Tag Archives: internship grant

Finding A Way That Works For You

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Today I wanted to talk to you about how my activities on campus coincide with my major: legal studies. Arriving at the conclusion that I want to be a Legal Studies major has been a violently turbulent road. No, it do not just come to me. I’ve changed my mind probably around five times in the past two year. My point in telling you about my process is to assure you that whatever process you’re going through right now in deciding your major is ok. You’re going to find that something you’re passionate about no matter how many non-starters you encounter. All the different jobs you take on, no matter how strayed from your chosen major, will only lead you closer to what to you really want to do. I think something crucial to keep in mind is that how hard you work at Scripps (or any of the 5Cs) is probably a pretty good indicator as to the kind of work ethic you will carry with you through the rest of your career life.  So with this said, stay eager and curious my friends because you can go anywhere you want if you are hungry enough for the work.

When I was accepted Early Decision to NYU, I was thrilled to be part of the Global Liberal Studies or ‘GLS’ program.  I chose NYU because of the chance to expand my knowledge both inside the classroom, and through the resources of a great city.  While simultaneously having the chance to explore the city, and my place within it, I wanted to experience more diversity, which I did not have at my small, private high school; I was eager for something different and more outside my comfort zone. However, when I got to NYU, I quickly recognized that the GLS program was just too narrow for me.  There were only four majors options, and the closest fit to my interests in human rights and education was a concentration in global literature. Although I had brilliant professors and nothing but incredible academic experiences, I was seeking a more interdisciplinary course of study so I applied and was accepted to the Gallatin School where I had the freedom to “design my own major.”

 At Gallatin, I chose to concentrate my energies on the political sciences, journalism, and education. After taking one education course my first semester at Gallatin, I quickly realized education was not going to be for me. Truthfully, it was my experience working at the Santa Cecilia Orchestra day camp that had made me want to try out education. I loved my experience working with kids, and really imaged at one point, that I could do that for the rest of my life.

A little tangent about the Santa Cecilia Orchestra because I am very enthusiastic about their work: The summer between my freshman and sophomore year, I had the privilege of receiving the MUI (multicultural undergraduate internships) grant through the Getty Foundation to work as a visual arts teacher to kids ranging from 5-12 for 10 weeks at the Santa Cecilia camp. My job as an intern was to run a summer camp for the arts with only two other “interns” of my age. I assisted with violin, singing, journaling and a general arts & crafts classes. Between 9-5:30, everyday, the kids were under my co-worker(s) and my supervision. The woman who awarded me the Getty grant, Sonia León de Vega, was an incredible boss. Not only was Sonia one of the first Latin American women conductors in Los Angeles, but she also had the honor of performing at the Hollywood Bowl, and in front of the pope. In addition to all of this, she also runs this wonderful summer arts camp now in Eagle Rock right by her orchestra.

My second term at Gallatin was definitely a learning curve. In addition to taking a course in human rights, I also took: a course called “Crime in the USA” based on Michelle Alexander’s novel The New Jim Crow, a creative writing class that reviewed Baldwin and Virginia Woolf, and journalism with acclaimed NY Times best seller James McBride. I realized that semester that as eloquently as McBride’s spoke about journalism, the rigid stylistic writing form was just not for me. In contrast, in my creative writing class,  I could write all I wanted about my political views and thoughts on the times without having to think about word count restrictions. My creativity was at an all time high the second semester of my sophomore year, and I was eager to ride it.  This lead me to applying again for the MUI Getty Internship this past summer. After sending resumes and a cover letter to almost 16 different arts organizations around LA, I heard back from about half that amount. The organization I ended up working at, P.S. Arts, was my first choice.  Within a week, I heard back from them with the news that I would be there “Education and Media” Getty intern.

During those ten weeks, I was required to think more creatively than I have for any other job.  Inspired and privileged to be around such a hard working group of coworkers, I was humbled to be interning at P.S ARTS. From being able to collaborate on upcoming projects, to site visits to see the kids perform, (after having worked with the P.S ARTS teaching artists all year) I felt as though I could not have had a more well rounded internship experience. My internship was spent mainly working on projects for the programs department, who are in charge of overseeing P.S ARTS special events. One of my favorite projects that I had the chance to work on was the ‘Student Parent to-go.’ A ‘to-go’ is an easy to follow art project designed for kids who want to make arts and crafts at home.  I created five arts projects, but not before testing them out first. All of the supplies had to be able to be found at home. So as you can imagine, creating these “to-go’s” was no easy feat. Although, I had an enormous amount of support from the staff to guide me. The process requires researching artists, coming up with a skills based 6 step art project that is inspired by an artist, whose artwork must be appropriate enough for all age ranges . I would then present the project to the P.S. ARTS staff to see if it could work it for a potential Family Art Night. On this night, kids and their parents would come to the after school event to work on an art project together while simultaneously learning about a new artist from one of out teaching artists. We typically tried to pick artists who were underrepresented in the art world.  If you are interested in getting involved in this amazing arts organization that runs after school art programs at underprivileged public schools all throughout California PLEASE don’t hesitate to contact me: taronson4560@scrippscollege I would be more than happy to talk to you more about experience with the Getty Foundation, P.S Arts, or whatever it is– you name it!

