Summer Internships 2015

Sun-soaked postcards from Bryn Mawr students

June 26, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Carol Bowe ’17

A Postcard From: Carol Bowe ’17

headshotName: Carol Bowe

Class Year: 2017

Internship Placement: Radnor to River and Tennessee Parks and Greenways (TennGreen) in Nashville.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

This summer I am interning at two non-profits: Radnor to River and Tennessee Parks and Greenways (TennGreen) in Nashville. So not only do I get to do environmental work, but I also get to explore a new city! I am working on two projects this summer.

There is an ecological corridor along the West of Nashville which needs to be protected. One way TennGreen is planning to do this is to create a coalition of the environmental groups which exist along it. So this summer I am helping to organize an initial meeting between these groups.

Also, there is a part of this corridor which is under immediate threat of development, the Nashville Highlands. It is an old development that was approved decades ago and so it is not up to current environmental standards. It is filled with a number of key environmental features such as steep slopes, caves, and sensitive species. So my major project with Radnor to River is to help protect this 200 acre piece of land through a grassroots effort.

UntitledWhy I applied for my internship:

When I graduate from Bryn Mawr, my dream is to teach high school physics. I love physics because it is able to describe the world around us using math. And the first realization of that was the most incredible experience of my life. I want to be able to give that experience to other people. However, I would also like to provide more than just an education in physics.

I believe that environmental education in high school is extremely important given the current state of our planet. However, most high school students have little to no knowledge about sustainability or the environment because nobody is teaching them. I want to incorporate sustainability education into my physics lessons and I think that the two subjects are so closely linked that I can do it.

Having this summer experience will help me to incorporate environmental and sustainability education into my teaching. It will give me experiences to draw on and to talk about to my future students so that they too will be inspired. Who knows, maybe I will even teach in Nashville someday!

June 26, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Libby Wilson ’16

A Postcard From: Libby Wilson ’16

1441518_594077500641211_1095367703_nName: Libby Wilson

Class Year: 2016

Internship Placement: Healing Hurt People Project (HHP) and will be recruiting people who have been violently injured recently for a research study on the efficacy of a specific violence intervention program.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

My internship is with Healing Hurt People (HHP), a hospital-based violence intervention program. I am helping to conduct an efficacy study on the program, and I am specifically working with the Temple University Hospital, and with the Center for Bioethics, Urban Health, and Policy (CBUHP).

I have really enjoyed my tasks so far. I go through the ER records finding people who have sustained an injury because of non-accidental violence. I then schedule a time for them to take a survey, which I administer. I have met a lot of very interesting people, and I have learned a lot about how emergency room healthcare works. I have also learned just how much violence there is in Philadelphia. Over the past six months or so, there have been over 1,600 violent injuries that have come through Temple University Hospital alone. Most of these injuries are blunt force trauma, but there are quite a few stabbing injuries and gunshot wounds, as well as a surprising number of human bites.

With CBUHP, I have been learning more about urban bioethics, and how health disparities between neighborhoods, ethnic groups, and SES status are very much a bioethical problem. This has expanded my theoretical knowledge and worldview, and the practical knowledge I am gaining with HHP is the perfect supplement.

June 23, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Caitlin Homstad ’16

A Postcard From: Caitlin Homstad ’16

pictureName: Caitlin Homstad

Class Year: 2016

Internship Placements: Philadelphia Fight: HIV and AIDS community health clinic located in Center City. I will be interning in the Behavioral Health Sciences Department and will be continuing my Praxis. I will be shadowing intake exams, helping run group counseling sessions, administering drug tests, and running the office from time to time. I hope to conduct thesis research this summer and if not connect with other businesses involved in infectious disease work.

Philadelphia Union Select Soccer Coach: I will be assistant coaching a U10 girls team under the Philadelphia Union banner. I will help run practice, sometimes run practice, and will be traveling with the team to tournaments.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

Suite 335 in Erdman is always bustling. From early mornings to late nights, I am always on the move. This summer I am interning at Philadelphia Fight and coaching at Philadelphia Union. Besides the similar pronunciation of “phil,” both jobs differ in their day-to-day activities and clients. Philadelphia Fight is a comprehensive health services organization providing primary care, consumer education, research, and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS and those at high risk. Within the larger Philadelphia Fight umbrella, I work in the Teach, Recovery, Empowerment, and Education Intensive Outpatient Program (TREE IOP). This program is apart of the Behavioral Health Sciences Department and specializes in treating individuals living with HIV/AIDS who are also suffering from alcohol and or drug use. My day-to-day responsibilities vary from helping run group counseling sessions to shadowing intake exams and screening new patients. This internship provides me the perfect opportunity to interact with people, study HIV/AIDS and the social factors that contribute to the pandemic, as well as give back to the community.

