Session III: 2:45–3:40 pm

Finding Peace in Prisons: An Inside Outside Approach

The The Alternatives to Violence Project (AVP) was founded by Quakers and the models of their workshops are used across the globe in a variety of places including war-torn areas, red light districts and shelters for people with HIV. Due to the high rates of incarceration in the U.S. and the violent nature of prisons, AVP mostly works inside of prisons in the U.S. As an AVP intern I participated in workshops inside of correctional facilities throughout Massachusetts teaching non-violence strategies to inmates from all backgrounds. Many of the strategies and teaching tools used in the workshops focused on recognizing past traumas, unpacking childhoods, building community and finding inner peace. As an International Relations & Africana Studies major, this internship allowed me to engage with much of the material that I would discuss in my classes in a new way. I was able to see the material impacts of mass incarceration and make a difference in incarcerated citizens lives (which in turn benefits the families and communities that they will be returning to). The Alternatives to Violence Project increased my passion for justice, exposed me to other realities and made me more able to collaborate and effect change in different settings.

Healing Through Community and Peer Based Supports

This summer I had an internship with the Western Mass Recovery Learning Communities, a peer based, nonclinical, mental health organization based in Holyoke, Massachusetts that provides support and resources for those struggling with a variety of life difficulties such as receiving a psychiatric diagnosis, homelessness, addiction, hearing voices, trauma survival, and thoughts of suicide. During my internship I facilitated mutual, peer-to-peer support groups, offered resources and support at the community centers, and worked as a community bridger within psychiatric hospitals.

Empowering Young Mothers to Achieve Academic Success

I interned as a tutor at The Care Center in Holyoke, Massachusetts this past summer. The Care Center is an alternative education program for young mothers who have dropped out of High School. Everyday young women who become pregnant drop out of school. Many leave behind the plans they had made for their academic futures. Dropping out of High school to care for their baby may seem like the only option available, but most often leads to a bleak future of economic insecurity. Many of these young women face extreme poverty, homelessness, domestic violence and food insecurity. The Care Center is a place where young mothers can study for their HISET, High School equivalency exam while addressing many the social needs they may be experiencing. The Care Center recognizes the barriers to academic success that these young women encounter. The Care Center provides child care, transportation, an on- site medical provider, social workers, bi-lingual educators and breakfast and lunch every day. My purpose each day was to work one-on-one with students on specific exam preparation. I learned to navigate the different personalities and learning styles of the students. Being a non-traditional student myself was very helpful in developing learning relationships. Mount Holyoke prepared academically to tutor the students, and the classes, and resources available to me here have been invaluable. As an Anthropology major, the coursework I have taken has helped me to understand the community I worked within. Reflecting on my time at The Care Center the most valuable lesson I learned is that you need to meet people where they are at. A young mother needs more than just coursework to be successful in continuing her education. The Care Center breaks down the barriers and inspires young women to fulfill their dreams.

The Kids Are Alright: Witnessing the Passion and Power of LGBT Youth

What happens when young people get to decide for themselves what they want to do? When they form communities on their own terms, with goals and guidelines that they choose, and when their voices are valued? This summer I witnessed the beauty of youth coming together, and putting their passion and energy towards intersectional social justice at Youth Pride Inc., a nonprofit for LGBTQ youth located in Providence, RI. In this discussion, I talk about what it takes to serve a large and complex community as part of a small staff with limited resources, and how Providence’s LGBTQ youth are continuing a legacy of leadership, staking their claim to one of the most significant social movements of our time.

All Roads Lead to Rome: A Musical Journey

This past summer Pascale embarked upon an independent research project that took her on a journey across Italy to trace the footsteps of Gregorian Chant. Specifically, she set out to explore the Troparium de Catania--a codex which comprises three manuscripts from 12th and 13th century Sicily--from both a theological and musicological perspective. From Rome, to Naples, to Benevento, and, finally, to Sicily, her research lead her to explore many churches, cathedrals, museums, and libraries. However, the most invaluable contributions to her investigation were the insights and knowledge gained from reaching out to and learning from local scholars and community members. This presentation will highlight the important role cultural and community engagement played in her research process.