 

 

 

 

 

That pretty much sums up everything  I’ve done these past two years. So as you can see, my passion for human rights has not limited me from pursuing my curiosity and love of the arts. My time at the Getty foundation taught me skills I will take with me through the rest of my life. How to be a good employee, as well as an active member of the community.. I also thought I would mention that the media portion of my summer internship introduced me to programs like Adobe InDesign, Premiere– skills employers are always on the lookout for, especially if your interested in any multimedia field!

If you understood nothing else from this, I hope you take away the following: wherever your “process” takes you, ride it, and try not to think so hard about what’s coming next. Anyway, that’s all for now folks. Until next week!

Xx,

Theri

 

Bonding with Baboons: Networking and Animal Care

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This past summer, I spent a sweaty and spectacular month at Keepers of the Wild Nature Park in Valentine, Arizona.   Over the course of 200 hours, I worked with over 40 species of native and exotic animals cared for by a tireless staff, and I learned an immense amount every day about the practicalities and nuances of exotic animal care.  I put my theoretical knowledge of animal nutrition, behavior, and enrichment to use, all while assisting with the day to day operations of the park.

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I was continually impressed by how such a small staff could keep everything running smoothly, something that is not a small feat in the hot, dry Arizona desert with over 100 dependent animals.  Not only was I impressed with the staff, facilities, and grounds of the park, I was continually impressed by the growth I saw in myself over the course of my internship.  I learned how to work outside in a harsher climate than I am used to, to quickly adapt to different protocols depending on the animal species, to construct specialized diets based on species and individual animal needs, and so much more.  Every time I talk about my internship, I come up with something new that I learned via the immersive education experience.

The nature park itself is divided into three large groups: care center animals, hoofstock, and big cats.  The care center encompasses the birds, primates, and many native species, and this is where I spent the first week and a half of my internship learning the ins and outs of the park’s basic operations.  It is also the site of one of my most influential lessons while at Keepers of the Wild.

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We always learn that networking in any career path is an extremely important part of growth and advancement, and the most important contacts in animal care are the animals themselves.  One of my favorite new contacts from this summer was Billy.  Upon meeting, I was not Billy’s favorite person.  He found me threatening, yelled at me frequently, and did his best to scare me off.  I spent my first week trying to impress Billy, or at least keep him from becoming stressed at the very sight of me.  I should also probably mention that Billy is a baboon.  Billy came to Keepers of the Wild in 2002 after being owned by a teenage girl following his life as a baby baboon in the entertainment industry.  As many animal loving humans know, primates and other exotic animals do NOT make good pets.  They are wild, highly intelligent creatures, and animal instincts are not something to fool around with.

Though we frequently learn in classes how closely related primates and humans are, Billy gave me this education in an up-close and personal way.  He loved apples and bananas and would drink Capri Sun straight from the pouch, as long as you put the straw in for him.  He people watched and played with toys; he just communicated differently, had opposable toes, and incisors four times the size of mine.  When I first arrived at my internship, Billy couldn’t stand the sight of me.  He threw rocks, yowled, stared intimidatingly, and did everything that he could to keep a threatening stranger away from his home and friends.   I went home nightly and did research on enrichment techniques for the animals I was working with, and I made sure to look up ways to make myself less threatening to Billy and the other primates.  Many of them had already had incredibly stressful lives prior to arriving in the park, and the last thing that I wanted to do was induce more stress while trying to take care of them.

Slowly, Billy got more used to seeing me.  I kept my head down (direct eye contact is a sign of aggression to primates), worked hard, and pushed myself to absorb as much as I could each day.  He went from exhibiting threatening behaviors, to apathetic tolerance, and finally, Billy accepted me into the fold. It was a Wednesday afternoon when I was working on the Big Cats team (an incredible experience in itself, with many stories for another time), and I walked past Billy’s enclosure giving my customary “Hi Billy!” greeting.  He had been coming over to the side of the enclosure to grunt hello to me for a few days, but this day, he ran right up, sat down at the fence, chattered his teeth in a sign of greeting, and insisted on holding my hand and grooming me.  As I sat there with my arm in Billy’s hands, I became hyper aware that it was an astonishingly special moment that I would never forget.

