I am currently interning with the Department of Justice at the Office on Violence Against Women. Specifically, I am working in the Legal Assistance for Victims unit, under the supervision of a grant maker.

The Office on Violence Against Women provides federal grants to non-profits with the goal of enhancing the national capacity to reduce violence against women and administer justice for victims and survivors of sexual assault, domestic/dating violence and stalking.

My internship is allowing me to understand how policy gets transformed into federal funding, and then is administered on a local level. As my PICA area of interest focuses on women's movements countering violence, in the future I would love the opportunity to do policy-related work in this field. Every day I get to feel surrounded by people who are incredibly passionate about working towards a gender-just world, and it makes me feel hopeful.

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This summer, I interned with the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) office at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I had the opportunity to live in UIC housing near downtown Chicago, which was a short walk from my office. Throughout my internship, I dedicated my time to researching academic literature focusing on the persistent underrepresentation of women, especially women of color, in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). I worked with my supervisor to develop a plan for an IRB proposal for my SIP, which I will be completing as an Independent Study in the Gender and Women’s Studies department this fall. Much of my research focused on the various intervention programs and initiatives that have been implemented to confront this disparity. This correlates with the mission of the WISE office: to support the advancement of the diverse pool of women entering UIC with aspirations of becoming professionals in the STEM workforce.

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I recently founded Mending Maya, an intergenerational contact program that bridges the years through meaningful connection in Delhi, India. I oversee the 8- week program with the help of a team of youth who collaborate with seniors at an old age home through various art forms including movement and theater, music, and arts and crafts. I also intern part-time at the Agewell Foundation where I am working on two different campaigns. One of our current projects is focusing on providing the services necessary to enhance the digital literacy of the aged in Delhi, while our other campaign is trying to connect the generations through archiving photographs one has of an older generation.

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I am currently working with the DC Public Schools (DCPS) as a selected "Urban Education Leaders Internship Program fellow". I have been placed in the Office of the Chief of Schools under the Academic Planning and Support team, where I assist with summer school programming, track summer school enrollment, and prepare for "Rainbow Graduation" (an additional graduation date at the end of summer school). I am also developing and teaching an "empowerment workshop" for summer school students. This curriculum aims to encourage students to take ownership of their own learning and cultivate a long term vision of life beyond high school.

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This summer, I am interning at the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition. It is a coalition with over 130 member organizations that works to promote immigrant rights and integration through policy advocacy, organizing, trainings, citizenship assistance, and more throughout the state.

Today, I have been working on a press release about an upcoming press conference we are planning with some other organizations about this Friday's hearing on the injunction blocking administrative relief (i.e. DAPA/ DACA) and making some infographics about some of the Coalition's other campaigns and programs. I really love working here, both because the Coalition's missions are very closely aligned with my personal and academic interests, and because there is a really positive and collaborative work environment among the staff and interns.

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I am the international initiatives and special events intern, which is in the development and outreach division at Human Rights Watch (HRW). I help plan events like the annual dinners, which are held around the world. Events like these help raise the funds needed to do the work that HRW does. I also do follow up for events, which involves calculating growth analysis as well as donor follow up. HRW is one of the only NGO’s dealing with human rights issues that doesn’t accept government funding, which is why fundraising is so important for HRW’s work.

HRW is known for its accurate factfinding, impartial reporting, effective use of media, and targeted advocacy. Each year, HRW publishes more than 100 reports and briefings on human rights conditions in some 90 countries, generating coverage in local and international media. This allows HRW to meet with governments, the United Nations, regional groups like the African Union and the European Union, financial institutions, and corporations to press for changes in policy and practice that promote human rights and justice around the world.

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My internship was in London, England at I CAN, a children’s communication charity. As a trust fundraising intern, I sent special letters to newly registered organizations. I also helped with website design, Twitter and a text-to-donate campaign on the side. My advice would be to use as many resources as you can at Conn. CELS, PICA and CISLA all proved useful to me in my internship process.

I spent my summer as a researcher and project coordinator at Amani Art Spaces Kenya, a local CBO (community based organization) I founded with the Kibera community last summer in the Kibera slum. I explored definitions and perceptions of creativity among the general Kibera slum community and implemented a creativity development after-school program for at-risk youth. I conducted over 270 interviews, evaluated creativity growth in students before and after the Amani Art program, and taught creative art workshops. My advice is do not limit yourself to the traditional idea of an internship. If you are passionate enough about a topic, idea, community, or cause, find a way to develop a research project that will put you on the ground doing the work under your own guidance and initiative. The funding and opportunities are there if you look for them!

