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Profile
of Jonathan Ebel, Intern, Asbury Heights, 4/05
By Amanda Harber
PPW/Writing Center Publicity Intern
 Jonathan
Ebel is an English Writing major who decided to take on a PPW certificate
because he felt it was “essential to have” and could
expand his career options. The certificate helps him pursue his
career goals, and the program has taught him about a variety of
documents that play an important role in any professional field.
His internship is at Asbury Heights, a senior living center in Mt.
Lebanon. After his professor, Pam O’Brien, found out that
he liked working with the elderly, the two of them worked together
to pick a place. Jonathan's house is near Asbury Heights, and he
has always been interested in working there. With his professor’s
connection to Asbury, Jonathan was able to get the internship.
At Asbury, Jonathan uses the skills that he has learned in PPW to
interview different employees and department directors for the employee
newsletter. He also helps to write articles for Asbury Villas’
monthly newsletter and for New Attitude, their wellness
newsletter. In fact, Jonathan took the initiative to create New
Attitude from the bottom up when he started his internship.
Not only does Jonathan write at his internship, but he also uses
his time there to teach a memoir writing class for interested residents.
He’s also revising/rewriting the new resident handbook.
Jonathan already knows that he will take away the experience of
working in the offices of a nonprofit organization along with an
excellent reference. He urges considering the PPW program and internship
to “Do it! Sign up for the PPW certificate as soon as you
can because you will learn things you can really use in the workplace.
In any career or professional setting, good communication skills
are the most important to have. When you have taken enough PPW courses,
sign up for an internship as soon as you can. If you have time,
sign up for a different one another semester!”
A s further encouragement for potential PPW interns, Jonathan reflects
on the impact the internship has had on his evaluation of his abilities:
“The internship made me realize that my writing is worth more
than a grade – it can be used in a real work setting. In the
beginning, I thought I was not good enough to write for a place
like Asbury Heights, but the internship gave me more confidence.”
Jonathan’s final words about PPW? “I like working toward
the certificate more than working toward my degree!”
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