Gov. Mike Easley recently announced that two UNC Asheville students are among 100 college, graduate and law school students recently selected for 10-week summer internships with state agencies. Senior history major Matthew Stokes, of Raleigh, is working at the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources’ Historical Resources Office. Junior psychology major Olivia Fisher, of Greensboro, is working at the N.C. Department of Correction’s Office of Correctional Case Management.    

While at the Office of Cultural Resources in Raleigh, Stokes is helping to promote the agency’s environmental stewardship and streamlining initiatives. He is assisting with researching and writing short essays that augment state historical markers.  These essays will soon be available online. 

“I specifically chose the Historical Marker Web Project for the impact I hope my writing will have on Web site visitors,” said Stokes. “I hope the public learns more about a topic from an online essay or becomes interested enough to search for other significant people, places and events from North Carolina's rich historical legacy."

Fisher is interning with the case management specialists at the Harnett Correctional Institution in Lillington, N.C. The Harnett Institution is a medium security, male facility that houses some 800 to 900 inmates. 

“I think that the prison population of North Carolina is very diverse, both in ethnicity and in type of offense, said Fisher.  “It is important to remember that there isn't a one size fits all approach to incarceration or rehabilitation.”

Some 470 North students applied for positions through the N.C. State Government Internship Program, now in its 37th year.