Oh, the places you'll go . . .
. . . And oh, the lessons youll learn
Funding from alumni, parents, and the college lets students participate in relevant internships without having to work at summer jobs that dont relate to their interests, says Penny Loretto of the Career Development Center. The number of stipends available for internships and other hands-on experiences has grown from eight to 113 over the past nine years, and this summer students from virtually every discipline got involved, addressing important questions and needs in myriad ways.
Marketer Sophia Fox in Tokyo
Interns around the world
Among the farthest-flung activities this summer:
- Producing digital-media content and photography for Vogue magazine in Bangkok, Thailand Schuyler Alig 20, art major
- Marketing convention services in Tokyo, Japan Sophia Fox 20, undeclared major
- Educating the world about Mongolia to promote cultural connection and preservation (based in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) Amanda Muir 18, anthropology
- Teaching women to read and write at a womens center and orphanage in Kathmandu, Nepal Doris Donelan 19, social work
- Assisting at refugee settlement camps in Uganda and Germany Tabitha Krondorfer 18, anthropology and international affairs
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Emily Rizzo's Capetown filmmakingProducing social-justice-related documentary films in Cape Town, South Africa Emily Rizzo 17, English
Kate Bjorkland's clean-water work - Creating a fundraising database and campaign for a clean-water nonprofit based in northern Ghana Kate Bjorklund 20, environmental science
Winning one of this summers 42 SEE-Beyond stipends, allowed Tabitha Krondorfer 18 to spend six weeks in Ugandas Kyangwali refugee camp with families fleeing unrest in neighboring countries, and then to visit a refugee camp in central Germany, set up for immigrants from across Africa, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
Tabitha Krondorfer at the Messtetten camp
Krondorfers research project, on how international aid groups respond to gender inequality in Ugandan camps, taught her that she cannot simply implement Western ideasthat she can explain the differences in womens rights between the U.S. and Uganda but change can only come from the local women and men themselves. But she did see lives transformed. In the German camp she witnessed Hope, a shy kindergartener from Nigeria, hearing that she and her mother had received official refugee status, a rarity for Africans. After having to convey so many negative results, Krondorfer says, "it was especially moving that I was asked to translate the decision that Hope and her mother could stay for the next three years. I could see in Hopes face the transformation from disbelief to happiness.
A local German newspaper interviewed Krondorfer and described her work, including her future plans to continue gathering data, facts, and stories about refugee experiences and use the data to promote new legislation.
Interns from coast to coast
Ann Hill's Alaska ice-sheet research
This summers 80 funded summer experiences around the U.S. included:
- Documenting Holocaust survivors experiences through film and photography for a museum in Los Angeles, Calif. Liv Fiddler 19, American studies major
- Research in two cognitive psychology labs with the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore. Alexandra Tremblay-McGaw 18, psychology
- Field research on the health of glaciers through the Juneau Ice Field Research Program,
Juneau, Alaska Ann Hill 18, geosciences
- Legislation advocacy work for NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts in Boston, Mass. Margot
Friedman 18, chemistry
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Analyzing data for Washington, D.C., public schools to improve college access for first-generation and low-income students Noa Maltzman 18, psychology
Margot Friedman educating voters
- Providing strength and conditioning programs to elite athletes at Athletic Evolution in Woburn, Mass.) Paul Yoon 18, exercise science
- Developing acting skills more deeply at the Stella Adler Summer Conservatory in New York City Kallan Dana 19, theater
- Researching the genetic roots of Alzheimers and Parkinsons at a VA hospital in Bedford, Mass. Joseph Pagliarulo 19, neuroscience
Paul Yoon's elite training work
Exercise science major Paul Yoon 18 earned a Thorne Award (expressly for first-generation college students) to intern at Athletic Evolution in Woburn, Mass., the only official NIKE SPARQ training center in New England. Sport-specific group training sessions and a one-on-one program in plyometrics, footwork drills, conditioning, and strength were the foundations of his daily work with elite athletes of all ages.
Yoon says, I was surprised by how simple (not meaning easy) the programs and individual exercises were. A lot of thinking goes into each planmovement deficiency, injury risks, and morebut at the end of the day, its less complicated than I once thought. Final workout programs are not much different than the average Joesjust more intense and tailored to the individual. His bottom line: This experience will help me tremendously for applying to physical-therapy schools, not to mention being successful in PT school.
Interns close to campus
A sampling of summer experiences in the Saratoga area:
- Helping at Mary's Haven home for the dying in Saratoga Springs Joshua Kalloo 17, biochemistry major
- Interning in human resources at GE Global Operations in Schenectady, N.Y. Andrea Tehan 18, business
- Working directly with a zookeeper in New Yorks Bear Mountain State Park Angelea McPartlin 18, biology and environmental studies
- Conducting research for 窪蹋勛圖厙 business professor Tim Harper on campus in Saratoga Springs Zhengyuan Lin 19, business and international affairs
- Discussing life issues with girls and promoting breast-feeding for a community health agency serving Orange, Ulster, and Sullivan Counties in New York Caldonia Noland 18, self-determined major in public health
- Preserving Irish, Italian, and Black oral histories in Saratoga Springs Maddi Callan 19, anthropology and education studies
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Providing graphic design services for Saratoga Countys Economic Opportunity Council in Ballston Spa, N.Y. Chelsea Nuesi 17, self-determined major in communications design
Angelea McPartlin and friend
With support from the 窪蹋勛圖厙 Summer Funded Internship Program, Angelea McPartlin 18 was a zookeeping intern at Trailside Zoo and Museum in New Yorks Catskill Mountains. She was struck by how diverse and extensive the job was: Zookeepers clean cages, educate, and run errands. They act as caretakers and provide enrichment for their animals. There is a never-ending list of things to be done; there is rarely a dull moment.
A highlight for the biology and environmental studies major was hosing down a bald eagle named Sammi. Its the only time she is happy to see me. She flaps her wings while in the water, and it is amazing to watch. The best outcome for McPartlin: I am now certain that zoology is the field for me. Ive loved my time at Trailside Zoo and Museum, and Ive developed a real interest in environmental education as well.
For full information about all of 窪蹋勛圖厙s funded internships, click here.