Luther senior Hove interns at Urban Cottage

Stemming from her interests in sustainability and the visual and performing arts, Luther College senior Alexis Hove of Decorah completed a summer internship at Urban Cottage, an occasional store.

Hove, daughter of Todd and Tammy Hove, graduated from Decorah High School in 2014. She plans to graduate from Luther in the spring of 2018 with majors in Nordic studies and art.

The Minneapolis establishment features a variety of antiques and repurposed items, such as home furnishings, garden accessories, jewelry and vintage apparel.

Urban Cottage satisfied Hove’s artistic curiosity providing an opportunity to explore the refurbishing industry, while expanding her skills in merchandising, sales and customer service. Specifically, Hove marketed summer events at the store, including a Flea Market in September. She utilized various mediums, including various social media platform, to extend the store’s appeal to a wider audience.

Similar to the sense of community at Luther, she found Urban Cottage to be in friendly communication with other stores in the refurbishing industry. She feels the management and interpersonal skills she garnered equipped her for life after college.

Approximately 10 percent of Luther students take an internship for academic credit each academic year. The Luther College Career Center assists students with their internship search through resume preparation, networking, online internship searches, career fairs, on-campus interviewing, and connecting the student to alumni through the college’s Alumni Internship Program. Students also meet with a faculty adviser prior to the internship to create an internship learning plan that includes learning goals and assessment benchmarks. An internship work supervisor also assists in the process by writing an evaluation of the student at the end of the internship. Students also complete a self-reflection form to help finalize the learning experience.

A national liberal arts college with an enrollment of 2,050, Luther offers an academic curriculum that leads to the Bachelor of Arts degree in more than 60 majors and pre-professional programs. For more information about Luther visit the college’s website: http://www.luther.edu.