Internships Enrich Integrative Health Student’s Experience

Integrative Health and Healing (IHH) and Integrative Health and Wellness Coaching (IHWC) student Andrea Asleson spent 10 years working in the medical field. After starting a family, she decided to put her medical career on hold and open her own daycare. During this time, she developed an interest in holistic healthcare and mindfulness.

Fifteen years later, she decided to take the leap and return to school at Anoka- Ramsey. Andrea’s experience in the program has been transformative.

“It’s been incredible to step back and see how much I’ve grown personally, in my health, and in my overall well-being,” she says.

Andrea completed two internships as part of her program requirements. Her IHH internship was with Professional & Workforce Training, the hub for Anoka- Ramsey and Anoka Technical College’s non-credit training and professional development education. There she led the creation of six new continuing education courses. The goal was to expand integrative and holistic health care education beyond practitioners such as nurses and healthcare workers and make it accessible to the public.

“I learned what people are asking for, what topics they’re interested in, and where education gaps exist,” she says. “The networking aspect was also huge. I’ve been able to connect with professionals in the field, many of whom are doing the type of work I hope to do one day.”

Andrea also completed an IHWC internship, where she put her skills into practice by conducting 30 coaching sessions with nursing students. This experience came full circle for Andrea, who was once a nursing student herself.

After graduation, Andrea dreams of opening her own wellness center with a full-service wellness space featuring movement-based coaching, a nutrition bar, a retail shop with natural products, hot and cold therapy, red light therapy and so much more.

This feature appeared in the 2025 Anoka-Ramsey Community Newsletter. Visit our newsletter page to read all stories from the issue and see an archive of past issues.