Animal care is grueling, difficult, dangerous work that pushes you to the brink of what you think you can handle.  Lives are on the line, and they are lives that cannot advocate for themselves, making the job a thousand times more difficult.  It is stressful, exhausting, but also unbelievably rewarding.  For every moment spent close to tears because you are hot, dirty, and frustrated because something very simple (like a lock) just won’t cooperate, there are beautiful moments where human and animal intelligence are brought together in mutual understanding.  My moments of understanding occurred constantly throughout this internship experience, and I am so incredibly grateful for having this opportunity.  Billy and I got along swimmingly for the remainder of my time in Arizona, and I think of him daily.

emily-gratke-and-zeusIn the same way that Billy grew to accept, appreciate, and maybe even like my presence at Keepers of the Wild, I grew even more certain that a life spent in animal care is the right career path for me.  I came out of my intensive month more desiring to go into exotic practice for veterinary medicine, and I hope to do this work in conjunction with a rescue organization someday.  I have an enhanced appreciation for small, non-profit rescue parks and for exotic animal care in general.  I know that my newly developed mindsets and perspectives will help me to become a better veterinarian, and I can’t wait to have more experiences like this in the future.

My First Internship: A Walk Down Memory Lane

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When I walked into the animal shelter veterinary clinic in Camarillo, CA at 10:00am on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, my hands were shaking.  It was the first day of my first animal care internship.  My mind was racing, questions buzzing through nervously.  What is it going to be like?  Will the people be nice?  What am I going to do here?  What am I going to learn?  Are they going to be willing to teach me?  Am I cut out for this?  Is veterinary medicine the right career path? My eyes were wide, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I waited anxiously with the barking, happily recovering dogs in the dog ward.

After a few minutes, one of the veterinary technicians came in and introduced himself.  He told me that the office was already chaotic and busy (I would soon discover and love that every day was a whirlwind of surgeries and exams), and that the entire staff was happy to have me there to help.  He led me into the main exam room where I met Dr. Heather Skogerson and the other vet technicians.  Dr. Heather welcomed me with a smile and a tour of the clinic, and then set me to work.

The events of my first day were a blur of vaccinating kittens, helping with dog and cat exams, and learning the ropes and procedures of the clinic.  I spent time bottle feeding underage, orphaned kittens in the nursery and observing spay/neuter surgeries.  I watched lost animals come in and adopted animals go home.  By the time I went on my lunch break at 2:00pm, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life healing animals.

One of the little friends that I had the pleasure of working with!

At the end of the day, I was tired and sore, but more energized than ever before.  I couldn’t stop smiling when I got home, and all I wanted to do was talk about my amazing new internship.

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I spent the summer observing and scrubbing in on surgeries to repair eyes, limbs, and everything in between, administering medications to make sick animals well again, changing bandages to keep healing wounds free from infection, vaccinating so that healthy animals would stay healthy, counseling adopters to help find forever families for our animals, and becoming a foster and adopted parent to three orphaned kittens who stole my heart as well as my bed. I became an integral part of the veterinary clinic and formed lasting relationships with my mentors and teachers there.

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My first internship was an eye opening glance into the world past college.  I saw what a “real job” looked like in a chaotic and high pressure workplace.   I jumped in and learned through hands on experience.  I realized that it was okay to be nervous and unsure, and I was able to channel that nervous energy into productive work energy.  I asked questions at every given chance, and I turned mistakes into learning opportunities.  Most importantly, I saw where I wanted to be in 10 years.  I finally had an answer to that dreaded interview question, and I vividly remember the relief that I felt.  Veterinary medicine was and is the career path for me, and internships have taught me with countless lessons along the path toward my goal.  I am so thankful for the valuable, heartwarming, and funny experiences that I’ve collected, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you this semester!

Now it’s your turn! What was your first internship was like?  How was your first day? I want to hear about it, so comment below and share!

Building Programs and Relationships at KidWorks

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Thanks to the Scripps internship grant I was able to complete a 5-week long internship at KidWorks Community Development Corporation in Santa Ana, California this summer. I worked alongside the Director of Education and the Volunteer Coordinator to set the foundations for a future KidWorks residential summer internship. I researched existing internships at similar organizations, created a survey, and interviewed KidWorks staff in order to assess the needs of KidWorks and of the neighboring community. I created a list of resources that would aid in developing the training curriculum for the interns as well as a list of suggestions and precautions. This process allowed me to be a part of discussions surrounding the organization’s future plans as well as its core values in relation to the internship program.

