Production Management Intern, Hip Hop Theater Festival

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: African American Studies
Organization: Hip Hop Theater Festival
Location: Brooklyn, NY

I never felt that my life could change in one summer. However, this summer, unlike any other summer of my life, I feel myself becoming myself. More importantly, I am closely approaching and nearly touching dreams that I was afraid were impossible. This summer I had the great opportunity to reach three goals so far. For one, I was able to intern as a networking agent for the Hip Hop Theater Festival organization for a month. I had the opportunity to meet various upcoming artists on new theater projects they were working on for the fall semester such as Big Boi from Outkast. Additionally, the Hip Hop theater Festival became greatly interested in a piece I am working on for my senior thesis and allowed me to use their studio space for creative time and brainstorming. Additionally, as a networking social representative for the Hip Hop Theater Festival, I was able to attend various concerts and exclusive events every week where I was able to talk to industry leaders in the media network and many hip hop artists including The Clipse. Alongside my internship, I am developing my senior thesis project named The Memoirs of Hip Hop, which intends to be a collaborative dance, theater and musical piece that personifies and gives life to Hip Hop, while simultaneously revealing the life story of young black girl trying to grow into her own. I am using all the connections and ideas I get from networking within my piece and hopefully using some of the artists that I meet within the work. Lastly, I have also been taking various dance classes including Hip Hop, West African Dance, Ballet and Vogue in order to expand my dance vocabulary for my piece. Fortunately, the summer is not over and my heart is set on continuing this amazing journey and even moving across the U.S to study hip hop cultures in other areas of the country. This summer has become my dream summer and it is only leading me to believe that even better things will come to my future.

Architecture Intern, Mediating Architecture Process Technology

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Art History and English
Organization: Mediating Architecture Process Technology
Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

I'm working at MAPT architects in Copenhagen. I am definitely enjoying my time here. I began working on an installation that was the product of some workshops and research grants on developable surfaces. The piece was made out of curved pieces of laser cut stainless steel sheet metal. The piece was installed at various places through out the including the Charlottenborg museum and the Vesterbro skatepark. I have also been working on the 3d model and renderings of a pavillion that's going to be completed in november in time for the climate summit here. The pavaillion will be installed in Nodhavn and will house an exhibition about the sustainable masterplan the city is proposing for that area. It is made out of shipping containers (which are ubiquitous throughout Nordhavn) and recycled interiors. I have also been working on some patterns we will mill into the wooden wall panels. Now I am doing a workshop in which I design an installation using Voronoi algorithms in 3d to create models, and then translate the model into physical space. I have learned so much, not just in terms of skills or design processes, but about how small offices work, the logistics of making interesting work, and the real difference between studying architecture and being an architect. I am so happy to have had this experience, and I sincerely thank the CRC for this grant.

Research and Policy Intern, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: African American Studies and Feminist Gender Sexuality Studies
Organization: SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective
Location: Atlanta, GA

This summer, I am doing my part in the reproductive justice movement as an intern at SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective under the supervision of Heidi Williamson, Advocacy and Membership Coordinator. It has been incredibly rewarding both personally and professionally. I have had the opportunity work with women who each offer something invaluable to the organization. My internship at SisterSong has taught me a major lesson on what it takes to run an organization and become a part of the movement. It takes the coordinated efforts of many extremely dedicated people working both individually and collectively.

For the two months that I’ve been here, I have worked closely with Heidi on the preliminary planning for the Urban Initiative conference. We have toiled endlessly to ensure that the event will be attended by government officials, individual members and partner organizations. In addition, we have worked on creating a map of SisterSong’s widespread membership network. Most recently, I took part in Reproductive Justice training which has given me a strong sense of how SisterSong’s mission is implemented.

