The Graduate Experiential Professional Development (xPD) Internship Program is designed to help doctoral students explore a diverse range of career opportunities beyond traditional academic faculty roles in departments across the UGA campus. The 2024 summer program has placed 15 interns from a wide variety of academic departments within 15 different host units across UGA, which is an increase from ten positions in 2023.
This program provides graduate students an opportunity to practice transferrable skills, gain exposure to campus units, and expand their understanding of the University’s inner workings. Through the summer program experiences, the interns establish relationships with administrators, staff, and peers, garnering advice and mentorship useful to their professional and career development while supporting the important work of campus partners across the university. In addition, the interns met several times as a cohort to participate in professional development workshops.
“It is always rewarding to see students making connections with others that in turn get them energized about their futures,” said Karen Fambrough, Director of Professional Development at the Graduate School. “This program allows them to see and experience opportunities where they can use their doctoral degrees that maybe they hadn’t previously considered for their future careers. In some ways, I feel this program opens doors for them into what could be possible.”
The Graduate School is excited to offer this opportunity to students and campus partners each summer. The internships are funded by the Graduate School and are a part of the Graduate School’s professional development programming. Read more about this year’s interns and host sites below.
2024 Summer Graduate Internship Program Participants
Lokesh Adusumilli
Department of Computer Science, School of Computing
Lokesh Adusumilli is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Georgia. With a background in computer engineering, he works in the NES lab, focusing on knowledge graphs, large language models (LLMs), and time series forecasting.
This summer, Adusumilli completed an impactful internship at the Office of Sustainability, significantly enhancing his professional skills. During his internship, he analyzed data to inform electric vehicle (EV) adoption strategies and planned charging infrastructure. Collaborating closely with researchers and operational staff, Adusumilli translated complex information into actionable insights, showcasing his ability to bridge data science and practical implementation. Adusumilli excelled in data engineering and data pipelining, ensuring the seamless operation of online live applications. He built schemas for app architectures, maintaining robustness and scalability.
Under the mentorship of Dr. Justin Ellis, Lokesh developed a new perspective on sustainability. He learned valuable organizational skills and sustainable impact analysis techniques, which have influenced his approach to research and practice. This internship fostered a new way of thinking about sustainability, which Adusumilli plans to integrate into his future work.
Adusumilli’s experience at the Office of Sustainability honed his technical skills and reinforced his dedication to leveraging data science for real-world solutions. As he continues his Ph.D. journey, he remains focused on contributing to knowledge graphs, LLMs, and time series forecasting. And rest assured, while doing multiple runs of code, he’ll always keep sustainability in mind—because saving the planet should never be just a “one-off” effort.
Olumide Ajayi
Department of Language and Literacy Education, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Olumide Ajayi is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. His research covers the areas of second language acquisition, teacher education, and language policy planning and implementation.
Ajayi’s work spans Afrocentric education and applied linguistics by addressing challenges with the language learning practices of immigrant high school students. It represents a unique and needed voice in the field of applied linguistics, where African perspectives and experiences are sorely under-represented.
Ajayi received his master’s degree from the UGA TESOL and World Languages program and taught Yoruba Language as a Fulbright Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) with the UGA African languages program.
This summer, Ajayi interned with the sales department of UGA Georgia Center for Continuing Education and Hotel. There he conducted thorough research to identify various opportunities available on the UGA campus that align with Georgia Center goals. He also investigated which faculty members at UGA are connected to national/regional conferences relevant to educational events and created a framework for connecting with target faculty members. In addition, he supported the Georgia Center sales team with migrating data to a new Customer Relationship Management Software (CRM) and helped with personnel training and integration of the software into Georgia Center sales operations. This internship was valuable for him to hone his research and people skills. Ajayi is excited about drawing from this exciting experience for his future research endeavors.
Maxime Berclaz
Department of English, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Maxime Berclaz is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English at the University of Georgia. He writes poetry and thinks about horror, particularly its utopian aspects.
He has published poems in Burning House, Prelude, and Deluge, and has reviews in Pank and Tarpaulin Sky.
Berclaz is working as a Graduate Editor at the Georgia Review.
Alexander Bowen
Department of History, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Alexander Bowen is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of Georgia. Bowen is interested in the correlations between class, race, narrative, and memory in the aftermath of the American Civil War. He is particularly concerned with the Lost Cause’s development in Florida – a pseudohistory that memorializes the antebellum South and the Confederacy as just, racially idyllic institutions – with a focus on who participated in the mythology’s establishment in the state and why, how a pro-Confederate culture interacted with Florida’s fledgling tourism industry, and how the mythology helped instigate violence against Black Americans near the turn of the twentieth century.
