A Waubonsee Community College student is in the running to be recognized as the country’s top intern from a two-year college.
Patrizio Fortuna, of Aurora, was nominated for the award in the nationwide contest administered by the Cooperative Education and Internship Association.
Fortuna, who immigrated to the U.S. from Italy, has immersed himself in courses related to graphic and Web design at Waubonsee, putting him well on his way to fulfilling his dreams and becoming the first in his family to earn a college-level degree.
While earning academic honors and scholarships, Fortuna has exhibited works on and off-campus, winning awards for his work in the process.
This year, Fortuna took on an internship at a local graphic design company. In his time at the company, Fortuna earned the trust of management to meet with high-profile clients on website upgrade projects.
“He said all that mattered was someone was finally willing to offer him an opportunity to prove himself,” said nominator Anderson Lee, Waubonsee’s Career Services Advisor. “This, after all, was why he was here.”
The CEIA will select the winner of the Two-Year Student Achievement Award in February 2015.
