Saint Martin’s student selected for internship program in
higher education
December 6, 2011
LACEY,
WASHINGTON—Saint Martin's University senior Sancha Elevado has
been named one of 200 Undergraduate Fellows nationwide in a
mentoring program operated by the National Association of
Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).
Elevado is the first student from Saint Martin's selected for
the program, which empowers undergraduates from underrepresented
groups to explore potential careers in student affairs and
higher education administration. As a result of the mentoring
program, NASPA aims to increase the number of historically
disenfranchised and underrepresented professionals in the field,
said Melanie Richardson, the University's dean of students.
"This is a prestigious honor that reflects well on both
Sancha and the University," said Richardson. "She's been an
outstanding leader here, and I think she has a promising future
in higher education."
Elevado said she is excited and grateful for the opportunity.
“Being a NASPA Undergraduate Fellow is going to open many doors
for me. It gives me hands-on experience that only a few students
get to undertake before graduate school.”
Richardson, who will be mentoring Elevado, said Elevado has a
range of internship duties, one of which includes assisting the
University develop a service component of its Catholic
Benedictine student leadership program. The program, established
in 2010, encourages students to place in practice the
Benedictine values that are integral to a Saint Martin's
education, she said.
Elevado says she also plans to participate in NASPA’s
four-day summer institute and summer internship program, which
offers her a campus-based experience at a university other than
her own.
Elevado is currently in the process of applying to graduate
schools to pursue a master’s degree in higher education
administration and student affairs, hoping to eventually earn
her doctorate in the field.
For further information, please contact Richardson at
360-438-4367;
mrichardson@stmartin.edu.
Saint Martin’s University is an independent four-year,
coeducational university located on a 380-acre wooded campus in
Lacey, Washington. Established in 1895 by the Catholic Order of
Saint Benedict, the University is one of 14 Benedictine colleges
and universities in the United States and Canada, and the only
one west of the Rocky Mountains. Saint Martin’s University
prepares students for successful lives through its 21 majors and
six graduate programs spanning the liberal arts, business,
education and engineering. Saint Martin’s welcomes 1,250
students from many ethnic and religious backgrounds to its main
campus, and 650 more to its extension campuses located at Joint
Base Lewis-McChord, Everett College, Centralia College and
Tacoma Community College. Visit the Saint Martin’s University
website at www.stmartin.edu.
For additional information:
Melanie Richardson
Dean of students
Saint Martin’s University
360-438-4367
mrichardson@stmartin.edu
Sarah Holdener
Director of community relations and event management
Office of Marketing and Communications
Saint Martin’s University
360-412-6140;
sholdener@stmartin.edu