Historic Preservation Major Interns with Downtown Washington Inc.

2013 Aug 1

Kevin Taylor of St. Charles, Mo., who is pursuing his Bachelor of Arts degree in historic preservation, is interning for the summer with Downtown Washington Inc.

By the end of his internship, he will have spent 10 weeks furthering his knowledge of historic preservation and the Main Street program, assisting the company with various projects and learning how to revitalize a downtown area.

Kevin's favorite part of his internship is getting the chance to learn the physical preservation of buildings, he says.

"I had the opportunity to work on the oldest standing building in Washington. We are rehabilitating the building into a bed and breakfast," he said.

Kevin applied for the internship because he plans to work either for a historic restoration company or a main street company after graduation.

"I really enjoy the Main Street business. You never know what you will do from day to day. It keeps the job interesting," Kevin said.

At Southeast, Kevin is a student employee with the Southeast Missouri University Foundation. He also serves as the vice president of alumni relations for the Student Alumni Association (SAA) and is a member of Sigma Nu.

"All of these organizations have offered a lot for me. Sigma Nu made me feel a part of this campus. SAA and the University Foundation furthered that. The University Foundation helped me gain appreciation for what all of our alumni do to help the campus. All of these organizations helped me appreciate Southeast," Kevin said.

Being part of his Greek fraternity, Kevin says, has given him some of his best memories at Southeast, such as Bid Day, the day when recruits find out what fraternity has accepted them.

He also likes to spend time outdoors with his friends.

"I enjoy just hanging out outside. Sigma Nu also does a lot of volunteer work with many different organizations," Kevin said.

In addition to spending time with members of his fraternity, working at his job and hanging out with his friends, Kevin focuses on his education. He offers some advice to students.

"Networking and public speaking were two things that I have learned that have contributed to my success," Kevin said. "Get involved. Being in an organization will make your time at Southeast much more memorable."