by Ruthie Qualls 

Evelyn Leding is interning in her second year at Arkansas Valley Electric in the Communications department, specifically customer services in the lobby. Evelyn lives in Ozark, as she has for her entire life. She is a proud lifelong Hillbilly and graduated from the Ozark High School class of 2022. Evelyn is currently studying instrumental music education at Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.

“The Cooperative is like a little family, and I really appreciate that, especially when I first came here last summer. It was my first real job, so I really appreciated the sense of community, which made me want to come back for a second year.”

Evelyn views her internship at AVECC as an opportunity to learn new skills that will help her with her future career. She is typically a shy person but working in customer service allows her to become more sociable and more confident in herself. Dealing with bill payments allows her firsthand experience with finances, something she is also grateful for and plans on using in her future.

“This job has taught me to be helpful but professional at the same time, which is going to help me a lot in my career path.”