Kenyan in NY/Summer 2016

Since 1877, The Fresh Air Fund has provided free summer experiences to more than 1.8 million New York City children from low-income communities. At Fresh Air camps in Fishkill, NY, Fresh Air kids learn new skills, discover talents, build confidence, make friends and have fun.  As a General Counselor, I was responsible for guiding and acting as a role model to a group of 12 campers as they explored the great outdoors. Two General Counselors were in charge of escorting the group to daily activities, plan programs and supervise the campers. The counselors were required to provide 24-hour-a-day direct supervision of camper, as well as participate in outdoor activities such as hiking, swimming and athletics. As a person, I grew a lot as it was (like most of the kids), my first summer away from home. I found myself learning a lot about New York City. It was extremely eye-opening as I could see and make conclusions judged on my own experiences. Apart from the NYC culture, I also met people from all over the world who worked as counselors too. I became especially close with my General Counselor partner, who is Irish.  Some of the challenges were resolving conflict among children, through clear rule enforcement which was sometimes difficult as you had to assume a strict role for the children to listen to you.  It was challenging but worthwhile because I had learnt so much and my views changed on a lot of things. I learnt how to connect with kids in different levels and made connections. I felt like this internship was relevant, and some classes I took, like, Sociology, really paid off and my previous volunteer work in Kenya, which involved teaching children really made me see the connection between the continents.

The Tech World of Budapest, Hungary

Every industry has it's own culture and the tech world is known for it's own specific quirks and and customs that span the globe. However, the culture at tech companies in Hungary is quite specific. Their ethics of enjoying life and working hard make for an interesting balance in the workplace. From traditions at barbecues to humor at meetings, navigating this new culture was challenging and quite rewarding.

Navigating the Workforce Abroad

Just as transformative as studying abroad, working abroad was a tremendously enlightening experience. I was fortunate not only to study abroad in Seville, Spain, but also to stay for the summer and work in the same study abroad program I had attended. For over fifty years Spanish Studies Abroad has been devoted to Spanish language acquisition, as well as supporting student cultural exploration. During my internship I was fortunate to accompany students on trips to the Southern Province of Andalusia, as well as to teach English language cooking classes to Spanish children, while exploring the very enchanting Sevilla. In this presentation, I will highlight the importance of international work experience, learning how to navigate an office environment, as well as self-discovery in a foreign country and culture.

Washington D.C and Policy Dialogues: What Does It Mean To Be A Professional Degree Holder in South Asia

Are you a foreign policy aficionado like me? Have you ever dreamed of working alongside experts in issues you are passionate about? Then Washington DC is the place for you! This summer I was accepted at the Institute of Economics and International Affairs (IEIA), sponsored by the Fund for American Studies (TFAS), where I worked as a research intern at the Hollings Center for International Dialogue. The small non-profit’s mission is fostering dialogue with a focus on policy between the United States and predominantly Muslim countries in the Middle East, North Africa, South Asia and Eurasia. I read the extensive research for the center’s policy dialogue in May 2016 on the Water Energy and Food (WEF) Nexus in the MENA region, a field that highly interests me since my own country has been plagued with energy insecurity since its inception. Additionally, I conducted a research project on the disconnect between Higher Education and Economy in South Asia, which provided us with extensive knowledge on the deep-seated institutional problems such as lack of innovation that are driving high youth unemployment in the region. IEIA allowed me to meet and network with peers and professionals from around the nation, some who held widely different views than mine, but I believe we thrive most when challenged.

International Industry Today and Tomorrow: Monitoring Advancement to Ensure Global Sustainable Development

Applying the Intersection of Neuroscience and Law

I was able to pursue 2 internships and a week-long volunteer opportunity this summer in Washington DC. Four days per week, I worked as a Congressional Intern for Rep. Ben Ray Luján (NM-03) where I drafted policy memos for the Energy and Commerce Committee and Communications and Technology Subcommittee, and engaged and responded to constituents with thousands of phone, email, and in-person discussions of issues of tech transfer, women's rights, and healthcare. Twelve hours per week I worked as a research assistant in the Frances Shen Neurolaw Laboratory through the University of Minnesota Law School in which I wrote weekly scientific literature memos, and co-authored 2 publications currently under review at the AMA Journal of Ethics and Journal of Law and the Biosciences. Finally, as a follow up to a connection I made, I was invited to volunteer with Democratic National Committee’s Native American Council and Rural Caucus during the week of the national convention. Each component of my experience provided insight that helped me narrow my future goals.