This summer, Bowen interned with the UGA Press Editorial Department. There, he reviewed book manuscripts for errors and appearance and created map illustrations using graphic design software. In addition to his responsibilities with the Editorial Department, Bowen sat in on meetings with other departments of the UGA Press, obtaining a holistic perspective on all stages of the book publication process that will undoubtedly come in handy when he looks to publish his own work in the future.
Bowen earned his Bachelor’s at the Florida State University and his Master’s at Clemson University. Upon completion of his Ph.D., Bowen hopes to continue his career as a History professor.
Danielle Charlemagne
Department of Math, Science, & Social Studies Education, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Danielle Charlemagne is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Math, Science, and Social Studies Education at the University of Georgia. Her research interests include Post/De/Anti-colonial Education, Black Studies, and Qualitative Methods.
Charlemagne’s dissertation focuses on the nexus of Caribbean Speculative Fiction, Postcolonial Criticism, and Curriculum Studies.
She earned her B.A. in American Studies with a concentration in Postcolonial Literature at Smith College and her Master of Education at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
With a background in K-12 Global Studies education, Charlemagne serves as a teacher and field supervisor for Social Studies Teacher Candidates at the Mary Frances Early College of Education.
Outside of research, she currently enjoys time with her husband and baby, exploring local arts and culture.
Kasandra Dodd
School of Social Work
Kasandra Dodd is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia. Dodd’s research interest involves child welfare reform related to human trafficking concerns within the foster care system, minority & gender issues, feminist theoretical frameworks, and qualitative research methods.
Dodd is a licensed clinical social worker with sixteen years of child welfare experience where she acquired a wealth of knowledge within various roles in the child welfare field.
Shuang Fu
Department of Language and Literacy Education, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Shuang Fu is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Language and Literacy Education at the University of Georgia. Her research interests span the areas of bilingual education, education policy and practice, immigration education, and education equity in multilingual settings.
The overarching goal of Fu’s research is to bring together theory and practice together to illuminate the underlying power dynamics, challenge prevailing linguistic ideologies, and inform language education policy and practice in the United States, which have historically and continue to shape the educational trajectories of racially and linguistically minoritized students. Methodologically, her recent research and writing reflect her specific interests in qualitative research methods, including critical discourse analysis, conjunctural analysis, narrative analysis, autoethnography, and testimony.
This summer, Fu interned with International Student Life at the University of Georgia. She focused on creating resources for international students, including developing an International Student Resources Handbook and updating the resources webpage. As an international student herself, she integrated her own experiences into her work, making meaningful contributions to the project. Additionally, she had the opportunity to collaborate with staff both within and outside the department. This internship has not only enhanced her professional skills but also deepened her understanding of the unique challenges faced by international students. Fu is excited to continue supporting and advocating for the international student community in her future endeavors.
Matthew Klein
Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Matthew Klein is a recently graduated Ph.D. from Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. His research focused on automate technologies and socio-emotional training. He is currently a business analyst at Navy Federal Credit Union.
This summer, he interned in the Office of Institutional Research, assessing how to integrate data literacy into workflows and processes.
Outside of work at school, Klein enjoys writing and reading.
Jessica Moore
Department of Counseling and Human Development Services, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Jessica Moore is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia. Moore’s research focuses on Black athletes and coaches and aims to fill in the large gaps in the literature related to these populations.
This summer, she served as an intern in the Office of Inclusive Excellence (formerly Office of Institutional Diversity) where gained knowledge and skills in learning design of diversity topics. She will use this knowledge when creating outreach and education programs around mental health.
In the future, Moore plans to work as a sport psychologist where she will be able to provide mental health services to collegiate and professional athletes.
Junhyuk Park
Department of Kinesiology, Mary Frances Early College of Education
Junhyuk (Jun) Park is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Georgia, specializing in sport pedagogy and exercise psychology. His research interests include physical activity and health promotion, motivation in physical activity participation, and professional development of physical activity educators. He is dedicated to promoting quality physical activity that contributes to a healthier lifestyle, especially among populations with limited access to such opportunities. He utilizes a range of quantitative and qualitative research methods to explore these topics.
Park came to the University of Georgia in the fall of 2022 to continue his studies in Kinesiology, attracted by UGA’s renowned graduate program in sport pedagogy and exercise psychology. Before coming to Athens, he earned both his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Seoul National University. He also gained valuable experience as a physical education teacher for four years at a middle school in Seoul.