Through these discussions and meetings I became acutely aware of the ways in which funding can limit programming at non-profit organizations. Because of this reality, many of our conversations dealt with how we could make a summer residential internship feasible financially. At first I thought that it was probably best to have a summer internship that was not residential. However, after hearing from the staff and community members and reading Beyond Charity by John Perkins, I realized that living in the community needs to be a vital component of the internship program at KidWorks. Because of the work that KidWorks does, it is really important for the community to trust them as well as for KidWorks to be in constant conversation with the community; a residential internship program would allow for both. In addition, a residential summer program will also allow KidWorks to serve families in the community that might not be able to participate in KidWorks programs.

One of my roles as an intern was to be a mentor to the children and youth who were participating in the summer programs at two of the KidWorks centers, Dan Donahue Center and Bishop Manor. Once a week I spent the day at Bishop Manor, KidWorks’ newest site. KidWorks has only been in the Bishop Manor neighborhood for 3 years and so the staff there are still developing relationships with the families and gaining their trust. While at Bishop Manor I helped out with their Kids’ Club, the summer program for K-5th graders. Every day of the week the kids did something different. I think that my favorite day of the week was service day, because it often meant going out into the neighborhood and having the kids be my guide.

On Friday afternoons I had the great pleasure of spending time with the youth during Xealot, a six week long summer program for junior high and high school students that focuses on art, service, career training, and leadership development at the Dan Donahue Center. I was able to spend time with the youth as they reflected on their week and shared what they had learned. I was able to share some of my own experiences on growing up in Santa Ana and on the challenges I have faced at college to encourage the students and help them process the different experiences they were having in Xealot.

I am really thankful that I was able to do an internship at KidWorks because it was a way for me to be involved and give back to my own community. I also learned that it is necessary to ask questions such as “Why are we doing this program/event/etc? What is our purpose?  Who are we trying to serve?” I was reminded of the importance of mentorship. Walking away I know that I am going to actively seek a mentor in all my future workplaces.

Editor’s Note: This guest blogger was a 2014 Scripps College Internship Grant recipient. To learn more about the 2015 Internship Grant process, click here.  Deadline Feb. 5.

Breaking Down Education Inequality

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As a Sociology major, the topic of education has been brought up countless times in my classes. The high school I had the pleasure of interning for this summer has created an innovative solution to the problem of education inequality. Cristo Rey New York High School students come from some of the poorest neighborhoods in New York City and do not have other opportunities to attend schools that would prepare them for college. The school makes this possible by placing the students in paid internships, which covers  45% of their tuition. This means that the students only attend school four days a week and work the fifth. The Development Department also covers 45% through fundraising, and the remaining 10% comes from tuition fees paid by the students’ families.

My time this summer was split between two departments within the high school – the Development Department and the Corporate Work Study Department. While I worked in the Development Department my first month, I worked with a team of five women in their late twenties and early thirties. During my month with them, they had two focuses – reaching their financial goal because their fiscal year was coming to an end and preparing for their  10 year anniversary event. Many of my responsibilities revolved around preparing, stuffing, and mailing donation requests to individuals and companies for both. I also updated the school’s website, created spreadsheets of where students from each graduated class went to college, wrote thank you letters to donors, analyzed auction trends from their galas, helped clean out the office, and edited information on their database. It was great being in such a small office because not only did I get to know each of the women in my department, but I also was exposed to what the President and the Accounting Department do on a daily basis because we all shared a wing of the building.

Emily Horne

During Puente, Cristo Rey hired six currently enrolled students to help with the incoming students and be role models for the incoming students. On the left is one of these students, Tyre, who is starting her senior year in the fall. We took this photo while we were on a walk through Central Park, which was part of the Healthy Lifestyles course that I taught with the other college interns.

My second month, in the Corporate Work Study Department, was very different than when I was with Development. Three weeks of summer are dedicated to Puente, which is an orientation for incoming freshmen and transfer sophomores. In the mornings, the students took Math and English courses so that they could be caught up academically and, in the afternoons, they took courses to prepare themselves for their internships during the school year. My time mostly revolved around the classroom and the students; in the mornings, I was a Teaching Assistant to an English Teacher and, in the afternoons, I oversaw the internship classes because each class was taught by a different supervisor from the companies that hire the students.

My favorite part of my internship this summer, though, was knowing that what I was dedicating my time to was meaningful to someone. The students were an absolute delight to work with and get to know.

Editor’s Note: This guest blogger was a 2014 Scripps College Internship Grant recipient. To learn more about the 2015 Internship Grant process, click here.  Deadline Feb. 5.