LiLi Xiong applied for Home to Texas looking for research and internship experience as a freshman, and she found so much more.
“I went into this program knowing pretty much nothing about bats, but now I’m so passionate about bat conservation,” Xiong said.
A Plan II and urban studies major now in her second year at UT, Xiong spent the summer after her first year on campus engaged in community outreach as an intern for Bat Conservation International. Xiong was placed in this position in her hometown of Austin by the Home to Texas program, which connects first-year students with scholarship-funded internship and research opportunities in their hometown communities.
I think I got more out of this internship than I expected. You get a lot of résumé-worthy experience and professional development, but it’s also just a lot of fun.
Home to Texas aims to develop a strong professional foundation early during a student’s UT experience, to build connections for a potential future in the student’s home community and to help prepare the next generation of community leaders.
According to Xiong’s supervisor, Bat Conservation International Community Engagement Manager Erin Cord, “LiLi has been amazing. I hope that she takes away a lot of confidence in her skill set and her ability to do things — to do challenging things.
“This is our second year in the Home to Texas program, and we really love having interns,” Cord added.
To learn more about Home to Texas, including how eligible students can apply and how employers and communities can get involved, visit UT’s Career Success website.