Research Intern, Yale University's Social Cognitive Development Lab

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Psychology, French Studies
Organization: Yale University's Social Cognitive Development Lab
Location: New Haven, CT

In these past few weeks, I've been trained to conduct about 4 different experiments trying to tease apart various aspects of children's social and moral development, from ideas about sharing and reciprocity to the formation of racial and social class attitudes. I have been thoroughly enjoying interacting with children of all ages, acquiring a ton of experience with experimental designs, seeing first-hand what graduate school in psychology is like, creating stimuli for experiments, and so much more. I have even helped in coordinating a research talk and lab meeting between the lab here at Yale and the Cognitive Development Lab that I work for at Wesleyan to integrate ideas and share our research interests. Here in this photo, I am running one of the experiments on sharing behaviors that is trying to see how children respond when objects are shared with them or with others and how that affects who they choose to share with.

Public Affairs Intern, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: Psychology
Organization: NARAL Pro-Choice
Location: Austin, TX

I’m working for NARAL Pro-Choice Texas as a public-affairs intern. My job requires that I work on grant applications, make calls to state representatives, plan organization events and develop training materials for volunteers. We have met with State Representatives (we even got a tour of the capital building!) to discuss the work they accomplish regarding women’s health issues. Currently, I’m working on a long term project surrounding the work of Crisis Pregnancy Centers; we are trying to stop the state from funding these centers with tax-payer dollars. I have been conducting research, collecting pamphlets and analyzing my findings for a report that will eventually be published statewide. I love my internship and find the work incredibly interesting! It has truly been an eye-opening experience to work in Texas on women’s healthcare and reproductive rights. I have learned a great deal about politics and the way that legislation get passed (and doesn’t get passed). Living in Austin has also been great, although very HOT! Overall, working with NARAL Pro-Choice Texas has been a wonderful experience!

Welfare, Jobs & Workforce Development Intern, Community Voices Heard

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Sociology/Environmental Studies, IR Certificate
Organization: Community Voices Heard
Location: New York, NY

I am interning this summer at Community Voices Heard, an organization comprised of low-income individuals working to build power in New York City and State. My official title is Welfare and Workforce Development Organizing and Policy Intern. I split my time between community organizing and policy on the Welfare Campaign. Over the summer, I have coordinated mass mailings and call campaigns for several meetings and events. I have also participated in actions against city officials, made a trip up to Albany to flyer Republican senators and co-led member meetings. I love interning for CVH! My only complaint is that the summer is too short!

Lab Technician, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia Medical Center

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: Biology, Neuroscience & Behavior
Organization: Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia Medical Center
Location: New York, NY


This summer has given me an extraordinary experience. I spent the summer as a lab technician working at Columbia Medical Center in the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. Over the ten week period I learned much about biological research and the research aims for various cancers. My lab’s specific aim was breast cancer. The doctor that I worked with held both a PhD and an MD from Columbia. This allowed me to gain even more experience as I shadowed him during his rounds with various breast cancer patients. Both working in the lab and shadowing an oncologist allowed me to better grasp both areas of work and has better prepared me for any career choices I might make in the future. Working and living in New York City has also given me ample opportunity to explore every corner of the city. From baseball games to Shakespeare in various parks across the city, I have enjoyed every minute of my summer internship. This summer’s experience has truly given me a chance to grow and prepared me for the future.

Intern, Women’s HIV Collaborative of New York

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Anthropology and Feminist, Gender, and Sexual Studies
Organization: Women’s HIV Collaborative
Location: New York, NY

Working for The Women’s HIV Collaborative of New York has undoubtedly been a learning experience. The collaborative itself is still relatively new and thus it lacks direction and leadership. The biggest function of the collaborative is to provide data, research, and be a resource for other organization which provide care and counseling to HIV positive individuals. This means that both networking and research make up a major portion of my role here at the collaborative. Meeting with other organizations has definitely been the most rewarding part of my time here. Hearing from a variety of organizations has broadened my knowledge on not for profit organizations and how they function. This being said I’m disappointed by my overall experience at the collaborative. The organization is extremely understaffed, and the executive director is hardly ever available or in the office at all. I find myself at the office alone a lot of the time. Under these conditions it’s been very hard to stay motivated or passionate about the work I’m doing at the collaborative.

