ABOVE: The Minnesota Valley Action Council (MVAC)/Martin County summer interns and Martin County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday. Back row, from left: Mandy Pytleski, Kate Busche, Anna Busche, Brianna Morrow, Amanda Poetter, Max Olson, Aiden Nelson, Andrew Haefner, Kari Matejka, Sutton Bohlsen, Ben Moeller, Brock Lutterman, Kyler Wolters, Aden Welcome and coordinator Tammie Hested. Front row, from left: Commissioner Kevin Kristenson, Commissioner Joe Loughmiller, Auditor/Treasurer Michael Forstner, Commissioner Richard Koons, County Coordinator Scott Higgins, Commissioner Billeye Rabbe and Commissioner Jaime Bleess.

FAIRMONT– Fourteen interns with the Minnesota Valley Action Council (MVAC)/ Martin County summer youth internship program introduced themselves to the Martin County Board of Commissioners on Tuesday.

The program is in its 14th year and provides local students who are going to a two or four year college the opportunity to come back and intern at a local business in their community. Not only do the students gain relevant experience in their field of study, but learn about employment opportunities in their home communities.

Because of these reasons, the Martin County Board of Commissioners have been financially supporting the program with an annual contribution of $62,500. For this year, the board had approved an additional $5,000.

The students will work 240 hours each over the course of the summer and earn $14 an hour. They were all present on Tuesday to introduce themselves to the board.

Tammie Hested, Family Resource Coordinator with MVAC, has long headed up the program. She shared that while there was supposed to be 15 this year, one student dropped out at the last minute. However, she said she was excited about this year’s bunch of interns.

“I want to thank you guys so much for investing in our young people,” Hested said to the board.

Sutton Bohlsen is a graduate of Martin Luther High School though he’s currently attending Augusta University where he’s majoring in Kinesiology on a pre-physical therapy track. He is interning at Mayo Clinic Health System in Fairmont.

Kyler Wolters is a graduate of Fairmont High School (FHS), now attending Bemiidji State University studying business administration with a concentration in marketing. He’s interning at the Fairmont Opera House.

Granada-Huntley-East Chain (GHEC) graduate, Mandy Pytleski, is attending UW Stout and majoring in computer science with a minor in digital marketing. She is interning at Great Plains.

Kari Matejka is a Martin County West (MCW) graduate now a pre-PT major at University of South Dakota. She is interning at United Hospital District (UHD).

Ben Moeller is a FHS graduate attending Dakota State University where he’s studying computer science and cyber operations. He is interning at Avery Weigh Tronix.

Andrew Haefner is also a FHS graduate. He’s attending Minnesota State University- Mankato (MSU) and majoring in political science. Haefner is interning with County Coordinator Scott Higgins.

FHS graduate Aiden Nelson is going to the University of Minnesota- Duluth where he’s double majoring in mechanical engineering and industrial engineering. He is an intern at Easy Automation.

Amanda Potter, FHS graduate, is also attending University of Minnesota-Duluth. She is also working at Easy Automation as a marketing intern.

MCW graduate, Max Olson, is majoring in accounting at Gustavus Adolphus College. He is interning at Integrated Tax Services.

Aden Welcome, a FHS graduate, is going to MSU and studying finance. He’s interning at Becker Financial Group.

Brock Lutterman, another FHS graduate, is interning at Morningside University and studying finance management. He is an intern at Profinium.

MCW graduate, Brianna Morrow, is double majoring in accounting and finance at the University of South Dakota. She has an internship at Pierce Accounting.

Anna Busch is a FHS graduate now attending South Dakota State University (SDSU) where she’s majoring in nursing. She has an internship at Lakeview Methodist Health Care Center.

Kate Busch is also a FHS graduate attending SDSU and studying exercise science while on a pre-physical therapy track. She’s also interning at Lakeview Methodist Health Care Center.

At the conclusion of their internships, there will be a recognition celebration at 9 a.m. on July 31 at Best Western in Fairmont. Many of the interns will give a presentation on what they have done and learned during their internships.