Dassler Internship

About the Internship

WIDA offers the annual Dassler Internship for undergraduate students with an interest in multilingual learners and professional learning. This internship is in memory of Troy Dassler, a beloved professional learning specialist and scientist at WIDA, who died unexpectedly in December 2020. Interns will participate in WIDA professional learning events, design projects, and collaborate with the professional learning coordinator’s office on events and projects that focus on multilingual learners and their success.

This internship will provide training and experience in moderating webinars for a national consortium of 42 states, territories and federal agencies. The intern will work closely with the Education Learning and Research team to provide professional learning to support educators working with multilingual students and their families.

About Troy Dassler

From 2013-2020, Troy Dassler worked at WIDA where he shared his joy of discovery, knowledge of language and teaching, and his continual laughter. Troy had found his perfect fit at WIDA, where he is remembered daily for his knowledge and abilities in science, language development and education. Troy brought smiles to everyone with his hijinks and antics in the office. He stayed at WIDA, until his death, adhering to the WIDA values of innovation, service, the Can Do Philosophy, collaboration and social justice.

Troy worked as a professional learning specialist, connecting with educators in Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Amsterdam, Brussels, Lima, Taipei, Seoul and other locations around the world. Domestically, state department leaders for English learners consistently requested that Troy visit their state to facilitate workshops with their educators working with multilingual learners. He facilitated more workshops than any other professional learning specialist at WIDA. Troy was a force to be reckoned with when it came to equity, multilingual learners and science.

He was a member of the WIDA Making Science Multilingual team who worked in partnership with the National Science Teachers Association. He was a subject matter expert who designed multiple workshops at WIDA, including: Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science, Educators Collaborating to engage Multilingual Learners, School Leaders: Ensuring Equity for Multilingual Learners, Planning with the WIDA ELD Standards Framework, and Doing and Talking STEM – just to name a few.

Meet Our 2023-24 Intern

"My name is Marcela Jolie Korman. I am a sophomore majoring in Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Being raised in a bicultural household, the intersection of language and learning has been a significant part of my identity and reality. Considering my own experience, WIDA's work providing educators with tools to facilitate multilingual learning really stood out to me. I am fascinated with the growth that can occur with the right amount of support. After I graduate, I hope to travel and immerse myself in other cultures. My future aspirations include policy reform within the federal level of government. I will use my voice to advocate for topics in human rights, education and sustainability. I envision using the knowledge I gain working with WIDA as a tool to better be able to serve various communities. "