Veterans Affairs Office Welcomes New Intern
Alison Williams, of Apollo (right) will intern in the County Veterans Affairs office with Director Chuck Righi during the next six months.
by Jonathan Weaver
An Apollo graduate student is looking to gain some real-world experience during an internship within Armstrong County this Fall.
Alison Williams, a graduate student at the University of Pittsburgh, started her six-month internship yesterday within the county Department of Veterans Affairs office.
“I want to work for (Veterans Affairs), (but) I cannot work for the VA until my second year in grad school. So, I was researching and I came across the Veterans Affairs office,” Williams said.
“Each year, you have to do an internship at two different places.”
She hasn’t narrowed down her future goal, but hopes to work within a hospital or clinical setting like her mother, Laurie - who works as a Licensed Practical Nurse at VA Pittsburgh medical center in Aspinwall (Allegheny County).
“My mom has been a nurse at the VA for 25 years, so I’ve done various volunteer work and visited her a lot (at) the hospital. I’ve really gotten to like that population of people and really came to the realization that they really need a lot of attention that sometimes isn’t given,” Williams said.
Williams, a 2010 graduate of Apollo-Ridge High, graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with an undergraduate degree in sociology, although her initial major was education.
“After my first sociology class, I sort-of shifted my interest,” Williams said.
Williams will team up with Veterans Affairs Director Chuck Righi for 16 hours per week through April due to her class schedule.
He introduced Williams to County Commissioners Richard Fink and Bob Bower yesterday morning, and felt she could excel because of the internship.
“Especially with (Williams’) experience and what she wants to do in social work and her VA background, I think it’s a great opportunity for her,” Righi said. “She’s going to gain a lot of knowledge in that office. She’ll see the ins-and-outs of all the veterans’ benefits and dealing with the public, and I think it’ll work out very good for (Williams).”
Righi said Williams’ resume and a report on Iraq veterans and their experiences with alcoholism and drug use stood out to him during the interview process.
“When I interviewed her to see if I was going to accept her, I elaborated on that and she spoke quite-fluently on that subject. I learned a little bit myself because most of my veterans are World War II, Korea and Vietnam (era),” Righi said.
Williams was also influenced by stories her grandfather, Blaine - a U.S. Navy veteran – told her growing up.
Williams, who plans to graduate in May 2017, is in a class of 205 other graduate students, but said most students are pursuing the degree to work with child welfare services.
Local News | jweaver October 16, 2015
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