2023 National Intern Day

Written by Rebekah Crozier, Internal Communications Intern After a three-year pause due to COVID-19, Water Mission welcomes back its internship program this year with seven summer interns. In celebration of National Intern Day on July 27, Water Mission is honored to invest in the next generation of nonprofit professionals through internships.

Water Mission, a Christian engineering nonprofit, is composed of team members with a variety of skills who are committed to using their God-given gifts to help fight the global water crisis. The internship program similarly strives to help the next generation of leaders grow in their skills while contributing to Water Mission’s global work and advancing God’s Kingdom.

Water Mission officially started the Summer Internship Program in 2015 and typically hosts between seven and 12 interns each summer. This summer, Water Mission’s seven interns are serving in six different departments, including:  

• Investor Partnerships; 
• Marketing & Communications; 
• Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL); 
• Living Water; 
• Engineering & Innovation; and
• Program Design & Standards.

Each intern brings a unique set of skills and experiences to their department as they learn from mentors. 

The internship program’s combination of professional mentorship and spiritual emphasis is what initially drew Engineering Design and Support Intern Morgan Ayscue to Water Mission.

“I knew going into the summer that my aim was to intern with an organization that not only focused on engineering projects, but also the people behind those projects, and Water Mission does just that,” Ayscue said. “Choosing to work with Water Mission meant I didn't need to compromise my personal or professional goals and would see a clear purpose in my work each day.” 

Investor Partnerships Intern Marion Davis said she has wanted to intern for Water Mission since she started volunteering for the organization. Like Ayscue, Davis’ experience as an intern has helped her both professionally and spiritually.  “I have learned a lot about the organizational structure of a nonprofit, which has helped me to more clearly define my career goals,” Davis said. “I also love how much prayer is prioritized, and it is incredible to have people who are so intentional about speaking life over me.”

As their skills are developed, the interns also learn about Water Mission’s global work and how their education can be used to help fight the global water crisis.

Caroline Mitchum, an intern in the MEL department, shared that her education played a key role in her decision to intern at Water Mission. As a Master of Public Health Candidate at Emory University, Mitchum has learned that one of the main reasons infectious diseases occur is a breakdown in an aspect of water, sanitation, or hygiene (WASH).

“Water is a key component to living a healthy and happy life free of disease, so that’s why I think it’s important to fight the global water crisis,” Mitchum said. “It’s a problem on its own, but it’s leading to more problems that are impacting people’s health and quality of life.” 

Ayscue became aware of the global water crisis for the first time on a mission trip to Tanzania that she said exposed her to “the urgency of bringing clean water to all people.”

“Fighting the global water crisis means allowing my friends in other nations to fully grow into who Christ has made them to be,” Ayscue said.  When thinking about her internship, Living Water Intern Emmaline Windsor recalls Genesis 2:15, which states, "The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it." (ESV)  Windsor shared, “Through this internship, I have learned that our work is inherently spiritual, no matter if we are working for a Christian organization or not.”

Overall, the 2023 summer interns agree the Water Mission internship program is an eye-opening educational experience that is helping them prepare for their future in valuable ways. 

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