Intern, Bristol Press

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: College of Letters and French double major
Organization: Bristol Press
Location: Bristol, CT

The paper has a circulation of about 8,000 in a city of 60,000, though it covers the surrounding area as well. I was anticipating a lot of shadowing, but instead on my first day they handed me a desk and told me to have at it. Suddenly, I was a bona fide reporter. I even did some moonlighting as a photographer. I have never made anyone but myself a cup of coffee. My editors give me stories to do and sometimes let me work on my own ideas. Sometimes I learned journalism lessons the hard way, but I have definitely made progress in my note-taking, investigating, and writing skills. Really, the gig has changed the way I look at journalism. I now see it as a form of engagement, of doing more than writing. Plus, I know this is a job I enjoy and could see myself doing in the future. Sometimes I wish I got handed important stories more often and had less downtime, but such is life as an intern.

Curitorial Intern, Smithsonian American Art Museum

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: Art History with an Asian Art Concentration
Organization: Smithsonian American Art Museum- Lunder Conservation Center
Location: Washington DC

This is a picture of me consolidating cracking on the glazing of a statue. This piece is going on display in August 2009 at the Renwick Invitation in Washington DC.

With the funding from the Wesleyan Summer Experience Grant, I was able to peruse an internship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington DC. My interested in art conservation allowed me to work in the newly renovated Lunder Conservation Center. I have been working on a variety of projects under the supervision of Object, Paintings, and Paper conservators. Some of the memorable pieces have included a earthenware statue (see attached photo), a basket comprised of burrs, an American Impressionist painting, and several drawings and prints. This internship is a great experience because it has exposed me to many different aspects of the profession and the chance to work under some truly talented art conservators. I would encourage anyone interested in the intersection of art and science to look into art conservation.

Talent Intern, Entrourage Talent Associates

Grant Recipient: class of 2010
Major: philosophy
Organization: Entourage Talent Associates
Location: New York, NY

My internship has definitely been a learning experience, but not how I expected. I feel like I have been learning more about workplace hierarchy and the social maneuvering that apparently plays a huge part in the music industry. Though I didn't expect to be able to work in the same capacity at my internship as I am at Wesleyan, it's hard to go from having an active role in making shows happen to doing menial "intern" tasks. Despite my disappointment in what I am allowed to do, it is interesting to see how things work from the inside. My office is small, so I am able to watch and hear the entire process of booking concerts, from contacting venues to pitch the band to working out money matters to getting ticket counts after the concerts. Overall, it's an experience that I think will help me in the future, both in understanding more about the inner workings of the industry and in the contacts that I will make through this job.

Intern, Wai’aha Sustainable Farm

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Anthropology
Organization: Wai’aha Sustainable Farm
Location: Hawaii

The goal of the farm is to create a living model for sustainable agriculture, meaning that all farm members are eating off the farmland while increasing the production to serve local markets. At Wai’aha, I help plant and raise fruit trees, vegetables, and animals. I do daily shores such as feeding rabbits, pigs, and chickens. The goats, sheep, and chickens are being raised on green grass pasture. I also help with collecting chicken eggs, milking the goats, and slaughtering. During my stay at the farm, it is surprising to me to see the plants and animals grow day after days because of good soil, green grass, sunlight, and water. I get to see how ecosystem within the farm positively interacts with one another. And most importantly, I am also a part of that interaction without actually harming them.

Volunteer, Neighborcare Health

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: : Latin American Studies and Earth and Environmental Sciences
Organization: Neighborcare Health
Location: Seattle, WA

