The Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative Site Interest Form is now available to communicate interest in hosting a Golden LEAF Scholar participating in the Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative. The Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative provides eligible Golden LEAF Scholars with professional work experience related to their career field in a rural North Carolina community.
The Golden LEAF Foundation provides funding to pay intern participants for up to 400 hours of work. In the first year, interns earn $16 per hour; in the second year, interns earn $17 per hour; and in the third year, interns earn $18 per hour. Internships take place over 8–12 weeks, between May and August. Golden LEAF Scholars are responsible for identifying a site to complete their internship. To support this process, Golden LEAF is gathering information from entities interested in participating in this initiative through the initiative’s Site Interest Form.
Click the link below to read about a 2026 Rural Internship Initiative site host, Bill Thorne from Thorne Drug Center in Edgecombe County.
Q: Why did you decide to host a Golden LEAF Scholar?
A: I really didn’t know about the program until it was mentioned to me by Golden LEAF Scholar Aiden Andrews, and I was asked if we would be willing to participate. We’ve always had students here, but they’ve typically been pharmacy students. I was excited to have someone as an intern who could focus on the business side of things. Aiden is a business accounting major.
There are business-related projects that we tend to put to the side because we’re always busy filling prescriptions and handling the day-to-day work of the pharmacy. Having Aiden here gave us someone who could focus on things like social media and even updating our employee handbook.
The handbook was one of those things we kept saying, “We’ll get to it one day.” Having him work on it also gave me the incentive to slow down and look at it. I would give him suggestions, he would make changes and bring it back to me, and then we would continue working through it together.
Q: What kinds of projects did Aiden work on during his internship?
A: He helped us with a lot of different things. One project that really stood out started when I received a call from Lamar about a billboard opportunity outside of town. I asked Aiden if he would call and find out what the rate would be because I had no idea what it would cost to rent a billboard.
He came back with the cost for one billboard and what it would cost if we rented two. But then, on his own, he took it a step further. He researched what it would cost if we invested that money in a digital sign in front of the store instead and whether that would be more cost-effective than renting a billboard.
He put together bullet points explaining the advantages of the billboard and the advantages of having a digital sign in front of the store and gave me a presentation. We ultimately decided to go with the sign in front of the store because we can change the digital copy and use it for different messages throughout the year.
He also helped us with social media and created a calendar of things we should be posting each month. He helped design a retractable banner that we can take to community events, too. It was nice having someone bring fresh ideas about things we might not have thought about otherwise.
Q: How did Aiden’s work benefit your organization?
A: I definitely think about the social media work. Before he left, he gave us a social media calendar that provided post ideas for every month. Before that, we weren’t really staying on top of it. We would put something on Facebook or Instagram when it was top of mind, but he gave us a calendar and a plan to follow.
There were lots of little things like that where he was able to help us and bring in fresh ideas.
Q: How did you see Aiden grow during the internship?
A: I think he became more confident as the summer went on. When he first started presenting things to me, I could tell he was a little nervous and wasn’t sure what to expect. His confidence definitely grew during the internship.
I think he also became more confident when talking about his long-term goals and the possibility of having his own business one day. He was able to see different aspects of running a business. I tried to expose him to everything from inventory and advertising to human resources and the other pieces that go into operating a business.
Q: Why do you think experiences like the Rural Internship Initiative are important for developing the workforce in rural North Carolina?
A: I firmly believe that when students see there are opportunities in rural North Carolina, it can change their perspective.
Aiden wasn’t just working in a retail setting as a clerk. He was seeing the business side of it and could think, “I could open my own business in eastern North Carolina and be successful.”
That’s one reason we’ve always been big on hosting pharmacy interns, too. We want students to see that there is a lot they can do in eastern North Carolina and that they can have a positive impact on the community.
Q: What would you tell another rural employer or organization considering hosting a Golden LEAF Scholar?
A: I would definitely tell them to do it. I think it renewed the spirit of both me and my store manager to have a young person here with different ideas.
Aiden would ask us questions like, “Why do you do it this way?” And it made us stop and think, “Why do we do it this way? Is it just because this is the way we’ve always done it? Is there a more efficient way we could do it?”
Having someone young come in, ask questions and bring a different perspective was really beneficial.
Q: What was the administrative process like for hosting a Golden LEAF Scholar?
A: Everything Golden LEAF provided was very efficient. It wasn’t time-consuming, and it was easy to complete the required items. That part was not burdensome at all. I would absolutely recommend any business or organization to host an intern. They have a lot of good ideas to share.
Sign up to be a potential site host by filling out the Golden LEAF Rural Internship Initiative Site Form.