Managing Up During a Period of Organizational Upheaval in a Small Nonprofit

I was the Women’s Executive Leadership Program intern at The Impact Center, a nonprofit devoted to professional development that hosts conferences every year to honor women in leadership positions and connect them with resources that empower leadership. I completed market research to determine what similar organizations in our sector were doing to drive alumnae interaction with the firm; I also researched social media best practices and developed a plan to differentiate practices by platform. I was also able to apply the research skills that I have developed through my education and at a previous internship at TransUnion to a small nonprofit setting and to global social media practices. Working at The Impact Center enabled me to better understand the financial workings of a small nonprofit, especially during a period of upheaval. In the middle of the summer, the board of The Impact Center was dismantled and the CEO was demoted, leaving the organization with little support. Although I was working remotely and able to continue my research and efforts, the disruption meant that I was no longer invited to present my compiled findings to the board, and much of my work felt thankless or like it would never come to fruition. My manager became very uncommunicative; even though I was working over 20 hours a week, I would often have at maximum one hour of interaction with a coworker. Throughout this upheaval, I had to develop and complete projects on an entirely independent basis before presenting them to my manager. Ultimately, I learned a lot about research and my ability to develop independent projects, but I had a difficult time interacting with the organization and ensuring my voice could be heard at all.

Promoting Academic Success with Games & More

The Children and Families, Schooling & Development lab emphasizes research associated with children’s academic development. The lab aims to address ways to promote the academic success of children from diverse backgrounds including race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and linguistic. As a research assistant, I assisted with two projects in the lab. One project examined whether children’s math skills can be improved by playing a popular board game. The other project investigated children’s understanding of how they learn to initiate and maintain learning behaviors such as paying attention, ignoring distractions, and staying organized and focused. I worked with children ages five to ten to understand how they approach different aspects of self-regulation and learning behaviors.

Zip Codes and Educational Inequity: A Summer Internship Experience of Research and Resilience

In President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union Address, he stated, “A zip code should never predetermine the quality of any child’s educational opportunities.” This notion became the basis of my summer research project. As a Psychology major and Nexus in Educational Policy and Practice minor, I was thrilled with the opportunity to practice my research skills as a Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) intern with the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. Throughout my internship, I worked closely with two faculty members to complete an independent research project focusing on North Carolina’s childcare centers’ safety and health violations. Specifically, my research focused on the quality of care families of color or low socioeconomic status have access to by comparing childcare centers by zip code. This research topic was closely aligned with my personal research interests and pedagogical philosophies of educational equity. At the start of the internship, I was certain that pursuing a Ph.D. in educational policy would be my next step after graduating from Mount Holyoke in 2017. However, throughout the process of the intensive research internship, I soon realized that in order for me to make the best decisions surrounding future educational policies, I should first have experience teaching the students my policies could someday impact. Along with a change in career paths, my SURP internship experience brought great discoveries in personal growth, cultural competence, as well as hands-on technical research skills. This panel will discuss my research of early childhood education policies and their implications as well as the challenges and moments of self-growth I experienced throughout this summer internship.

