Photos Provided The Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley recently hosted a group of college students for this year’s Community Leader Internship Program. Students selected for the program were placed at businesses throughout the valley that coincide with each of their college majors. They also got to participate in a variety of tours and activities on Fridays at the CFOV during the seven-week program, and even took part in professional group and individual photo shoots for their portfolios.

WHEELING — The eleventh edition of the Community Leader Internship Program (CLIP) came to a close last week, with 15 area students placed at businesses and organizations throughout the Ohio Valley.

CLIP is a youth retention and community leadership initiative of the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley (CFOV) that was established in 2013.

Designed for college students, CLIP continues to showcase the merits of the Ohio Valley by pairing participants with paid internships, professional/personal development and networking opportunities. The goal of the program is to change the mindset of upcoming college graduates and demonstrate that possibilities do exist to “work here, live here and be here.”

The program is supported by several sponsors and partners with a common interest in promoting and enhancing the area’s attractiveness to emerging professionals.

CLIP is playing an important role in ongoing retention efforts in the areas served by CFOV. Students who apply to the program must reside in Hancock, Brooke, Ohio, Marshall, Tyler or Wetzel counties in West Virginia or Belmont or Jefferson counties in Ohio, but they can attend a college or university outside of those areas.

Students are selected through a competitive application process, which includes efforts of an independent review committee composed of area professionals. The successful applicants are then matched with a host site that reflects their academic or career interests.

“Reversing the trend of population loss is a puzzle with many pieces,” said Susie Nelson, executive director of CFOV. “While we are fully aware there are many elements that shape a young person’s choice in where they decide to live after college graduation, we feel strongly about cultivating opportunities to shine a different light on the Ohio Valley. Things are happening all around us that demonstrate well-rounded success is possible here.”

The program is designed to stop the “brain drain” or “human capital flight,” a phenomenon where a substantial number of educated or highly skilled people engage in an outward migration from an area in search of better opportunities. Efforts like those put forth by the CLIP program have helped put a dent in that trend in recent years.

It’s a program that’s not only good for the students, but also good for the local business and community leaders who help make it happen.

“CLIP is just one type of program that can inspire new growth, and it’s a great opportunity for philanthropy to be involved in the process,” Nelson said. “This program doesn’t only educate our student participants, it also offers program partners — our sponsors, host sites, subject experts and more — an opportunity to be part of a collaborative and homegrown solution.”

The 2023 class of participants included 15 students from communities throughout the valley.

Participants in the 2023 CLIP program, their home counties, college majors and internship placement sites, were:

– Brooke Anderson, Ohio County, Public Relations, Easterseals

– Annaliese Ayres, Belmont County, Specialized Studies: Environmental Recreation, OSU Extension Office – Belmont County

– Rachel Barnett, Jefferson County, Psychology-Neuroscience and Environmental Science, OSU Extension Office – Jefferson County

– Kelsey Crawford, Brooke County, Neuroscience and Behavior, Change Inc.

– Sydney Crawford, Brooke County, Undecided – interest in Legal Studies, Rokisky Law

– Jonathan Duvall, Belmont County, Environmental and Soil & Water Sciences, Captina Conservancy

– Giulio Gentile, Belmont County, Aerospace Engineering, Touchstone Research Laboratory

– Grace Hamilton, Jefferson County, Early Childhood Education, Oglebay Institute’s Schrader Center

– Andrew Komorowski, Ohio County, English, Jarvis Law Office

– Kacey Kovach, Ohio County, Business, Belmont Savings Bank

– Ethan Leach, Belmont County, Biology/Pre-Health, Dr. Daniel Wilson’s Office

– Kiera O’Brien, Jefferson County, Psychology and Sociology, U.S. Northern District Bankruptcy Court

– Alexa Oliver, Ohio County, Elementary Education, Wheeling Country Day School

– Kaelyn Oliver, Ohio County, Psychology, House of the Carpenter

– Briann Templeton, Tyler County, Civil Engineering, Swiss Valley Associates Inc.

Of those who participated, 10 students are first-year program participants, and five students are returning for a second-year experience. Students worked Monday-Thursday at their host sites and spent each Friday at the CFOV office for personal and professional development programming and team building activities. The 2023 program concluded on July 21 with a luncheon at the Highlands Events Center which featured keynote speaker Wheeling Mayor Glenn Elliott.

“We’ve had a total of 101 kids go through the program since its inception,” said CFOV Program Officer Debbie Stanton.

Thanks to the diverse generosity of donors, the Community Foundation for the Ohio Valley continues to enhance the vibrancy of the Upper Ohio Valley. This is accomplished through meaningful charitable actions, strategic and initiative-driven investments and thoughtful community leadership.

With assets of $75 million, the Foundation distributed more than $3 million in grants and scholarships over the past year and provided support to projects and programs that lead to meaningful community betterment.

To learn more, visit the Foundation’s website at www.cfov.org.