Author Archives: Christian Zavisca

Jordan Hussey ’20: Friends of Design Academy of Digital Arts

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Name: Jordan Hussey
Class Year: 2020
Major: East Asian Languages and Cultures
Hometown: Lewisburg, Pa.

Internship Organization: Friends of Design Academy of Digital Arts
Job Title: Games Technology Assistant
Location: Cape Town, South Africa

What’s happening at your internship?

At the Academy, my main job is to help promote and market the student-made games, which can range from week-long projects to year-long projects developed in collaborations with some of the full-time instructors as well. For example, when I first started, the students in the Game Design and Development Course were just finishing up their collaborative projects where they had to complete a working game within one week’s time. Later on, I designed a webpage for them and created promotional content such as a gameplay trailer and screenshots. This page was shared all over the school’s social media platforms and received hundreds of views.
Right now I am assigned to work on a much larger project as the school is trying to start their own game development department where they will make games full-time with the assistance of students in the advanced courses. Since they have never had a marketing position for games, they are taking the opportunity to have me maintain a development blog to track their progress and spark interest in their work.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied to this internship because it was something that I had never envisioned myself doing, and I thought it might be the only opportunity in my life to experience South Africa. Also, the idea of working instead of studying abroad for two months appealed to me because you were able to have a look at what work culture was like and be completely immersed in it.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

The city is more way more beautiful than I imagined, having lived in a place with no real mountains the majority of my life. The plants and animals here are incredibly diverse and completely different from back home. Although the weather is usually very warm, summertime here is actually wintertime, which means the average temperature ranges from 60 degrees to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. One thing that took me a very long time to get used to was keeping an eye out for danger and staying safe, as crimes, such as pickpocketing, are quite common so you always have to look out for your belongings and travel in groups. Usually the safest and most convenient way to get around is to use Uber, which is relatively inexpensive here in comparison to the U.S.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

The most rewarding thing about my internship is learning about an industry I was always interested in but never thought about pursuing a career in. Everyday I do hours of research about the video game industry, the game production cycle, and the resources necessary to make it all happen, which has given me a greater appreciation of the work those in my company are doing. Also, I have enjoyed seeing the students working on their own game projects as that was the first time I saw game development in action. Seeing them made me more motivated to do well in creating a webpage to show off their hard work on their projects, which can be played and downloaded by anyone now. Check out the link here if you’re interested.

Libby Otto ’20: Secular Coalition for America

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Name: Libby Otto
Class Year: 2020
Major: Sociology
Hometown: Seattle, Wash.

Internship Organization: Secular Coalition for America
Job Title: Policy Intern
Location: Washington, D.C.

Debbie Allen and Libby Otto

When I first applied to the Secular Coalition, I wasn’t sure exactly what I was getting into. Secular Coalition for America is a nonprofit which represents 19 secular organizations around the nation, using both grassroots activism and direct lobbying to protect the rights of secular Americans and the separation of church and state. The opportunity was perfect — I had been looking for public policy and advocacy positions which would allow me to apply what I had been learning in my sociology courses to the real world. That being said, most of the other positions I was looking at had specific focus issues such as Immigration or Native American rights. While I knew Secular Coalition worked to ensure a separation of church and state, what exactly did that look like? Here’s what I found out:

Separation of church and state covers almost any issue you can think of.

Since starting the internship, I’ve gotten to work on issues ranging from reproductive rights to immigration, vaccinations to discrimination, to education and beyond. As my boss advised me, “if debate includes religious rhetoric, it’s an issue we handle.” As for what I do, it’s almost as varied. My main project combines all of these issues through the educational branch of the organization: throughout the summer I will be following the 2020 presidential election, creating profiles for the candidates and updating our constituency on their positions to help voters make informed decisions. Beyond just tracking the candidates, however, I also get the chance to engage with policy making more directly — experiences, I’ve realized, rooted in the location of Washington, D.C.