This summer I was the Vote For a Change intern with the Statewide Poverty Action Network in Seattle, WA. I worked in the office during the week recruiting volunteers for events, researching local organizations and events and creating new partnerships. I also learned more about public policy in Washington State, specifically policies and issues that affect low income individuals. On the weekends I attended a variety of community events and festivities where I tabled, encouraging people to register to vote and sharing information about our methods of change, by empowering people to share their stories. I also led a number of advocacy workshops for homeless women. When looking for an internship, try to find an organization that interests you, even if the job description doesn’t seem like a perfect match. While you are there you will find that many people want to hear your ideas and play off your strengths.

I interned at the New York Public Advocate office. I worked in the community affairs and intergovernmental affairs departments. For this role, I researched events in the local community, organized a database of resources for tenants in New York City, and attended City Council meetings. One piece of advice: be humble.

This past summer I interned at Venables Bell & Partners, an advertising agency in San Francisco, California; I worked on the Audi account. Most of my work revolved around tracking what competitors were doing and whether or not the campaigns were successful. I presented on various topics throughout the summer, ranging from targeting Millennials, using social media, and the emergence of more electric vehicles. I also worked on a project with five other interns. For the project, we created a potential campaign for ConocoPhillips, one of the agency’s other clients. The project focused on a payment plan to attract Millenials. The best piece of advice I can give is to go to your internship with an open mind and a willingness to work hard.

This past summer I was an intern at Boston Medical Center. I worked in the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Department, participating in developing research regarding the recent rise in pediatric hepatitis C in the United States. I also had the opportunity to work with researchers investigating the pneumococcal serotype samples recently collected from patients at BMC. My best piece of advice would be to investigate the internships previous students have done; it worked for me!

This summer I was an intern at Cape Town Child Welfare in Cape Town, South Africa. I worked in both the community development and marketing & fundraising departments. I worked primarily with youth in local townships, but I also helped to organize a Women’s Day breakfast. My advice to PICA students is to ask questions; it is the best way to get the most out of your internship.

I interned at the Kennedy Center in Trumbull, Conn., as an expressive arts therapist intern. I worked with people with disabilities of all ages, assisting with art-making activities, movement and yoga sessions, painting and education. I would advise students looking for an internship to remain persistent and explore all avenues, since it personally took me a long time to secure an internship.

I spent this past summer working at Single Stop USA, a New York City non-profit. They work to reduce poverty among low-income communities through a targeted twofold approach. By leveraging already existing resources within the social welfare budget, they screen individuals for benefits such as SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program), WIC (Women, Infants and Children) and TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) and match them with counselors to help navigate the application process. Secondly, Single Stop also provides free tax preparation along with free legal and financial counseling. Specifically I worked as the policy and evaluation intern, conducting research and helping with already existing programs, as well as researching funders for new and existing programs. Looking back, I wish that I had started the search much earlier and that I had been more proactive; I could have saved myself a lot of unneeded stress.

I used connections I had through the school’s network to find my ideal internship. I am a member of SOAR (Society Organized Against Racism) and contacted a SOAR alumna interested in the social justice field and the arts, my area of interest. Through her, I found an internship with Art Start, a nonprofit organization in NYC working with youth from ages 5-8 living in homeless shelters throughout the City, and doing arts-related workshops. My advice is to use prior connections along with the College's resources to find your ideal internship. Also, I chose an organization in NYC because I hope to live there someday, so I wanted to plant seeds in that area for when I return. Living in NYC over the summer gave me a taste of what it would be like living there and whether I could truly see myself there. I would advise the juniors to think about logistics when picking an internship and a location. 

I worked at Concern Worldwide US in New York City as a communications and reporting intern. I learned a great deal about international humanitarian non-profits and about humanitarian aid. I would tell juniors to relax! Something will work out, continue to reach out to your most desired companies.

For the summer following my junior year, I was in my hometown of Chicago. After being awarded the Davis Projects for Peace Grant, I worked with five student interns to discuss social justice in the United States while organizing two events. The first event was a rugby clinic that taught summer camp kids from the ages of 7-14 about the fundamentals of rugby and teamwork. That day we worked with 92 kids. The second event was the main project of the program: The Lawndale Peace Fest. On August 17, Act Up (the summer program created via the Davis grant), hosted an organization fair, rugby showcase, music showcase, potluck and basketball tournament. I found that I was passionate about social justice and youth, but not many internships were exactly what I wanted in a summer opportunity. My advice would be: if you can’t find the perfect internship, make your own.