For my summer experience I was a volunteer/intern at the 45th St. Clinic in Seattle. The clinic is part of the larger city wide organization called Neighborcare Health. The organization serves many of the underinsured and uninsured residents of Seattle and the greater Seattle area. There was no formal application process for the clinic, which had never had a long term volunteer/intern, and I applied through their Human Resources department. As there was no structured volunteer system, I was able to develop my position in conjunction with my interests and the needs of the various departments in the clinic. Therefore my position continuously evolved throughout my time at the clinic. During a week I would usually spend one or two days shadowing primary care physicians and other medical staff, and the other three to four days helping staff with various tasks, such as creating databases, helping with patient education, and scheduling patients. I worked with MSS staff, primary care physicians, diabetes staff, youth clinic staff, nurses, medical assistants, lab technitions and the clinic coordinators. This position was great as the medical director with whom I worked was really interested in integrating my own interests in diabetes and obesity through various projects. I was able to work with many of the diabetic patients by translating during clinic visits, shadowing a diabetes nurse and creating a patient education display on type 2 diabetes. I also helped with the development of a foundation of a clinic outreach project for underprivileged families with obese children in conjunction with the YMCA and Seattle Children’s Hospital. During my eight weeks at the clinic I also had the opportunity to participate in community outreach for the 45th Street Clinic's Homeless Youth Clinic. During Youth Clinic hours I was also able to volunteer, and shawdow an Acupuncturist and a group of Naturopaths. Apart from being at the 45th St. Clinic, I was also able to shadow in a Neighborcare Health high school based clinic and another Seattle Neighborcare Health clinic. As there had never been a long term volunteer or intern at the clinic, my position also served as a starting point for setting up a volunteer program and identifying the areas of the clinic that could benifit from volunteer positions and also the possible roles for future volunteers. This has been a wonderful experience through which I have learned a lot about primary and public health care. More importantly, I was able to gain a greater understanding of not only the role and work of physicians, but the complete operation of a primary health clinic.

Intern, State of Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies and Psychology double major
Organization: State of Connecticut Office of the Child Advocate
Location: Hartford, CT

The major part of my internship focuses around girls incarcerated at the York Correctional Institute as juvenile and youthful offenders. I am creating a database of information to track pathways for adolescent girls into the adult prison system. As part of this process, I have attended meetings and presentations at the Legislative Office Building, Department of Children and Families, the Manson Correctional Institute for boys, and the York Correctional Institute for women. I am able to play an active role in the office and in creating my internship experience based within the needs of the office, taking this project from the ground up. It has been an amazing experience and a behind the scenes look at the prison system, the Department of Children and Families, and the inner workings of the Child Advocate office, and I am able to leave behind a project that can help the office to advocate on behalf of girls at-risk or involved in the criminal justice system.

Research Intern, Clark University

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Math major
Organization: Clark University
Location: Worcester, MA

A luke warm cup of coffee rests on the table. The forehead burried deep within the palm of the hand. It's 1 AM, and the mind races with ideas of how to solve, rigorously, a problem that others would dismiss due to its seeming simplicity. Observations are made, ideas are guessed at, but noone stops until it is all down on paper. This is excitement; the neverending race to prove what is unknownn, the constant attempts to outcompete the competition. They can do it in linear time? We can do it in constant time.

Mathematics research in motion planning is a lively event. The concepts involved do not require burrying one's head in books, rather, a touch of ingenuity. Nothing is more exhillerating than, after hours of sitting in a room with blank faces, leaping out of your chair, racing to the whiteboard, clamoring out your idea to your group members, and hoping for a smile on one of their faces. This summer has been an exciting opportunity to dive headfirst into the field of mathematics research, work alongside brilliant professors, and have a firshand experience of my own future. Thanks to the Wesleyan Summer Experience Grant, my summer has been an invigorating wind, pushing me to do what I have always felt was my calling. I am beyond grateful for this great opportunity, and am positive that many others share my enthusiasm for their own experiences.

Dance Intern, Hop Inn FunHouse

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: English
Organization: Hop Inn FunHouse
Location: Accra, Ghana

For the past six weeks I have been teaching ballet, modern dance, and creative writing to children at Hop Inn FunHouse located in Accra, Ghana. The children range in age from 2 years to 11 years, and their families come not only from Ghana but also Senegal, France, and the United States. For the first few weeks of my internship many of my duties centered on marketing; Hop Inn was launched just this June as an activity center for children. I created flyers, organized an Open House, and planned the summer program. Although it was difficult being a part of the marketing team for the first few weeks of my stay (my vision included teaching from the start), once children started enrolling and my role changed to teacher, my spirits were immediately lifted. Now, deep in the throes of teaching, I love being with the kids in the classroom, the studio, or the playground. They come to ballet and modern with no prior knowledge (many think ballet is merely about standing on their toes) and I love knowing that I am bringing to them new and exciting ways of thinking and moving. They are full of life, and like the palm trees in Ghana, it is an amazing experience to watch them thrive beneath this African sun!