Youth Entrepreneurship in Higher Education

In recent years, youth entrepreneurship has become a trending topic amongst colleges and universities across the United States. At Harvard’s Graduate School of Education in the Leadership Lab Initiative this summer, I examined the causes of the uptick in youth entrepreneurship and how universities are supporting young entrepreneurs pursuing their college degrees. Our lab discovered that college students today are more likely to pursue entrepreneurship over traditional careers because of their desire to make a difference and their fear of another economic recession that could potentially leave them jobless after years of service at a particular company or corporation. As part of the research, I interviewed 73 student entrepreneurs, professors of entrepreneurship courses, and directors of centers for entrepreneurship at 43 of the top 50 universities known for their entrepreneurship programs. We found two major results. First, we discovered that there is a generation of young founders emerging, due in part to what many call the “Facebook effect,” that we are calling Generation F. Second, entrepreneurship is being taught using the lean startup method and advanced experiential learning and we are calling that style of teaching the Creation-Based Learning Model. We discovered that interest in entrepreneurship is rising immensely, but the number of students pursuing entrepreneurship post-graduation is still relatively small, perhaps in part due to the risk factors involved in starting a business. Despite this, many of those interviewed mentioned that the barriers of entry for entrepreneurs have never been lower. This presentation will focus on the role of experiential learning and educational supports available for student entrepreneurs at colleges and universities across the country, as well as discuss in depth what defines a member of Generation F and the pedagogy surrounding the Creation-Based Learning Model.

Education Equity: To And Through College

The "I Have A Dream" Foundation (IHDF) seeks to break cycles of intergenerational poverty through education equity. I had the opportunity to intern at the IHDF national office located in New York. Most of my internship revolved around preparing for major events throughout the summer with my main focus being the annual Dreamer Conference through which “Dreamers” from all over the country spend a few days meeting “Dreamers” from other programs, acquiring academic and life skills, and experiencing life on a college campus. At the Dreamer Conference, I got a sense of how important this organization was not only to them but also to their families and communities. The educational system within the United States requires change and I was able to be part of an organization working towards positive change through my summer with the “I Have A Dream” Foundation.

Learning to Combat Corruption in Latvia

Though government and business corruption persists as an unfortunate post-Soviet stereotype, there is a concerted effort to reduce corruption in the Republic of Latvia, a small Baltic state that shares a border with Russia. As a recent eurozone member and a country dependent on NATO for national security, it is an imperative that Latvia reduce corruption to levels similar to that of its western European neighbors. While interning with Transparency International in Latvia this summer, Nicole Daphnis was able to conduct research on anti-corruption policies and practices implemented in Nordic countries, which then went towards a publication to be submitted as recommendations to the Latvian government. Nicole’s research gave her new analytical tools with which to look at international politics, and living and working in Latvia expanded her knowledge of the Baltic region, an important area to someone seeking to become an expert in the post-Soviet world.

United Nations: Advisor for UN Mission at UN Headquarters, New York

This summer I spent my time working as an advisor for the UN Mission at the Headquarters in NYC. For my internship, I attended a variety of meetings at the Security Council, General Assembly, and open meetings to encapsulate and produce reports on a variety of socio-political and humanitarian challenges and solutions to the issues that the world faces due to strained resources, economic instability and lack of peace and security for the UN Mission. Some of the meetings focused on Women and Violence, Sustainable Development, Gender Strategy Policy Analysis, UN Peacekeeping Missions and their successes. In addition, I was able to gain greater insight on the inner workings of the United Nations, understand relations between countries and develop knowledge on the processes of consensus building, cooperation, negotiation and public speaking. My academic background in Political Science and course work in International Relations helped better understand the organization. I will be speaking about my experiences and insights about working in a complex organization such as the UN and the ways in which my academics and extracurricular activities helped further explore the organization. The UN is a fascinating, complex and multi-cultural environment in which we grow in personally and professionally - come learn how a liberal arts education shaped my experiences as an intern at the UN in NYC.

Laissez faire organ trade?

We all know the horror stories about people who wake up in hotel rooms without a kidney, but to what extent does this reflect the reality of the situation? Organ transplant raises several ethical dilemmas - who gets an organ and who doesn’t? Should we be able to sell our organs? If so, what would be considered a fair price and who should decide? During my internship at the Global Bioethics Initiative (GBI) in New York City, I was able to pursue independent research into pertinent bioethical issues, including the international flow of organ trafficking. Since the first successful transplant in 1954, 16-18 people die everyday as a result of the organ shortage in the USA alone. In this talk I will explore some of the ways that this number could be reduced, focusing on the possibility of legalized organ sales.
My experience with GBI has been incredibly impactful, and encouraged me to think critically about a career in the nonprofit sector. In addition, this summer has left me more aware and engaged with the ethical dilemmas that we face everyday, and their implications in a larger context.

