Over 3½ months this summer, Hannah Palmer, a senior fine arts major and imaging media minor at UW–Platteville, is getting a first-hand look at the skills needed to run Gateway Apparel, a family-owned embroidery and screen-printing business in Stockton, Ill.

“Hannah has been learning the mechanics of screen-printing and embroidery, and most importantly, what it takes to prepare artwork for clients under strict deadlines in a fast-paced environment,” said Vincent Graves, Gateway Apparel owner. “The efforts involved in taking existing art and converting it to vector art, digitizing art for embroidery machines, as well as creating logos and original designs for clients, are all practical lessons Hannah will be conquering over the summer.”

The internship in Palmer’s home town, which Palmer found through word of mouth, is sponsored by the UW–Platteville Pioneer Academic Center for Community Engagement. The PACCE Engagement Internship program provides students in unpaid internships the opportunity to earn funding for their scholarly work. Eligibility requires that employers have a financial inability to offer a paid internship.

“My favorite part about the experience so far is being able to put my design work onto clothing,” said Palmer. “It’s such a great feeling to see my work on clothes.”