Similarly, my position as the head coach of a U10 girl’s team has helped me accomplish many things. Firstly, I have learned how to simplify complex concepts regarding technical and tactical strategy. Secondly, I have reconnected with my passion for soccer and my girls constantly remind me why I chose to pick up the sport in the first place. Lastly, it has provided me the opportunity to teach developing player’s skills that will benefit them in the future. Overall, both my internships combine my passion for serving others, learning from others, and caring for others.

How I heard about my internship:

I heard of my internship from one of the career counselors in the Career Development Office. She mentioned Philadelphia Fight as an organization encompassing public health, biomedicine, and psychology so I contacted the director of Human Resources. From there, she linked me with the head of the Behavioral Health Department and I started working there during this past spring semester. They offered me an internship for the summer so I transitioned from being part time to full time.  As for the coaching job, the head soccer coach at Bryn Mawr emailed the team and asked if anyone of us were interested. From there the site director contacted us individually for interviews.

June 22, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Karunya Venugopal ’16

A Postcard From: Karunya Venugopal ’16

image3Name: Karunya Venugopal

Year: 2016

Internship Placement: Trialcraft

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

This summer, I am interning at Trialcraft, which is a company that provides legal consultation to law firms preparing for trial. Thus far, I’ve absolutely loved it; I’ve had the opportunity to work on preparing an employment discrimination case, a medical malpractice case, and a criminal trade secrets case!

Why I applied and chose my internship?

I applied for this internship because I wanted an experience that would allow me to learn more about the law, as I plan on attending law school down the line. This internship is the perfect fit for me because it allows me to work within drastically different legal fields, which has allowed me to learn a lot. In addition, I have been able to meet with many lawyers who share their insights on both law school and the legal profession with me.

June 22, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Emily Xiong ’16

A Postcard From: Emily Xiong ’16

dsc_0435Name: Emily Xiong

Class Year: 2016

Internship Placement: Center for Strategic and International Studies. I will help with the multimedia branch of the ideas lab to help with the media exposure of panels and studio interviews.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

I’m interning for Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. I’m working for the ideas lab of the External Relations department. CSIS holds a lot of different panels and discussions among the top leaders in the states and the world on varies of different fields in foreign relations, military, health, media, and technology. To quote CSIS’ president Dr. Hamre, “a think tank is a university without students;” because of my department, I got the opportunity to hear the panels from the top experts almost every day. Thanks to the size of the company, I also have the opportunity to get to know my amazing peers from other colleges in the U.S. and even throughout the world, who are all passionate about different branches of foreign policy or policy making processes.

How I heard about my internship:

In my past internship for Think Tank and Civil Society Program, I learned about CSIS’s open internship opportunities from my group leader: she informed us of the opportunity. Also CSIS’ official website csis.org has specific information and application guidelines that help as well.

Why I applied for my internship:

My previous internship at TTCSP let me understand that CSIS is an amazing organization where one could get insight on how a top think tank runs and get to know some amazing peers and listen to the wisdom of some top experts who probably had shaped the course of world’s policy making history. As a political science major, nothing could be better than listening to those great panels on hot debates and headline-occupying issues from the top experts behind the camera for the entire summer. While working for ideas lab, a relatively technical department in this brainy organization, I also got to hone my technical skills on film and video making and learn from some great professionals top in the field.

June 22, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Jian White ’17

A Postcard From: Jian White ’17

img_2127Name: Jian White

Class Year: 2017

Internship Placement: Code of Support Foundation in Alexandria, VA as a Research and Strategic Partnerships Intern. I am researching organizations and populating an online database to help assist service members, veterans, and their families through case coordination programs. I hope to gain a better understanding through sitting in on meetings and events in the veterans service community to learn how formalized partnerships are made in the non-profit sector.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

These past few weeks have flown by, and somehow, I have just finished my fifth week at Code of Support Foundation in Alexandria, VA! Code of Support Foundation is a small, non-profit organization working to assist service members, veterans, and their families find the resources and help to prosper; and also works to try to engage the civilian population in aiding the service members and veterans who have sacrificed so much for the general population. These past five weeks at Code of Support Foundation, I have been working on researching, creating profiles for, and thoroughly vetting other organizations that service the veteran community to populate Code of Support’s newest endeavor – PATRIOTnet. PATRIOTnet will be a service provider facing resource to assist case coordination programs at Code of Support and other organizations assisting the veteran community. When I am not working to populate PATRIOTnet, I have been assisting Code of Support’s case coordination team, going to events surrounding the veteran community, and sitting-in on various types of meetings at Code of Support. A couple of weeks ago, I helped to find hotels willing to donate rooms to a veteran and his family trying to move across the country. I’m really enjoying working at Code of Support with these amazing people.