Research on Social Policies to Reduce the Global Issue of Child Poverty with a Focus on East Asia and the Pacific Countries

Child poverty reduction is a key of the Sustainable Development Goals of UNICEF. With this qualitative research, UNICEF EAPRO (East Asia and the Pacific Regional Headquarter) focused on the political side to child poverty reduction, as political aspect should be considered as important as the technical issues in poverty reduction. The research on government decision making included- government’s priority setting process, their decisions on resource allocation and arrangements for management information systems and reporting. I was an intern in the Social Policy and Economic Analysis section in UNICEF EAPRO, Bangkok, Thailand. This qualitative research work gave me an opportunity to understand how governments make social policies that directly or indirectly affect children, and what elements of politics influence their decisions. As the second part of the research, I focused on figuring out ways of advocating governments so that their policy decisions can better ensure child protection. As a part of this research I also assisted in writing a toolkit for UNICEF country offices to provide them a guide in understanding and influencing government decision making process and ensuring child protection. This internship has enriched me with knowledge and experience that will further shape my path in studying public policy in depth.

A Summer in the Heart of the Europe: The Brussels Think Tank Bubble

The German Marshall Fund was established to foster and expand transatlantic relationships in the aftermath of World War Two. Whilst initially only focusing on Europe, the organization has expanded its interests to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. This summer I worked at the Brussels office, in the heart of Europe. I worked with the head of the office with developing future initiatives for the organizations. My topics of research included examining NATO’s wider security role in Northern Europe, examining cybersecurity in relation to Russia, and the digital economy of the Mediterranean region. I condensed my findings into reports, which will be used as a starting base for my co-workers as they develop these projects in the fall. In addition to working on papers, I helped with events the office was holding. Our events spanned many topical subjects, such as Brexit and the US elections. We hosted numerous high profile speakers and guests from various institutions, such as NATO and the European Union. In my presentation I will discuss the research I conducted, what it’s like working in a think tank, and how this experience has impacted my academic ambitions.

Galloping Toward My Future: Bridging the Divide Between Communications and the Equine Industry

Communications is a little-known, but exceptionally important element of the equine industry. This summer, I made strides in combining my passions and bridging the divide between two potential career focuses in my role as the Marketing and Communications Intern at the Mount Holyoke College Equestrian Center. The Equestrian Center is located on Mount Holyoke’s campus, and is home to four prestigious equestrian teams during the academic year. Over the summer, the facility stays active by hosting riding competitions, conducting facility rentals to different equine-centric programs, and giving tours to prospective students. Aside from the hard work of riding instructors, coaches, and barn staff, running a small business like the Equestrian Center requires the skill of a group of individuals dedicated to marketing and communications. For my contribution as an intern, I performed tasks including assisting in running facility rentals, creating and publishing advertisements, managing and updating the business’ social media accounts, and writing short pieces for local equine journals and blogs. My most intensive project was assisting in planning and running a nationally-recognized dressage competition. During this two-day event, my role was to coordinate, organize, and lead a group of volunteers. An unanticipated surprise during my summer was the amount of time I spent learning about marketing for a small business. This unexpected insight afforded me a greater understanding of equine communications, and helped me focus my career goals toward journalism and event planning in the equine industry.

