Courtesy of JVS Careers
2025 interns
Submitted by JVS Careers
For over a century, the Workum Fund has fostered the future of young, Jewish Professionals in Cincinnati. Administered By JVS Careers with the support of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati, each summer, the Workum Internship Program places college students in professional roles across local Jewish organizations, offering them hands-on experience in their chosen fields while strengthening the Cincinnati community they serve.
This year’s nine-week paid internship program saw eight interns placed at organizations such as the Mayerson JCC, Jewish Family Service, Temple Sholom, Wise Temple, the American Jewish Archives, JCRC, and the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati’s development department. From marketing and education to food pantry support and archival research, the range of experiences was wide, but the real story of 2025 lies in the powerful connections the interns formed with each other.
Rachel Marchese, Director of Student Services for JVS Careers, admits she’s seen strong groups before, but this year was different.
“This group holds a special place in my heart,” she said. “They really bonded more than we’ve seen in years past. At our weekly ‘Workum Wednesday’ gatherings, I couldn’t even get them to stop talking. They weren’t just polite coworkers, they became genuine friends.”
Each Wednesday, interns gathered for professional development sessions, sharing updates about their work, learning about each other’s agencies, and building skills for the workplace. But these gatherings became more than workshops. They became a touchstone, a midweek reunion where interns could laugh, swap stories, and relate to one another’s challenges as both Jewish college students and emerging professionals. The interns themselves echoed that sentiment. In post-program surveys, many cited “friendships and connections” as one of the most valuable takeaways from the summer.
More than friendships, these bonds form the beginnings of professional networks, something Rachel emphasizes is crucial in today’s job market as, often, the importance of who you know equals what you know.
The networks built between the interns aren’t just building relationships within their host organizations but also connections with each other that they’ll carry through their college years and into their careers.
“Networking is essential if you want your career to grow and develop.” Said Brian Kerstine, Director of Business Development and Career Coach for JVS Careers, “It’s not just about finding a job. It’s about learning from others that have different perspectives. It’s about connecting with others that have resources you don’t. It’s about helping each other move forward and giving your own expertise in areas that others might need to learn. People tend to think that networking is a self-focused, disingenuous practice that is only designed to help themselves and therefore feel guilty about doing it, when in fact it is an opportunity to mutually share ideas and experiences where everyone involved benefits.”
Rachel envisions these connections paying dividends years from now, as former interns stay in touch, share opportunities, and support each other’s professional growth.
This year also introduced new elements to strengthen the Workum program, including a three-day orientation that featured Microsoft Office Suite training, Youth Mental Health First Aid certification through Jewish Family Services, and the presence of a clinician during “Workum Wednesday” sessions to offer emotional support to students as they navigated their first professional roles. In addition to these changes, Workum interns were invited to participate in local networking opportunities that included a JPro event for Jewish agency employees, supported by the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati and the Jewish Foundation of Cincinnati as well as being included in the Jewish Business Network Cincinnati event where the interns had the opportunity to network with more than 125 established business leaders in the community.
These additions and opportunities, combined with the cohort’s natural chemistry, created a summer of both personal and professional growth with the interns.
And in a world where internships are often measured only by résumés and skill sets, the 2025 Workum interns proved something just as valuable: that the relationships built along the way can be the most powerful outcome of all.