When I first thought about living in D.C., I was apprehensive. Going to school across the country from home, it always felt important to me to go back to Seattle over the summer. Although I have a wide range of friends and family living in Washington, D.C., and spend large amounts of time here, it still felt like a foreign experience. As I realized that the best opportunities for me were here, I became excited by the idea. Being in D.C., I have access to not only work-specific lobbying and coalition meetings with groups such as Planned Parenthood, but also incredible intern events. Over my summer, I will be attending weekly lunches (with free food I might add) dedicated to work on reproductive rights, multiple lobby days, and all of the protests and rallies the capital of the United States has to offer. In these spaces, I am able to learn skills that are both crucial for a future in public policy, such as coalition building, legislation tracking and memo writing, but also tools for my own political activism.

Although I’m just a few weeks into the summer, I can’t wait to see what comes next. Even when the work gets tiring or I’m saddened by something I see in the world, I can pinch myself and remember, I’m doing something to help and I couldn’t ask for more than that.

For more information on the work of the Secular Coalition for America, and Libby’s candidate tracker, visit Secular.org

Gwynne Dulaney ’20: Cosa Excavation Field School

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Name: Gwynne Dulaney
Class Year: 2020
Major: Classical Culture and Society
Hometown: Roxbury, Conn.

Internship Organization: Cosa Excavation Field School
Job Title: Undergraduate participant
Location: Ansedonia, Tuscany, Italy

As a classics major, I have obviously always held an extreme fascination with Italy and its ancient history, particularly how that knowledge of practices and monuments made its way from the sites where they were documented to the texts that we read in class. Therefore, when my professor at my study abroad program this past fall encouraged me to apply to the archaeological field school in Tuscany that she would be overseeing this summer, I immediately applied. Furthermore, when I discovered this internship, there was a surprising aspect to it: I had heard that Bryn Mawr was somehow connected to Cosa, but imagine my surprise when I found out that the site was originally excavated by Bryn Mawr’s professor of Classics, Russell Scott. Professor Scott was critical in helping me to vouch for the program and find a way to turn a 4-week excavation into an 8-week internship.

In the three weeks that I have been at Cosa; we have uncovered five different parts of the bath complex. So far, I have loved every aspect of excavating, but I have to say that my favorite part is the thrill that you feel when you brush dirt off of an object and realize that you are touching something that someone painstakingly made thousands of years ago. For me, it was the small and completely whole terra-cotta jar stopper that I uncovered 20 minutes before quitting time. We have also found endless amounts of Roman glass, pottery vessels, and painted plaster along with the occasional bone hairpin, Roman coin, and even an imperial inscription. As we get ready to wrap up the excavation next week, I will begin to prepare for the next phase of my internship, where I will be helping with Cosa’s current project of digitizing its finds in the bath complex as well as helping the team prepare to publish its finds and data over the past few years.

One of my concerns with choosing to go on an excavation the summer before I graduated was whether this would be as productive of a use of my summer as having a traditional internship at a company or organization back in the states. As someone who is not completely sure what she wants to do after graduation, deciding to do something untraditional with her summer like digging in the dirt seemed risky. I can now say with confidence that based on the wide span of skills that I have acquired from this internship, I can use what I have learned here and apply it towards a wide variety of potential careers. I have gained immense skills in team leadership, critical thinking and data analysis. This may not be a traditional internship at a company I could work at after graduation, but I have learned more about the opportunities in my major and about myself than any other traditional internship that I have worked at in my life.

Aditi Parikh ’20: UC Berkeley Language and Cognitive Development Lab

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Name: Aditi Parikh
Class Year: 2020
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Mumbai, India

Internship Organization: UC Berkeley Language and Cognitive Development Lab
Job Title: Research Intern
Location: Berkeley, Calif.

What’s happening at your internship?

Currently, we are in the last two weeks in my internship. The project I am working on involves learning about how children develop selective attention and the changes that their social environment plays on the way their brain develops. The project is exciting and it is interesting to interact with new people everyday and explore Berkeley and its surroundings!