June 19, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Ilisha Ramachandran ’17

A Postcard From: Ilisha Ramachandran ’17

10634134_10152791471895934_4990093947692804953_oName: Ilisha Ramachandran

Class Year: 2017

Internship Placement: ConnectedHealth in Singapore.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

This summer I am working at ConnectedHealth, a start-up company based in Singapore. I have mainly been focusing on learning how to program the Intel Edison, which is a tiny computer. Using the Intel Edison, I am building a universal translator, which we have called the Babel Fish Project. I have finished developing the code to make it work, and am now working on building a case for it. I have learnt how to use a laser cutter to make the case, which is really cool! Being at home for the summer is also nice because I am able to take trips over the long weekends to other countries in South East Asia, like Thailand. There’s a picture below of the climbing trip I took last weekend.

Untitled

Why I applied for my internship?

Last semester, I developed an interest in computer science. I wanted to get more experience with programming, and see what a tech company looks like from the inside. Because this is a small company, I am also getting a lot of opportunities to learn, and a lot of help.

June 19, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Hannah K. ’17

A Postcard From: Hannah K. ’17

11391089_10207085737322532_3917404360563704764_n1Name: Hannah K

Class Year: 2017

Internship Placement: This summer I am serving as an editorial intern at Salon.com, where I am responsible for assisting in day-to-day editorial tasks (interview transcriptions, editing blog posts, etc), as well as pitching stories of my own.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

This summer, I am serving as an editorial culture intern for Salon.com, which is a news website known for its tendency to produce news stories from fresh and altered perspectives, and from voices that are, more often than not, invisible in popular media. Although I am far too young/inexperienced to definitively make a statement such as, “I want to be a professional writer!” I do happen to have a love for writing, especially about cultural topics, and Salon is a relatively ideal match for aligning these interests of mine.

I have not written anything for the website yet—I spend most of my time as an intern editing blog posts and transcribing interviews. But one of the reasons I really like Salon is that they tend to stray away from the content-farm/mindless listicle routine of many current websites, and when I do eventually publish something on the website I want to be certain that it is something I’m proud of, as opposed to it being something obscenely hyperbolic that will garner clicks without generating much interest. Salon’s offices are in midtown Manhattan, and its location gives me great access to attending events for the website, and being able to interview people who reside in NYC full time. I feel as if this summer has barely even started, so that’s all I have to say for now!

June 18, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Sarah Gates ’16

A Postcard From: Sarah Gates ’16

haircutName: Sarah Gates

Class Year: 2016

Internship Placement: Philadelphia City Planning Commission. I will be primarily working on the 2015 update to the Center City Parking Inventory.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

This summer I am interning at the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. As an environmental studies major, I have not had a lot of exposure to the field of urban planning so this internship has been a great learning experience so far. It has been about a month since I started working at the planning commission. My primary focus is the Center City Parking inventory that is updated every five years. Right now I am in the middle of surveying parking lots and garages all around Center City Philadelphia. I have been able to explore many different areas of Philly that I probably would not have visited if I didn’t have this internship. I am hoping that by the end of the summer I will know the city very well and be able to navigate around it comfortably.

In addition to working on the parking survey I have been able to attend a lot of different meetings with Planning Commission staff members. I have also been able to learn a lot more about Philadelphia politics and the city government than I expected to with this internship. I’ve even had the privilege of going to a meeting held at City Hall, which was definitely a cool experience! I am looking forward to getting even more involved at the Planning Commission and hopefully attending some more meetings surrounding issues that I am interested in. I am also excited about getting to create a official report that will present the data that I will be collected throughout the summer.

June 18, 2015
by Diana Campeggio
Comments Off on A Postcard From: Ashlee Williams ’16

A Postcard From: Ashlee Williams ’16

Name: Ashlee Williams

Class Year: 2016

Internship Placement: Milkboy the Studio. The work I hope to be doing consists of setting up and breaking down sessions, learning audio engineer techniques, and becoming familiar with the Protools software.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

My internship is with a recording studio in Philadelphia, PA. Milkboy the Studio is a prestigious studio bringing in a diverse group of clientele. Working in the city has allowed me to become well acquainted with the public transportation system. Before working in the city I was against public transportation, but now I rely on it to take me literally everywhere I need to go. Interning at Milkboy requires a tremendous amount of hard work. Essentially I am starting at the bottom of the totem pole, and gradually working my way up. I am slowly earning the trust of the producers, engineers, and management of the studio. I have sat in numerous sessions, which usually include a live session or involve some sort of tracking. I have had the opportunity to record vocals for a client, break down and set up sessions, as well as learn a bit about the software used, Protools, in the studio. I am enjoying my time in the city and I love the feeling of accomplishment when I bike home from a long night at the studio.