Tag Archives: 2020

Morgan Coursey ’20: Pennsylvania Prison Society

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Name: Morgan Coursey
Class Year: 2020
Major: Sociology
Hometown: Wayne, Pa.

Internship Organization: Pennsylvania Prison Society
Job Title: Summer Internship
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship?

At my internship thus far, I have been responding to letters and calls from incarcerated people and their families, processing Official Visitor requests (volunteers from the Prison Society who have unsolicited access to speak to incarcerated people and prison officials to ensure humane prison conditions) and I have been helping with the upcoming issue of the organization’s bimonthly newsletter, Graterfriends.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I respected the deep history (which I have since learned more about) behind the Prison Society, and after tutoring at the Glen Mills School with the Petey Greene Program, I was looking for an opportunity to work with incarcerated people and their families. I also found that the work the Prison Society does helps to highlight, in a material sense, many of the sociological and philosophical phenomena that I have discussed at Bryn Mawr.

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

When I first started reading letters from prisoners, I was really surprised about what goes on inside of our state’s prisons. Though I understand that there are limitations and challenges in prison distinct from those in the outside world, it was really disheartening to read about people not receiving adequate or timely medical care for serious health issues, being assaulted, filing grievances and being ignored, having mail withheld or tampered with, losing touch with family and friends, being forced into solitary confinement, and just feeling ignored and forgotten.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

I think the most rewarding aspect of this internship so far is being able to provide people with hope. Just this past Friday, a woman wrote in from a county jail and shared that she had gotten engaged exactly a year ago. She mentioned that she and her fiance were previously using drugs and were on the streets. She was looking for information about how they could get married, as they are incarcerated in the same prison. Finally, she wrote that she did not have anyone on the outside that she was in correspondence with that could help them. I was fortunate enough to be that person on the outside to get back to her with some information about how she might be able to apply for a marriage license or even have a ceremony in prison.

Even though I know as an organization we cannot solve all the problems of the people who contact us, just being able to correspond with people who need and deserve a listening and understanding ear is really special. I am looking forward to learning more about the history and philosophy behind the Prison Society, prison conditions today, and finally, what we as both an organization and as individuals can do to ensure that conditions are humane inside of our prisons.

Katherine Mallea ’20: Chemistry Research, Stonehill College

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Name: Katherine Mallea
Class Year: 2020
Major: Biology
Minor: Chemistry
Hometown: Brockton, Mass.

Internship Organization: Stonehill College, Department of Chemistry (under Professor Louis Liotta)
Job Title: Bio-Organic Research
Location: Stonehill College (North Easton, Mass.)

What’s happening at your internship?

I am learning how to organically synthesize/create compounds of interest. Each day I am tasked with continuing the synthesis, in that I am purifying, extracting, reacting, etc., my compound from commercially available sugars in hopes of obtaining pure novel (either never been synthesized or never been documented) sugar analogues. In that with each new synthesis I begin, I am continually documenting observations of the reaction, while using my data to modify the reaction in a way that produces either a purer product, or a product with a better yield, than in a previous written producer of the reaction. Each day differs from the previous and is ever changing.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I had been wanting to work in a laboratory as a researching student, whether that be in biology or in chemistry. But, during the middle of my first semester of organic chemistry, I was falling in love with the subject. While in lab, I felt as though I was not truly able to enjoy the synthesis process as much, as my main goal in the course was to do well, in juncture with my group. I felt comfortable in the lab setting as I had volunteered in an organic chemistry lab one summer during high school. The organic chemistry labs were either at capacity or had chemistry majors in queue (as I am only a minor). Thus, I used one of the connections I had made previously and with the help of LILAC I was able to apply to my first internship!

Was there anything special about how you found this internship?

Yes! As I mentioned previously I was given the amazing opportunity to volunteer with the ACS program project SEED a summer in high school! Although as a high school student who had never taken an organic chemistry I was not able to truly grasp the work that I was doing. But then, as I was using the laboratory equipment during the lab course of the organic chemistry course, I recalled first learning how to use the machinery years prior, and took a chance by emailing the professor of the lab I was able to volunteer in.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

Having the opportunity to work in a research laboratory, I will be able to solidify my understanding and knowledge of the mechanisms I had studied in class. I will be able to go beyond the classroom and lab, in that I will be able to run the machinery and lab tools independently, as well as work independently (although the professor and lab students are present), which allows me work on problem solving, as organic synthesis is truly a puzzle. Where the mechanisms are the puzzle pieces, and the solutes and solvents are the images on each piece, that guide you to piecing everything together. But also, I am gaining experience in how to operate in a lab, which will be a stepping stone for many other opportunities and internships in the near future.

Phoebe Cribb ’20: Progressive Policy Institute

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Name: Phoebe Cribb
Class Year: 2020
Major: Political Science
Hometown: Chorley, United Kingdom

Internship Organization: Progressive Policy Institute
Job Title: Education Policy Intern
Location: Washington, D.C.

What’s happening at your internship?