Why did you apply for this internship?

As a psychology major, I am very interested in doing research and eventually grad school. This seemed like the perfect internship in that respect. It is also nice to experience being in a big college like Berkeley and work with people who have very similar interests as me. The lab also researches topics I care about such as looking at brain development for bilinguals and attention styles. The lab also has a very supportive and nurturing environment that encourages all its members to learn and succeed.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

The internship has been an eye-opening experience for me academically. Each week, we would have reading groups with all the members of the lab in which one of the grad students would pick out papers for everyone to read and discuss. The papers ranged from topics relating to the research being done by the lab to general ethical and novel debates that are ongoing in the field of research. This experience enabled me to learn about topics that are often not discussed in a typical classroom because its relevance to practical and real-life experiences. It was also interesting to hear the view points of people with different experience levels, such as professors who have spent years working in research, as well as interns who have barely spent any time working the lab environment. I am grateful to have had this wonderful experience

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Adjectives: Interesting, dynamic, transformative
Nouns: cute kids, eye tracking, new horizons

Daphne Tsapalas ’20: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

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Name: Daphne Tsapalas
Class Year: Class of 2020
Major: Sociology
Hometown: New York, N.Y.

Internship Organization: Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile; Faculty of Medicine; School of Nursing
Job Title: Research Intern
Location: Santiago, Chile

banner

The banner reads: El primer día del orgullo fue un LEVANTAMIENTO. A 50 años de la revuelta de Stonewall a protesta mas necesaria que nunca. Translation: The first Pride was an UPRISING 50 years after the revolution of Stonewall protest is more necessary than ever.

This summer I am working at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile on a research project about efficacy of tools for the detection and confrontation of gender-based violence for healthcare professionals within Latin America and the Caribbean. This project has been incredibly interesting, as while learning about the processes of conducting research I am also learning about topics of importance and cultural attitudes within the region I am visiting.

I applied for this internship very last-minute but I am so glad I did as I have gained invaluable research and intercultural skills in Santiago that I will not soon forget. I applied to this position because I have found few research opportunities for sociology offered within Bryn Mawr and I wanted to gain experience in qualitative research before I graduated.

poster

The banner says Transgrede el CIStema: Transgress/break the CIStem.

That being said, my favorite part of this internship has been being able to experience a research project from the inside. I am currently involved in the methodological collection of literature and data working on two projects, a scope review of gender-based violence protocols (or lack thereof) for healthcare professionals in LAC, and interviews, which we conduct and transcribe, with nursing students about their experiences learning about gender-based violence protocols within the healthcare curriculum when in university.

There have, of course, been things to adjust to in Santiago; it’s winter here, which is not nearly as brutal as Bryn Mawr winters but is still not the summer weather one might expect to have in June and July. Winter sunsets are very early so by the time you get home from work most days the sun has set and it’s night already! Nevertheless watching the Copa America in Chile, the solar eclipse, and seeing the places on Earth most similar to Mars certainly make up for the cold!

Living in a new city, especially Santiago, one of the largest cities in Latin America, has been a wonderful experience. Coming from a New York City context I feel right at home in this environment and though I have studied abroad in other cities (small and large) before, my experiences in Santiago have come the closest to New York life; the financial district here is even called Sanhattan.

Even though Santiago is far away from New York, there have been moments in which the two seem closely aligned. One such day, and my favorite day here so far, has been the Pride parade. Pride here is smaller than in New York but growing each year, and unlike Manhattan, here you actually get to march with the parade, which inevitably becomes a joyous mixture of singing and chanting, dancing and remembrance, which is especially important for many groups here whose visibility and sometimes acceptance is still relatively low. It was very interesting to experience this event in another country and it demonstrated that there are certain priorities shared throughout the world, even across international borders.