Hit the Ground Running at H&L Partners

For my summer internship, I worked at H&L Partners in San Francisco, California. H&L Partners is a national marketing firm, headquartered in the Bay Area. The firm specializes in Retail/Franchise and Destination Travel. Their main clients are McDonald's and Toyota. As one of four interns, I contributed to project and account management for Toyota and McDonald's. This included client meetings and collaborating with the Media, Account, and Product departments. Some of these projects included the Fourth of July Toyota Sale, McDonald's Gilroy Garlic Fries launch in the Bay Area, and the new 2016 Prius Redesign. I also got to develop and present competitive analyses on Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) and Fernet-Branca. Most of my work was individual and then in collaboration with the other interns and staff members. One of these projects was branding H&L Partners’ Volunteer Program. The interns got to work alongside the CCO of the company to do this. I think my Mount Holyoke experience gave me the confidence to initiate myself into projects I did this summer. Knowing that I belong to such a wonderful institution with a major support system really got me going. I think one of the most valuable things I’ve learned at Mount Holyoke is how to be open to new learning opportunities and how to adapt to them. This was absolutely necessary for me in a brand new work environment with new people. This summer experience, like all experiences, is a part of my education. This made me really consider applying for business school in the next few years. It also made me appreciative of the Nexus minor program at Mount Holyoke. I think my Global Business minor definitely contributed to my qualifications and knowledge for this internship.

The Alternative Internship: How "Digital Natives" and Connect to Purpose Provided an Expansive Experience in the Business World

Brittney will discuss in her LEAP presentation why she is so grateful that her internship experience was not at all a typical business experience. Thanks to the fruitful directory of the MHC Alumnae Association, Brittney discovered a Danish alumna and collaborated with her to create this unique six-week internship position. Over the course of this internship in Copenhagen, Denmark, Brittney learned to live with a Danish woman, biked to work, benefited from alternative and Danish speaking co-sharing work environments, and worked part-time for this alumna and her colleague, both of whom are independent business consultants. One of these consultants published several books based on his studies of the leadership of “digital natives”. The other consultant lectured on conscious business practices and provided leadership coaching. Brittney’s tasks were more typical for a business internship, which included research for business development, the creation of social media content, and the formulation of international press releases. Yet, this was the most eye-opening professional experience of her life due to the radical approaches of her mentors and her alternative work experiences. This presentation will delve into how this internship expanded Brittney's understanding of what being a business consultant can entail, the techniques she learned to help anyone become a better leader, and why a Mount Holyoke student should appreciate a work experience for its difference.

Marketing in the World of Startup Technology

For her final summer internship, Jojo served as a Marketing Intern at Airware, a commercial drone technology startup in the heart of San Francisco. There, she applied everything she had learned from her past two internships and dove deep into each aspect of marketing, from PR and communications, to event planning, to digital, to content. Not only did she work to support the marketing team, but she had multiple opportunities to collaborate cross-functionally with her colleagues in the customer engagement and product departments to further support Airware's sales and marketing initiatives. Some of her projects included delivering go-to-market strategies through extensive market research, drafting event budgets and delivering logistics to stakeholders for approval, creating pricing models, and developing press-related event strategy. At an industry-leading startup, Jojo aimed to understand how each of these projects and campaigns directly related to supporting Airware’s brand. In her LEAP presentation, Jojo will highlight the benefits of multi-functionality within a role, especially since internships should be catered to maximizing exposure and benefitting skill growth. Additionally, she will discuss the challenges of learning and growing in a burgeoning industry.

Behind the Scenes of Justice: How Office Community Affects Legal Service Work

This summer, I worked with New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, a small nonprofit civil rights law firm in New York City. From my first day, I was blown away by the positive office culture of this organization. This culture enabled me to experience unexpected subtleties of legal public service work, ranging from gender and power dynamics in the private and public sector, to thinking about what it means to do work that takes years to come to fruition. Participating in a professional environment where the culture emphasized community, support, growth, and leaning into difference allowed me to see the incredible difficulties individuals face when fighting against systems of injustice without feeling disheartened by the imbalanced odds—even in the face of frustrating defeats.

Anti-Poverty Effect of Legal Aid

What comes to mind when one wants to eliminate poverty in the United States? Education? Healthcare? Job Training? There are many possible solutions, but one that is often overlooked is access to legal services. When one stands up and recites the pledge of allegiance, the final words we say are, “Liberty and Justice for all.” We strive to uphold the words we say, but reality says otherwise. Not everyone is granted equal protection under the law because the United States has one of the worst civil justice systems in the world, thus, poverty is still a rampant issue. This summer I interned at Bayview Hunter’s Point Community Legal (BHPCL) a legal aid in San Francisco. BHPCL, co-founded by Virginia Taylor ’08, is the country’s first system of universal access to civil representation. Every day, I worked with attorneys and volunteers to ensure that everyone living in the local community can get representation on every viable legal claim or defense. My work consisted of translating Cantonese for our monolingual clients, paralegal tasks - client support, document review, fact gathering, and demand letter writing. I also was involved with creating the Social Return on Investment (SROI) report. SROI is an analysis created to help understand the impact a nonprofit by measuring its inputs (money spent on services and overhead) against the short and long-term financial benefits it provides its clients, students, or patients, as well as the long-term impact of each type of intervention is estimated using the help of social science research.

