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    Duke’s First-Year Apprentice Program gave sociology major Yisel Valdes ’09 an insight into the University that not many freshmen students get.

    “Coming out of the program, I felt more confident in my ability to add meaningful value to my work early on,” said Valdes of her apprenticeship at the Alumni House. “I now have a better understanding of the university and the different kind of work that is done here.”

The First-Year Apprentice Program introduces freshman to the professional environment to better prepare them for the future, while also providing departments that hire apprentices with additional help to finish important projects.

    Valdes worked on a project that monitored alumni involvement in Duke clubs all over the United States. She explored ways to improve alumni participation and increase their satisfaction.

    “Yisel was given a long-term data project that, quite frankly, we never would have been able to do with our existing staff,” said George Dorfman, Associate Director of Alumni Affairs. “She added value by bringing a student perspective and by being incredibly efficient.”

    Student apprentices concentrate their efforts on a particular, pre-defined project over the course of a semester. The department receives five hours a week of apprentice work and the opportunity to provide professional experience to a first-year student. More than ten departments have sponsored the four-year old program, and the program expects more growth in the coming year.

    “Departmental supervisors offer short-term mentoring in the area of
professionalism as well as in the particular field of work,” said Leslie Calihman Alabi, Career Center Program Coordinator. “The program also functions as a means by which students can learn about themselves, their interests, and their preferences as relates to their career goals, informing critical decisions as they continue along their academic and
professional development paths.”

    For more information on becoming an apprentice or express your interest in hiring an apprentice, click here or contact Leslie Calihman Alabi at leslie.alabi@duke.edu.