This summer I am working at the Progressive Policy Institute on a project focusing on Charter Schools and Innovation school networks. Through researching, policy briefings and meetings, I am producing a “how-to guide” for state legislators and districts about creating effective innovation schools, as well as model legislation. My research is based on models that have been successfully implemented in Indianapolis, Memphis and Denver, and how these models can be expanded. In addition, I attend policy briefings and events on Capitol Hill, write blog posts for the PPI website, and keep up to date on the latest education policy news.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I am passionate about education policy and I wanted to be able to learn about how legislation is researched, created and enacted in D.C. I also wanted to experience how an influential policy think tank functions on a day to day basis. Through participating in the Bi-Co education program I have been able to observe various K-12 classrooms in Philadelphia. Therefore, I wanted to see how my understanding of the classroom compared to federal policy initiatives. I also wanted to take this opportunity to explore D.C. and connect with other interns in the city.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of my internship has been working in a small, collaborative environment. PPI is one of the smaller think tanks in D.C., so I get to work closely with really influential policy researchers and writers. Also, every Friday we have intern lunch day, which I look forward to every week. The main topic of discussion in the office has been the 2020 presidential election.

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

Adjectives: Enlightening, fast-paced, collaborative
Nouns: Coffee, LinkedIn, The West Wing

Amelia Thomas ’20: Victor’s Vision

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Name: Amelia Thomas
Class Year: 2020
Major: English
Hometown: Richmond, Va.

Internship Organization: Victor’s Vision
Job Title: Event Intern
Location: All around Philly

What’s happening at your internship?

So far, my internship has been centered around venue hunting. I’ve never had to search for venue spaces, let alone a space big enough for up to 125 guests in attendance, and therefore have been keeping myself rather busy. I’ve been touring a few promising spaces I find in person, as well as talking with event planners and managers at dozens of possible spaces I’ve found through online research. I’m now about to get started working towards finding donors and sponsors. I’ve nailed my elevator pitch for the organization, as well as a longer, in-depth explanation of the work we’re doing, all in order to find people who aren’t just willing to help us, but who are excited and proud to be a part of our mission.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because it ticks off all three directions I can see a future career following: education, nonprofit work, and event planning. Victor’s Vision is a nonprofit that works to provide an equal opportunity for education in Central and Latin America. Currently, they are based out of Chulucanas, Peru, and have a school running that is giving students a holistic approach towards education. My internship, then, is to plan their largest annual fundraiser, Viva la Vision. I’ve been interested in education for a few years now, working through if I want to go to grad school post-BMC to get my master’s in education, and therefore, become a teacher. I’ve also been interested generally speaking in nonprofit work, and what nonprofits have to do in order to thrive and complete their mission(s). Finally, I’ve also been on and off thinking about event planning, not sure exactly what that means related to education and/or nonprofit work, but now I’ve seen the three come together.

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

Something I’ve learned from this internship that I didn’t expect is how expensive it is to plan events! This might sound silly, but since I’m interested in a career pursuing this, it’s important that even the smallest things have me learning. Most venues aren’t priced out for nonprofits, they’re priced for weddings and larger corporate celebrations — therefore,  trying to find a place that is happy to work with a limited budget has proved difficult!

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

Yes, and no. I’ve been doing a lot more individual work than expected, but I also work really well with that, and therefore it’s exciting that it’s different than expected in that sense. However, the tasks I’ve been working on, and the ways in which I’ve been learning to communicate about the organization and communicate with venues and donors, have been exactly as expected.

Ricki Su ’20: Bank of America

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Name: Ricki Su
Class Year: 2020
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Beijing

Internship Organization: Bank of America
Job Title: Software Engineering Intern
Location: Pennington, N.J.

What’s happening at your internship?

I’m part of a technology team that aims to build an NLP (natural language processing) platform for data scientists at the bank. Currently, I am at the base team that develops utilities for other development teams of the project. I am also looking at an internship-long task that implements parallel processing for the project.

Why did you apply for this internship?

As a CS major, I always want to apply my skills and knowledge learned at Bryn Mawr to build something useful, for individuals, or for corporations. I believe this kind of experience at an international company will broaden my vision and take my understanding of software engineering to another level.

Was there anything special about how you found this internship?

A big shout-out to Grace Hopper Conference, an event that happens yearly, and attracts thousands of people who support women in technology to attend. I went last year and participated in the huge career fair that they organized. I was offered the opportunity to have onsite interview with engineers, and I got my offer a few weeks after the conference. It was an amazing experience to feel the vibe, to feel supported, and to support other women in tech.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

Being just two weeks into this internship, I love how demographically diverse and interesting the interns are at my team. Female have always been underrepresented at tech roles, and I am excited to see that including me, four out of six interns are female.

I can see the bank’s effort towards diversity and inclusion. Besides, everyone is funny and pleasant to work with, which makes me feel really lucky about being placed into this team.

Bank of America Pennington campus.

Blossom Jeong ’20: IonFarms

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Name: Blossom Jeong
Class Year: 2020
Major: Mathematics and Comparative Literature
Hometown: Anyang, South Korea

Internship Organization: IonFarms
Job Title: Marketing & Sales Intern
Location: Incheon, South Korea

What’s happening at your internship?