Hannah Soisson ’21: Montgomery County (Pa.) District Attorney’s Office

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Name: Hannah Soisson
Class Year: 2021
Major: Political Science & History
Hometown: Montgomeryville, Pa.

Internship Organization: Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office
Job Title: DA Intern, Front Office
Location: Montgomery County Courthouse, Norristown, Pa.

Hannah Soisson

What’s happening at your internship?

The Montgomery County (Montco) District Attorney’s office is divided into many different divisions of specific issues and fields of work. Divisions include economic crime, narcotics, firearms, arson, and more. All 33 interns in the program are assigned to different divisions in which we remain all summer. I was assigned to work in the D.A.’s main office, where my  supervisors are D.A. Kevin Steele and First Assistant D.A. Ed McCann. I was able to write outlines of different statutes relative to the District Attorney, assist in the courtroom, witness court procedures, and even visit the Coroner’s Office and watch autopsies. Every day was different with a few long-term projects always to do.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I have the goal of attending law school and becoming a lawyer. I don’t yet know what type of law interests me. Because of this, I wanted to find an internship that could expose me to as many different types of law as possible. I believe my internship at the D.A.’s office did exactly that and also provided me with lifelong connections to my fellow interns, as well as supervisors.

Hannah Soisson

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

The biggest challenge I faced at my internship was having the least amount of experience compared to the other interns in the program. With just a little over 30 interns, there were only a handful of other undergrads. The vast majority are first- or second-year law students. At first, I felt very unprepared, having no educational background in law. I overcame this challenge by being very open-minded. I was very open to receiving help from older interns in law school and was eager to learn. Not only have I learned so much from these law students, but I was also able to establish friendships and connections.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

The most rewarding aspect of my internship was the exposure to such a diverse set of experiences. Working in the main office, my assigned tasks varied drastically throughout the weeks. From checking and citing legal handbooks all the way to assisting in a homicide trial, the breadth of experience I gained from my internship was more than I ever presumed. The internship program also had biweekly field trips, and such hands-on experience was enlightening as well. My favorite field trip was visiting the Coroner’s Office, where I was allowed to view an autopsy and learn about investigative tools used when deceased victims are involved, as well as how the Coroner’s Office functions within the D.A.’s office.  This experience was more than I could have ever hoped for when applying for summer internships, and I feel much more equipped and confident in tackling law school and having a promising career.

Cara Navarro ’20: Hanna Holborn Gray Undergraduate Research Fellow

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Name: Cara Navarro
Class Year: 2020
Major: Growth and Structure of Cities
Hometown: Manila, Philippines

Internship Organization: Bryn Mawr College
Job Title: Hanna Holborn Gray Undergraduate Research Fellow
Location: Washington, D.C.

What’s happening at your internship?

I’m not exactly doing an internship — I’m a Hanna Holborn Gray Undergraduate Research Fellow. As part of the fellowship, I’m writing a paper on how Washington, D.C.-area Filipino restaurants relate to urban space and how that reflects Filipino-American identity construction. That involves looking at not only the restaurants themselves, but also their neighborhoods and the geographies of their customers and supply chains. It’s a lot to address, but I’m having fun doing it. I’ve been eating at Filipino restaurants and making field notes about my observations, interviewing restaurant owners, and reading academic literature to contextualize everything I’ve found.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied to the Hanna Holborn Gray program primarily because I’ll be writing my senior thesis this upcoming fall, and I wanted to go the extra mile for that in terms of research. As for why I chose my research topic, I wanted to explore questions of cultural identity and urban space—which I’ve been interested in since my first year—in a city I’d never lived in before. With its growing Filipino food scene, the D.C. area was a very good place to do it.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

I’ve lived in seven different cities so far, and through my research, I’m getting to know Washington, D.C., more quickly than I got to know any of them. I’m not just walking around different neighborhoods with friends in my free time, the way I would if I were interning or taking classes here. I’m spending all day immersing myself in the city and talking to new people. I really enjoy the process of discovering a new place, so I love that I’m doing it for work. Getting paid to eat at restaurants is also a sweet deal.