During the summer of 2013, I went to Dublin, Ireland, to intern at the SAOC project. The SAOC project is a community-based organization that provides resources and education to women suffering from alcohol and drug addiction in Dublin’s inner city. While I was there I participated in daily group sessions with women that focused on reducing their drug and alcohol use, worked with the children of addicted parents, and helped establish connections between the women and their community. One piece of advice that I would offer the juniors would be to take a chance. I was so nervous to start a new internship, let alone be abroad while doing it, but it was one of the best decisions of my life.

This summer I interned at the Foley Center for the Study of Lives at Northwestern University. It is a research lab dedicated to studying psychological and social development in midlife adults. I primarily worked on coding life narrative interviews of all 160 participants from the first year of the study on themes of early advantage, redemption, and a few others. My advice is not to worry, everything really does fall into place with time and as you continue to learn and grow.  

This summer, I had the honor of working for the Independence Blue Cross Foundation in Philadelphia. I also did research once a week with a professor from St. Joseph’s University. My advice to PICA scholars would be to always ask why something is the way it is, critically analyze, and be innovative in seeking solutions. Do not stay in the box and never analyze a situation without connecting it to its history.

I completed The Fund for American Studies at the Institute for Philanthropy and Voluntary Service in Washington D.C. In the program I worked for Mentors, Inc., which is a non-profit organization that provides mentors and guidance to inner-city youth in the D.C. public education school system. I would say one piece of advice would be to go in open heartedly and allow yourself to learn and absorb from the environment(s) you’re placed in.

I interned in the Research and Development Department of the Children’s Defense Fund in Washington, D.C.  I was responsible for extensive research on foundations, individuals and corporations that have a similar mission to ours so we can reach out to them, build and maintain relationships in order to strengthen our work.  I worked on a number of grants to be submitted to some of the largest foundations in the country. My team was responsible for attending networking events on the hill and leadership seminars where we met with senators, members of the House and some of the greatest non-profit leaders in Washington, D.C.  Advice to juniors: Begin looking for organizations early! Do not be afraid to reach out to people in any field. Organizations want you there; make sure that you will be doing what you want to be doing!!  Search for a site that values their interns and will put you to good work.  When at your internship, network, make connections, create bonds with mentors and stay in touch. The networking you do there will be invaluable to the things you learn and your job search later.

For my PICA internship I worked at a benefit corporation called "Because Water." They work to use the power of community-based activism to educate, incentivize and inspire people on a range of water issues. I worked as campaign manager, creating events, launching a water bottle campaign, and increasing public water access in Boston. One piece of advice I would give is to take initiative in your internship so you can get what you want out of it.

This summer I worked at the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, a non-profit organization that provides resources and trains youth to facilitate workshops around sexual health and reproductive justice. I worked as a youth development intern, which means I worked in collaboration with the youth education coordinator on tasks such as putting together a comprehensive resource guide for Chicago youth and doing research on the negative implications of stigma and shame around sexual health for youth. The best advice I can give is to make connections and build your network as soon as possible. I would not have landed this amazing internship had it not been for my network.

After finishing a semester abroad in Vietnam, I traveled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia, to work for a company called Cambodian Threads. CT works closely with a rural family of artisans who produce handwoven silk scarves to sell them directly to the U.S. to receive more equitable and fair compensation than they would if they sold their work in Phnom Penh. CT gives 40% of its profits back to the community for educational development. My role as an intern was to coordinate and to oversee the recruitment of English speaking volunteers to teach children in a rural school outside of Phnom Penh, aged 11-14, through CT’s educational development initiative. I also worked to promote and develop the company’s newly attained Fair Trade certification. I spent the bulk of my time teaching English at the Okay American School (the same school where I sent volunteers) five days a week with children aged 9-14. I would advise future interns to be open minded, and to express a curiosity for the people and work you are interested in doing.

This summer I worked at Middle Earth, a non-profit located in New Jersey that offers programming support and resources to local youth. I worked mainly with a program for youth who are on probation teaching workshops on life and work skills. My piece of advice would be to pick an internship that pushes you out of your comfort zone.

I interned at Alliance For Living in New London (a non-profit aiming to improve the lives of people impacted by HIV/AIDS). I was the social media/education specialist, but I worked with most of the different departments in order to get a sense of how the organization was run. My piece of advice would be to start looking up a list of potential internships early and try to have various options in case your plans do not work out the way you hoped at first.

This summer, I interned at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music with their Music Therapy Program, which stands as a separate non-profit organization. As the administrative assistant, I organized and updated their social media websites and helped set up their mailing list of families and individuals who are interested in music therapy. I also helped create data statistics for future grant writing. Most importantly, I was able to help lead group music therapy sessions at cardiac hospitals. One piece of advice I would give the juniors is to start early with finding your internship, especially when you’re going abroad in the spring. I found and confirmed this internship the day before I was leaving to go abroad.