I’m working as a marketing and sales intern at IonFarms, a trading company that exports a variety of eco-friendly and well-being products. The core products that the company develops are hydrogen water generators and water ionizers. My task really depends on the day, but my primary job involves researching and translating various materials for the company. For example, I looked for online journal articles on the health benefits of hydrogen water and alkaline water to be posted on the company’s website, and I also researched and studied the technology behind water ionizers to be used in promotion materials. Other than research, I helped translate user guides and administration manuals for the new products that the company will be launching soon. Because IonFarms is a trading company that reaches out internationally, I definitely use my language skills a lot.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I wanted to understand what the marketing field was like. I’m still debating whether I want to go to graduate school or start working right after graduation, so I wanted to use this summer to explore these possibilities. I’ve developed an interest in marketing after working as a student manager for a varsity team here at Bryn Mawr College, but I wanted to expand that experience further and actually work in a professional setting. I also thought participating in an internship would help me evaluate what skills I have and what skills I might want to develop further, since professional skills might be different from what I learn in school.

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

From this internship, one thing I learned was that language used at work is much different from the language for everyday use. There was a lot of technical terms that I had never encountered, and I struggled especially when I tried to translate them and always needed to reference a dictionary. And every little detail mattered when I worked in the marketing department. I also realized that working in the marketing department meant that I had to first completely understand the product in question. Even simple jobs like translation and research required that I comprehended the system behind the product I was promoting. If I didn’t understand and appreciate the product, I wouldn’t be able to persuade the customers.

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

Yes and no. I’m really experiencing what it’s like to work at an actual company, and the experience both meets and differs from my expectations. I’m still familiarizing myself with the company’s system, working individually but always having access to others. I also had an opportunity to sit in one of the department meetings, and I was fascinated by the interaction between different employees and the different ideas on the table. It excited me to witness all the energy in the room, people passionately giving their opinions. It made me think about what kind of passion I have, and how I can connect it to my future career.

Shannon Fisher ’20: Energy Office, City of Philadelphia

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Name: Shannon Fisher
Class Year: 2020
Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Chadds Ford, Pa.

Internship Organization: Office of Sustainability: Energy Office
Job Title: Data Management Intern
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship?

At my internship, my main task is reviewing and creating spreadsheets that detail the municipal commodity usage. Thus far, I have used my knowledge of Excel to process, report, and analyze the usage of commodities such as water, steam, electricity, and gas. This data is necessary for the different types of decisions that are either made internally at the energy department in partnership with other government department or at the City Council level.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I have always been interested in the sustainability aspect of power and how that works at a professional level. Considering my mathematical background, I figured this was the perfect internship for me because it combines the analytic skills that I have and applying them towards sustainability efforts.

Was there anything special about how you found this internship?

I found this internship through connections that I made through a Bryn Mawr course, particularly Math Modeling and Sustainability with Professor Victor Donnay. We had a Praxis project with the energy office to determine the solar potential for the rooftops of each city facility and from there I expanded my professional network to get this internship.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of this internship has been creating and coding solutions to streamline processes so that I can focus on the more pressing projects rather than generic data scraping. I enjoy the creative thinking that goes into this type of problem solving and it always brings me closer to what I am passionate about.

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

I have learned a lot about local government, such as processes and the chain of command that determine outcomes of projects and final decisions. To the public it seems that the city government is very slow, which can come across as laziness or indifference. This perception does not consider the multiple levels of meetings, contracts, and permissions that are necessary to complete most tasks.

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

This summer I am living in Center City Philadelphia, which is very new to me because I have always lived in very suburban/rural areas that are much less populated. I really like living in a city because I bike or walk everywhere I go, which means I get more physical activity and I greatly lessen my carbon footprint. There are many resources all in the same place, so the accessibility is much better than I am used to. I have a second job working at a rock climbing gym and I have met many people who live in Philly, which has been good for creating a social circle.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

I think the most valuable skills I have learned has been practical application of the educational materials to a professional atmosphere. In math class, we tend to learn the theory and calculations of different principles, but it is much different in a professional world because nobody is using pure mathematics and they use more technology.

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

I think the biggest challenge I have faced so far at my internship has been understanding the nuances and inconsistencies of billing. For instance, not all start and end dates for a service of a certain commodity are the same, which confuses billing periods. These billing periods are important when considering fiscal and calendar year reports for different buildings. Therefore, one must work around these inconsistencies and try to consider the best options and sometimes there is no best option, and the data has to remain incomplete. In school, they often teach you that every problem has an answer, but when it comes to mass collaboration and thousands of accounts, there are sometimes errors that you can’t fix.

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

Adjectives: analytic, precision, and flexibility
Noun: Problem solving, moving parts, and Excel

What is most rewarding about your internship?

Contributing to policy that will improve the environment and the climate for not just Philadelphia but for the world. By providing data to inform these innovative policies, other cities decide to also undertake similar initiatives.

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

I had a very good idea of how I would be spending my time in the Energy Office from the Praxis project as well as my independent study from spring semester 2019.