WABASH, IN- After nearly 40 years of population decline, leaders throughout Wabash County came together to create a unified plan for reversing the population trend and building a brighter future for our
community. This plan, now known as Imagine One 85, was adopted by all plan commissions and
governing bodies across Wabash County. Imagine One 85 contains 85 (Wabash County’s
number) action items that came from the more than 1,000 stakeholder comments from County
residents that revolve around housing, riverfront development, broadband deployment,
education, and other various quality of life and place initiatives.
One of those eighty-five recommendations is to continue to strengthen the workforce pipeline to
support employers throughout Wabash County. The Wabash County Fellowship Program, set to
launch in the Summer of 2024, takes an innovative approach to the traditional summer internship
experience. The program, building upon the amenity-rich environment in Wabash County, will
open a competitive application for incoming college juniors and seniors from around the country
to spend 12 weeks in a paid internship for one of ten participating Wabash County employers.
The Fellowship Program’s goal is to provide professional and personal experiences to these
students that make them want to call Wabash County home once they graduate from school.
The Wabash County Fellows will see firsthand what living in a small town is all about while
enjoying the vibrant downtown atmospheres across all communities in the County. Outside of the
intensive professional experience included in this program, the summer fellows will be housed
along the beautiful Wabash River in vibrant Downtown Wabash in high-end RV units. With the
unique Summer glamping experience, the Fellows will have the opportunity to be exposed to all
of the amenities Wabash County has to offer from kayaking the river and biking the beautiful
trails to visiting the various bars and restaurants to enjoying nights by the campfire.
“This program is a symbol of our Community’s commitment to collaboration and the
implementation of Imagine One 85’s recommendations that will propel us forward,” said
program director, Alex Downard. “Public-private partnerships are vital to the success of
programs like this and we are fortunate to have strong leadership of both our public and private
sectors engaged,” Downard continued.
Participating Wabash County employers have the opportunity to extend full-time job offers
contingent on the fellow’s college completion. Additionally, through a partnership with the
Questa Education Foundation, employers will have the opportunity to contribute to a forgivable
student loan account if their fellow proves to be a candidate they are interested in for a full-time
permanent role within the company. If the employers have such a positive experience with their
summer fellow and that fellow accepts their full-time offer, they can pay into their forgivable
student loan account with a commitment to stay with that employer for a specified amount of
time.
“It is the hope of our community that the professional experience paired with the exposure to all
of the exciting amenities that come with living in Wabash County, create a meaningful
experience for these fellows that makes them consider Wabash County as a potential place to
start their career, plant roots, and call home,” said the City of Wabash’s Mayor, Scott Long. This
12-week opportunity exposes fellows from across the country to the best Wabash County and all
our communities have to offer.
The Wabash County Team encourages all college students with a graduation year of 2024, 2025,
or 2026 to visit the program link and apply to the inaugural Wabash County Fellowship cohort.
Program Link: https://www.visitwabashcounty.com/wabash-county-internship-program