Graduate student wins GE award

Tracy Epps, a graduate student at JMU, was a recipient of General Electric's Student Intern and Co-Op Contribution Award, which honors interns who exhibit GE values and demonstrate intense leadership skills in their assignments. 

As an intern with the Independent Brokerage Group Communications Team, Epps designed, developed and built IBG Lynchburg's Crisis Management Web site in her first 13 weeks as an intern, she said.

Epps' supervisor Monica Dean said, "Tracy created a fantastic Web site that wouldn't have been possible without her. She put together a secure site [so] in case a crisis did occur, people would be able to retrieve information and get connected to links."

Epps said she actively was involved in GE's Day of Caring in which she had a vital leadership position and helped organize activities and volunteer opportunities.

"Every year, GE takes half a day and volunteers their services. I volunteered with the Big Brother, Big Sister Program," Epps said. Her group helped paint the organization's building.

According to Randy King, of GE Financial, GE has a feeder program and diverse intern groups, 35 percent of which are minorities. GE Financial provides products and services that help people invest, protect and retire.

Epps plans to look into a position with General Electric. She currently has made it into the third round in the Communications Intern Program that provides jobs.