Cynthia Khoukaz
Aug. 8, 2025
Contact: Eric Stann, StannE@missouri.edu
Every semester, University of Missouri students roll up their sleeves and put their skills to work across Missouri — helping strengthen communities, advancing local industry and supporting critical state services. From government offices and agricultural research centers to healthcare facilities and nonprofit organizations, students are making important contributions to the Show Me State.
But the benefit goes both ways. Internships also give Tigers the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, explore career paths and build connections that will help them long after graduation.
We asked a few students to share where they’re interning, what they’ve enjoyed most and how the experience is helping them grow professionally.
Cynthia Khoukaz
Khoukaz, a student in Mizzou’s School of Law, is working as a legal intern with the Missouri Department of Revenue this summer.
What’s been the most exciting or rewarding part of your internship so far?
The opportunity to explore how diverse and dynamic legal work is within a government agency. I’ve learned a great deal about tax law, litigation and the behind-the-scenes work attorneys do to support the state. It's been inspiring to observe Rule 13-certified interns argue in court, and it’s made me excited about courtroom advocacy. I’ve also had the chance to attend enriching site visits, including the Missouri Supreme Court, the Missouri State Highway Patrol Crime Lab, correctional centers and the Missouri State Penitentiary. All of these experiences have given me a deeper appreciation for Missouri’s legal system and how all the pieces fit together.
How is this experience helping you prepare for your future career?
This internship has reaffirmed my excitement about becoming a lawyer. It’s shown me how important strong legal work is to the public good, and how impactful attorneys can be in both litigation and advisory roles. I'm leaving this summer with a better understanding of how I hope to contribute to my legal career.
Alyssa Guin
Guin, a student in Mizzou’s College of Health Sciences, is spending this summer as an intern at Mizzou Football’s Fuel Bar. At this nutrition station, she helps student athletes get nutritional snacks and drinks after workouts.
What’s been the most exciting or rewarding part of your internship so far?
Having the opportunity to expand my horizons within nutrition. I wasn’t specifically interested in working with athletes, but I’ve come to find that each day brings something new.
How is this experience helping you prepare for your future career?
It’s allowing me to gain as much experience as possible in the field of nutrition. Additionally, it helps me prepare for my future career by working in a professional environment.
Karson Calvin
Calvin, a student in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is spending this summer interning with Missouri Farmers Care. In his role, he helps coordinate the Agriculture Education on the Move program, an interactive program designed to bring agriculture into classrooms across the state.
What’s been the most exciting or rewarding part of your internship so far?
It’s been teaching Ag Moves in Columbia Public Schools during the summer session. I enjoyed visiting schools, building connections with students and helping them learn about important agricultural topics so they can become more informed consumers in the future.
How is this experience helping you prepare for your future career?
This experience has been invaluable for me as a future educator by giving me direct classroom exposure and allowing me to strengthen my teaching skills and practical knowledge of agricultural education.
Logan McDonough
Last spring, as a student in the College of Arts and Science, McDonough was an intern with the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT). In his role, he helped study artifacts found by MoDOT archaeologists to understand the importance of archaeological sites in areas where future transportation projects might take place.
What was the most exciting or rewarding part of your internship?
The most rewarding part was the lab experience. I had already started this type of analysis on my own for a research project I was conducting, and this internship gave me practice on other types of artifacts that I might run into in my future career.
How did this experience help you prepare for your future career?
This internship was structured like a lab that you would work in at MoDOT. We were doing work that career archaeologists would be doing in the lab. This was a great thing to put on my resume. I could also come back to this internship as a research assistant in grad school.