This summer, Park interned with the Office of Faculty Affairs (OFA) at the University of Georgia. His responsibilities included conducting a review of U.S. medical school faculty structures to aid in the launch of UGA’s School of Medicine, updating faculty contract documents, preparing orientation materials for new faculty, and organizing various resources. This internship experience not only allowed Park to contribute to UGA but also provided valuable insights and skills for his career in higher education.
Upon completing his Ph.D., Jun aspires to pursue an academic career as a professor, driven by his passion for promoting healthier lifestyles.
Ariana Persico
Department of History, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Ariana Persico is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History at the University of Georgia. As a Turtle Mountain Chippewa descendant and scholar, Ariana is committed to a collaborative examination of Native American tribal museums, monuments, repatriation, and the unresolved trauma facing Native groups.
Persico continues interdisciplinary work at the Laboratory of Archaeology where she has been assisting on the NAGPRA grant since 2021. She is currently serving as the Athens Historical Society Film Fellow and xPD Fellow for the Oral History program at the UGA Special Collections Libraries.
As a founding member of the Indigenizing Athens project she created a public display re-writing the known history of Athens, Georgia that deepens the understanding of the Indigenous place and space that exists all around us. Persico is the President of the Native American Student Association on campus which brought a powwow back to UGA further claiming space for Indigeneity.
Jennie Pless
School of Social Work
Jennie Pless is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Social Work at the University of Georgia. Her research centers around intimate partner violence, specifically barriers to help-seeking for LGBTQ+ survivors.
The overarching goal of her research is to improve quality and accessibility of intimate partner violence resources and services, especially for historically underserved populations.
Before coming to UGA, Pless earned her Master of Social Work and Master of Education from Widener University in Chester, Pennsylvania.
She has completed graduate certificates in Qualitative Research, Women’s Studies, and Nonprofit Management, all of which help to inform her research and practice. Her dissertation will be a mixed methods study of barriers and supports to help-seeking for lesbian and bisexual women who have experienced intimate partner violence victimization.
This Summer, Pless interned with The Center for Teaching and Learning. She developed a teaching resource on increasing teaching effectiveness through a pedagogy of kindness, assisted with edits to the GradTeach Certificate program available to all UGA graduate teaching assistants, and held weekly writing and accountability groups for those working through the certificate. This experience highlighted the importance of educational development, fueled her passion for continuing to develop her own teaching, and inspired her to consider how this important work can be incorporated into her future academic career.
Laura Theobald
Department of English, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Laura Theobald is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of English at the University of Georgia.
She is an MFA graduate from Louisiana State University.
Theobald has worked with several university presses and online publications, including the University of Georgia Press, the New Georgia Encyclopedia, New Delta Review, and the Tampa Review. In collaboration with independent presses and publishers, she has worked as an editor, book designer, and publishing consultant on over forty titles in print. She is the author of three books of poetry—Salad Days (Maudlin House, 2021), Kokomo (Disorder Press, 2019), and What My Hair Says About You (Metatron Books, 2017)—as well as several chapbooks. Her poems have appeared on the Action Books blog, HTML Giant, HAD, Wax Nine, Neutral Spaces, and many other places.
She is presently at work on her fourth poetry collection, a book of ecopoetry, and her first novel, a work of autofiction set in Florida and the American South.
Emily Tingle
Department of Sociology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Emily Tingle is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Georgia. Her dissertation project is focused on political party structure and campaign finance/resource distribution decisions.
Tingle is also working on completing the Graduate Certificate from the Institute for Women’s Studies and has been awarded a Mellon Building Intersectional Southern Futures grant to assist with data collection efforts in the rural Deep South.
Tingle has served as part of the editorial team at First Publics, an online website hosted by The Society Pages, devoted to “the politics, pedagogy, and practice of teaching as public sociology.” Emily is also devoted to the pedagogy of writing and will start her second year as a teaching assistant for the Writing Intensive Program. She has published several pieces about writing pedagogy and served as the Guest Editor for a Sociology Special Issue of The Classic featuring writing from undergraduates in Intro to Sociology classes.
She received her Bachelor’s degrees in Political Science and Sociology and her Master’s at Mississippi State University. As a political sociologist, her past and ongoing projects have included studying social movement organizations.
This summer, Emily worked as the xPD intern for the Office of Research Communications. In this position, she furthered her interviewing and public writing skills.