Intern, San Francisco Office of the Public Defender

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Government
Organization: San Francisco Office of the Public Defender
Location: San Francisco, CA

As an intern at the San Francisco Office of the Public Defender, I help an overstretched and under-funded organization provide legal services to indigent clients. I spend the majority of my time writing subpoenas, motions, and social histories, requesting records, tracking down surveillance footage, meeting with clients, summarizing police reports, attending training sessions, and watching trials. In contrast with previous summers spent opening envelopes and printing labels, in the past weeks I have independently written entire pitchess motions and social histories, visited high security jails to discuss medical records with clients on trial for murder, watched assault, rape, and narcotics trials, protested Mayor Newsom’s proposed budget cuts on the steps of city hall, and attended training sessions offering crash courses in jury selection, cross-examination tactics, lie-detection, and the general criminal process. Thanks to the generosity of the Wesleyan Summer Experience Grant, without which I could not have accepted an unpaid internship position this summer, I have gained a comprehensive picture of life as a trial attorney, I have improved my computer, research, and writing skills, strengthened my resume, expanded my understanding of the justice system and my insight into the class system, and replaced my dread of the 9:00-5:00 with anticipation for future exploration of career opportunities.

Art Workshop Intern, Yale University Press

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: College of Social Studies
Organization: Yale University Press
Location: New Haven, CT

The Yale University Press is an organization teeming with excitement. Its staff members, from the editors to the assistants, are always busy innovating and challenging existing beliefs in almost every field. I have been lucky enough to join them in their mission of disseminating lux and veritas. Even as a summer intern, I have been given responsibilities that make me feel like an important member of their team. Within the first two weeks I was already working with expensive reproductions of artwork and contacting distinguished authors. I have gotten a glimpse of the entire publishing process, from choosing scholars to review manuscripts before the Press decided to publish them to sending out copies of the finished book to the author, and every step in between. I have attended meetings where I saw spirited debates over whether the Press should pursue a book and thoughtful discussions about marketing strategies. I have even been asked to return to the Press in the fall as a part-time employee, working a few half days around my weekly academic schedule at Wesleyan.

I went in to my internship hoping that I would discover whether or not I was interested in publishing as a career in the future. More importantly, I honed skills - teamwork, responsibility, enthusiasm - that will undoubtedly benefit me in whatever field I eventually choose.

Urban Education Leaders Intern, District of Columbia Public Schools Office of the Chancellor

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: Economics
Organization: District of Columbia Public Schools Office of the Chancellor Urban Education Leaders Internship Program
Location: Washington, DC

I am working as a junior associate on the School Openings Team at the Chancellor's office for DC Public Schools (DCPS). The goal of School Openings is to ensure that schools are safe, equipped, and ready for instruction by the first day of school. I am responsible for a portfolio of thirty-six schools, and I work with principals to make sure each school is set in the areas of textbooks and supplies, facilities, scheduling, and staffing. Working for DCPS has been an incredible experience because of Michelle Rhee's astounding work in her two years as Chancellor. DCPS is at the forefront of education reform, and while the district still has a long way to go, I have been amazed to see change occuring right before my eyes. I have learned so much from my internship already because of the large amount of responsibility and accountability that my job allows me. Not only have I learned a lot about education reform, but I've greatly improved my skills in leadership, communication, and organization. In addition, I've gained a much clearer sense of what I want and don't want in a career, which is something that's very important to me as a graduating senior next year. Thus far, my time with DCPS has been both very enriching and very fun!

