Looking back, Nikki Sarabat’s road to The University of Alabama makes perfect sense. It just didn’t always feel that way at the time.
Sarabat, recently hired as the director of UA’s new Office of Internships, still remembers what it felt like to struggle for direction early in her academic and professional journey. Now at the Capstone, she’s focused on helping students shape their own career paths, whether they are facing similar uncertainties or need guidance with their current aspirations.
Sarabat, a first-generation graduate, earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology as well as an M.Ed. in clinical mental health counseling from Auburn University. She joins UA from UAB, where she spent the past two years serving as the assistant director of career education. Before that, she worked as a career coach for Auburn University’s Harbert College of Business.
In her new position, Sarabat brings a blend of counseling experience, employer insight, and student‑centered strategy to a role designed to expand internship access, strengthen campus partnerships and help students begin thinking about their futures earlier.
During a recent sit-down with Student Life, Sarabat discussed what brought her to UA and her vision for the new Office of Internships.
Can you tell us a little about your path and what drew you to UA?
“At times it felt my road had no direction, but when you look backwards at it, you can see how all my skills kind of came together and really prepared me for this undertaking.
“I was a first‑gen student who really didn’t know what I was doing. Internships helped me figure out what I didn’t want to do, but I left with valuable skills that developed professionalism.
“Early in my career, I went through multiple roles where I discovered my passion for being a helping professional. From there, I decided, ‘OK, fine, I’m gonna go for it. I’m gonna go back and get my master’s degree.’
“I got into counseling, and then the pandemic hit. I was the very first cohort to go through a fully online master’s program at Auburn for that major. I still liked it, but with the pandemic, I experienced a little burnout. It wasn’t exactly planned, but I ended up moving out of the country with my husband, and I just didn’t come back for 13 months.
“When I returned, I sat down with myself and said, ‘Okay, what is it you want to do?’ And I knew I wanted to work with the university population.’ That’s always been my focus when I started this whole counseling journey.
“It’s been a winding road, but that path has allowed me to hone the skills I need for today. During my time outside the country, I worked in recruiting and developed a good understanding of what employers were looking for in candidates. When I was working as a career coach at Auburn, I was able to see how students were prepared for the workforce. During my time as an assistant director at UAB, that was my opportunity to start with a little bit more of a programming focus and a mentorship focus.
“All those experiences ended up coming together to prepare me for this. I love being a helping professional. I like systems thinking, mentorship, and creating programming that helps students figure things out faster than I did.”
What are your initial goals for this new office?
“This is the flagship university for this concept, so the goals for the moment are to increase awareness and visibility and accessibility.
“My first step is more of a landscape audit. I want to get to know people and partners across campus and the local community. What are they doing that works? I want to know what really works right now while not disrupting what is currently successful.
“Once we figure out those systems, we can start reporting about some of the great things our campus partners are doing. From there, we can start the promotion piece for the visibility, start the programming for the awareness for students. I want to celebrate campus partners to each other and to students as well. It actually creates this system that feeds into itself like a loop or an ecosystem.”
Historically, it’s upperclassmen who focus on internships. What is your message to younger students?
“You need to start thinking about this stuff now. That’s where I really want to start to try to change the tone. Catching students much earlier, I think that’s where we’re going to be able to amplify their talent even more than we have been because they’re going to be so much more prepared.
“Our goal is to start sending these very knowledgeable students, people, young adults into these companies. When we do that, our reputation is going to develop into being a hot spot for campus.”
What advice do you have for students who haven’t done an internship and don’t know what career they want to pursue?
“I was the same way when I was an undergrad. I didn’t know what I was doing. If you don’t know what direction to move in, the best thing to do is just try something. Go test something, a micro‑internship, a short‑term project. Do you like it or not? You might love the people but not the work, or love the work but not the environment. That knowledge is important information.
“Internships aren’t committing you to a specific career destination. However, if it is something you really do enjoy, that internship for a lot of companies can turn into a full-time employment.”
What would you say to local employers who haven’t worked with UA interns before?
“I would say they’re actually sitting next to a gold mine. There is a lot of opportunity, a lot of talent right next door.
I would also say this is a great opportunity for a mentorship to invest in society — not just your local area, but society as a whole. I believe that an internship is a moment where an employer can invest in a student by sharpening their professionalism, leadership, communication and critical thinking, all in a safe learning environment. That process not only strengthens the workforce as a whole but also develops candidates businesses want to retain.
What do you want students to know about you as a director?
“If I can do it, they can do it. That’s the main thing. I came in with almost no knowledge, but I had a skill set that really helped me be confident. Even though I was a first-gen student and I was in kind of uncharted territory. I was willing to take some risks. I was willing to figure it out and use my critical thinking skills. I want to encourage everyone to know that mindset can really propel you a long way.
“I want students to trust me as a resource to kind of be that sounding board to help them propel themselves. I would say that to someone who is feeling lost — like I was as a first-gen student — but also to someone who feels like they have it all figured out and wants to discuss a plan. The main thing I want people to know about me is that I’m a resource, and I’m here to help everybody.”