Crispy Chicken Adobo Bao from Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly in Rockville, MD.

Crispy Chicken Adobo Bao from Kuya Ja’s Lechon Belly in Rockville, MD.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

As an independent researcher, I’m completely in charge of how I spend my time: I set my own tasks and schedule my own days. While it’s thrilling to be so in control of my day-to-day life, it’s sometimes difficult to stay self-motivated. However, I have structures in place to hold myself accountable. For one thing, there’s a deadline for the final research paper. I also email my advisor once a week, and I stay in contact with other Hanna Holborn Gray fellows.

Bethany Mathews ’20: 826DC

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Name: Bethany Mathews
Class Year: 2020
Major: Spanish/Independent Creative Writing
Hometown: Bristow, Va.

Internship Organization: 826DC
Job Title: Educational Programming Intern
Location: Washington, D.C.

This summer, I am working with the writing-based arts non-profit 826DC. This organization covers everything from after-school tutoring programs to summer camp writing workshops to full-blown novel production courses. It is all free, and it is all for the youth of the D.C. area.

When I first came to Bryn Mawr, I had known my whole life that I wanted to study creative writing. What I didn’t know was that fulfilling my language requirement would lead to such a passion for studying the Spanish language that I would major in it as well. Of course, this area of focus led to the question, not just from parents and advisors, but from myself as well, “What do you plan on doing with this?” How would my majors prepare me for my future? I began thinking about the things that I enjoyed that were related to both of these fields, and it hit me like an epiphany that I wanted to use my creative writing to show the arts to youth that would need them, and that my knowledge in Spanish would help to bolster my desire to increase the accessibility of the arts.

In high school, I had to drive an hour each way to be able to study creative writing, and I feel very strongly that the arts are a life-changing tool that should be available to everyone. Thus, I sought out work with 826DC.

Since beginning my internship four weeks ago, I have created a library system for our students so that they can continue reading outside of our programs. I have taken stories from the margins of notebook paper and formed fully designed, printed, and bound books with my own two hands. I have gone out into the community and used my Spanish to explain our opportunities to people who may not have had the chance to know about them otherwise.

This week, I will get to bring printed books to the classrooms of second- and ninth-graders and celebrate their accomplishments with them. In a few weeks, I will lead workshops based in creative solutions to environmental issues with sixth-graders, both in English and Spanish. I am doing what I have always wanted to do. Nevertheless, it cannot be said that working in an area I am passionate about has not had its sacrifices. I have lived 30 minutes from D.C. the majority of my life, but between traffic and using public transport, my commute more often than not becomes a two-hour endeavor. On a larger scale, I know this is not going to be sustainable, and it is causing me to give greater thought to where I will live post-Bryn Mawr and how I will handle city life, as this is where most arts nonprofits are centered. But for now, for the next eight weeks or so, I am taking it as time to think, to read, to listen to news or podcasts and expand my mind. It’s a sacrifice that I’ve decided I’m OK with making for a summer of growth. I’ve wanted to work with 826DC since I found out about it over a year ago, and I’m here fostering creative thinking in youth of all backgrounds. I’m teaching them, and they’re teaching me.

Anna Landi ’20: UCSF Emotion, Health and Psychophysiology Lab

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Name: AnnaMaria Landi (Anna Landi)
Class Year: 2020
Major: Psychology (Major) and Neuroscience (Minor)
Hometown: Charlottesville, Va.

Internship Organization: University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Emotion, Health and Psychophysiology (EHP) Lab
Job Title: Summer Research Assistant Intern
Location: San Francisco

What’s happening at your internship?