Fellow, The Jewish Forward (Newspaper)

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Government (concentration in Comparative Politics)
Organization: Fellow, The Jewish Forward (newspaper)
Location: New York, NY

For the past 10 weeks, I’ve been a fellow at The Jewish Forward, founded in 1897 as a Yiddish daily newspaper. The Forward launched a weekly English newspaper nearly 20 years ago, and I’ve received the amazing opportunity of writing and editing for it this summer. With the guidance and support of my editors (and the editor-in-chief, Jane Eisner, who also happened to be the first female editor-in-chief of The Argus), I’ve written several stories on topics including Conservative Judaism, the Madoff scandal, a fellowship program that’s the first to combine social entrepreneurship with multicultural and interfaith dialogue, and the use of assisted reproductive technologies to halt the hereditary cancer-causing BRCA gene mutation. The fellowship has taught me a great deal about the current state of professional journalism, and the difficulties that print journalism faces in the growing transition to online media.

Health Policy Intern, EMGlobal

Summer Experience Grant Internship Plunges Student into Health Policy

Click to read article.

Paintings Conservation Intern, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: College of Letters, French Studies
Organization: Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Location: San Francisco, CA


Within a week of starting my internship in the Paintings Conservation Center at the de Young Museum I have already: photographed paintings in preparation for treatment, retouched a frame, reframed a painting, and vacuumed several thousand clothes-moth eggs off a mixed-media piece hanging in the galleries. The museum’s conservators work to repair any damage done by human hand or over time to pieces in the collection and take preventative measures to ensure that works are exhibited in their most authentic and stable state. Working in Conservation has allowed be to become involved with artwork in ways that museum-goers rarely think about and even less frequently experience firsthand—just as the moth infestation went unnoticed by the public the underdrawings of a 15th century Spanish panel painting will, too, remain visible only to those who know they are there (and, more exclusively, have the infrared camera technology to see them.) The work I do has been even more hands-on than I expected; I relish every opportunity to really work on anything but still can’t believe they let me touch the works of art. In a field like conservation where years of post-grad study and lengthy internships are required, my internship this summer, made possible by the Summer Experience Grant, provides the unique occasion for me to delve much further into the technical, intellectual, and professional aspects of such a particular trade, as well as those that apply more generally to museum studies. This is truly an experience in which I expect to learn as much about my goals and myself as I will about the chemical compositions of different pigments or proper procedure for cleaning an oil painting, and I look forward to it.

Summer Intern, National Public Radio

Argus Editor Writes, Produces Stories for National Public Radio

Argus Editor Writes, Produces Stories for National Public RadioAs a summer intern for National Public Radio, Domanick worked for All Things Considered, NPR’s signature afternoon newscast that reaches 11.5 million listeners weekly. She was one of 55 college students and recent graduates to participate in an internship program, held June 2 to Aug. 9 at the NPR headquarters in Washington, DC.

Click to read full story.

Photography Assistant, American Society of Media Photographers New York Chapter

Grant Recipient: Class of 2011
Major: Studio Art
Organization: American Society of Media Photographers New York Chapter
Location: New York, NY

I really have enjoyed interning in New York City this summer.
Although some days are less exciting as others, every day I am learning something new about the world of photography. My tasks differ week to week according to the schedules of the photographers. Some days I am doing research, organizing, scanning photos, retouching photos and calling clients in the studio, while other days are spent scouting locations for photo shoots, returning props, picking up prints and also assisting on shoots. The photographers I'm working for all belong to the American Society of Media Photographers.

Although I'm not working directly for ASMP, I am working for the president of the New York chapter and members who live and work in New York, New York.

Fundraising and Development Intern, MADRE

Grant Recipient: Class of 2010
Major: English, French major
Organization: MADRE
Location: New York, NY

This summer I’m working as a fundraising and development intern at MADRE, an international women’s human rights organization based in New York City. MADRE works with sister organizations around the world to implement community projects in three program areas: economic and environmental justice, peace building, and women’s health/combating violence against women. As the development intern, I spend my time trying to get money from people (and foundations) in order to support our work, which might not sound appealing, but is really interesting. I start by compiling lists of foundations and donors who match well with our programs, then I send out letters to those groups introducing our projects and requesting funding. Of course, I do some traditional intern work (photo-copying, filing, etc.), but my supervisor does an incredible job of letting me be part of the whole process—which is great, because hopefully I’ll be doing this full-time next year!