for internships and jobs. He pointed to several students as success stories; one student worked for the Houston Astros and another with the St. Louis Fox News. Orozco said many students accept unpaid internships in order to get the experience.

Mackenzie North, sophomore history major from Bedford, found her internship through the history department. She helped organize a reunion for the WWII 306 bombers, where she heard firsthand accounts of the war.

“History is a lot of reading, so it’s difficult to put faces with events,” North said. “I was able to see things that most people don’t have the opportunity to.”

Amanda Duke, junior social work major from Arlington, said she is looking forward to starting her internship in the spring semester.

“In social work, you have to have experience,” said Duke. “You can’t just learn through the classroom. You have to get out and do it.”

Orozco said it is normal for departments to advertise internships, but the Career Center is the central clearing house for information, and any student can use it.

Some departments require internships in order to graduate, and Orozco said it would be better if every department did so.

“Every opportunity to get work experience says to employers that you’re interested in their industry,” Orozco said. “In the end, an employer will look to see who’s more qualified; it’s not just about good grades.”