I am one of 14 interns working at UCSF’s EHP Lab under the direction of Dr. Wendy Berry Mendes this summer. Currently, there are various studies being run and I have been assigned to three in particular — one study explores the effects of perceived racial discrimination on sleep quality, another study examines the influence of parent-child relationships on stress, and the final study tests the efficacy of several stress resilience interventions. I perform numerous roles in my day-to-day work life, including being an experimenter, a technician/operator, and a confederate. I really enjoyed applying the knowledge from the classroom to a laboratory setting and seeing psychological theories come to life.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I wanted to gain research experience at a large institution such as UCSF. I am at the crossroads of deciding if I want to commit to a career in academia and pursue a doctorate degree or if I want to apply my psychology training and education to a profession in industry.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

Overall, the highlight of this internship is the weekly tutorials and workshops led by a member of the research staff — they talk about their professional and personal life trajectories as well as their current research interests and projects. Personally, it has been extremely helpful to hear about each individual’s unique experience and to hear them talk candidly about the choices they have made to get to this point. I have realized that there is truly no “right” or “wrong” path to take in order to pursue research. Also, it is OK to take time off after undergrad before applying to grad school.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

I have framed this experience as a domestic study abroad. I was equal parts excited and nervous before coming to San Francisco as this is the first time that I am living away from my family and friends (besides being at Bryn Mawr). I was really lucky to find a wonderful roommate who is also an intern at the lab. Honestly, it was a steep learning curve trying to balance my work and personal life — it is an interesting feeling to be both working here but also a tourist. Furthermore, navigating a new place can be scary, but embracing being uncomfortable with the unknown and learning to ask for help has been a huge growth experience for me. I am definitely not a local, but I am becoming more and more familiar with the city.

Stephanie David ’20: Philadelphia Museum of Art

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Name: Stephanie David
Class Year: 2020
Major: East Asian Languages and Cultures
Hometown: Spring, Texas

Internship Organization: Philadelphia Museum of Art
Job Title: Human Resources Summer Intern
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship?

Recently, our department spearheaded event planning for a luncheon honoring employees who have been at the PMA from five to 45 years. It was chaotic getting everything ready on time, but we were happy to see the employees smiling as they got recognized. Day to day, I have been helping compile and check data for recruiting and employee benefits. I will continue to help with collecting data and assisting the department with tasks related to that — there is plenty to do! Aside from that, the interns are also being exposed to virtually every department in the museum, including curatorial, retail, construction, and protection services. This is information that my department can take to aid in making our bird’s eye view on the organization more reflective of the needs of the employees, which is great.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied to this internship because I value work that is rooted in the humanistic side of the working world. It’s important to me that whatever I do in the future involves engaging with people and growing empathy and understanding. These are aspects of career that regional studies have inspired me to focus on, and with Bryn Mawr students’ mission being similar, this has been a natural fit. Also, a nonprofit arts environment that is also a fairly large organization creates an interesting balance. It involves creative minds but also a need for objective function. The PMA is all about evolving thoughtfully. It is my favorite local museum even as a visitor, so I was curious about its cogs and how everything fits together. It’s so much more than pictures just hanging on the walls and it’s incredible to be able to see just how complex the organization is.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of this internship has been talking to both my peers and my mentors. I appreciate hearing about so many different paths and stories. This internship is really thorough, and I have interacted with employees from many parts of the institution. Being able to converse with driven supervisors, museum staff, and fellow interns has been a moving experience. There is so much to think about and so much I want to hear from the people around me. Sitting in on meetings, chatting with others, or doing my work day to day have hardly been boring. Everyone being so receptive and brilliant in their interactions has been super awesome and helpful.

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?

I think most of all a big takeaway was a different type of time management for me. I was focusing my expectations on tasks and skillset building. I feel like I only fully understood what the difference is once I was under organizational expectations. It’s different commuting along with the daily flow down the city street, making sure I am still mindful of how every second counts — but virtually as an employee, not just a student. The expectations change how I spend my time and what I spend my time doing. It’s hard to explain, but there is a sense to this experience that can only be learned from doing, and it has served as an important reminder of the future and of what will be asked of me when I formally enter the working world.