Second Chances at a Fair Trial

This summer I worked at the Law Offices of Cliff Gardner, a private law firm assisting mostly death penalty inmates with direct appeals and habeas corpus petitions. As part of my internship, I was able to assist attorneys with legal research, record review, and sit in on meetings to discuss issues with case records and strategies for upcoming cases. I was also able to visit San Francisco’s San Quentin Penitentiary and go to death row to visit with a client. Through this internship I was able to network with interns and attorneys at events with several other organizations such as the California Appellate Project, the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, and the Office of the State Public Defender. The law office I worked in, as well as these other organizations, are dedicated to helping people in prison and on death row to make sure they were tried fairly in California. Many of these people were tried unfairly the first time and have been marginalized and ignored by the state of California. In addition, many of the clients these organizations help have little to no funds to pay their legal fees which means some cases are taken pro bono or are not taken and these clients are left on death row until these organizations have the funds to take their case. While working at this law firm, I had the incredible opportunity of meeting many of the people fighting injustice in the criminal justice system in California and was able to really understand the importance of what it means to have a fair trial in this country. I have always known that I want to go into law in the future but this internship helped me to form a goal of going into criminal justice reform.

Rethinking the Role of Lawyers and Its Implications for Careers in Public Interest Law

My long-time passion for public interest law stems from my high school years, when I worked with a renowned women’s rights lawyer in Beijing. This experience not only exposed me to the groundbreaking works of China’s newly emerged community of human rights lawyers, but also convinced me that public interest lawyers embody heroism and are entrusted with the mission of safeguarding the rights of the most vulnerable individuals in society. Since then, I followed my passion and worked with different public interest law entities, from a civil rights agency to a non-profit organization. This summer I served as a research intern at the International Bridges to Justice, a Geneva-based international NGO with the mission of protecting the basic legal rights of ordinary citizens in developing countries. While standing at the forefront of fighting against investigative torture and promoting access to justice, I started to rethink the fundamental role of lawyers and its implications for people who want to take up jobs in public interest and human rights law.

Characterizing the Expression of Pyk2 Protein in Mice Models of Alzheimer's Disease

This summer I worked at the Strittmatter lab at the Yale School of Medicine exploring a biochemical pathway involved in Alzheimer’s disease. I worked closely with my mentor to characterize the expression of the Pyk2 protein in a downstream cascade resulting in the phosphorylation of Tau protein. The phosphorylated Tau threads form tangles, which cause disruptions in the neuron’s internal transport system resulting in neuronal decline and death. Tau tangles are speculated to be one of the main causes of Alzheimer’s disease. The Pyk2 protein has been previously associated with learning and cancer research however, little is known about its role in the regulation of Tau. The data for the study was primarily collected through behavioral tests conducted on mice and analysis of their brain tissue post-testing. My work focused on testing and developing immunostaining protocols for the study. I was also responsible for slicing harvested mice brains and imaging cells after staining them for specific proteins. Since I had little experience in the field of biochemistry I developed a variety of technical skills while working at the lab.  One of the most important skills that I honed at my time there was combining critical thinking and creativity to overcome challenges. The lab environment was conducive for both collaboration and discussion with other graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Their encouragement led me to improvise a specific method of slicing the brain, which not only saved time but also brain tissue. I was also able to gain insight on graduate school, pursuing research, and the daily challenges faced by researchers. Additionally weekly presentations with the principal investigator taught me how to better present my findings in an unbiased and confident manner. Overall the Strittmatter lab gave me an unforgettable and invaluable insight into the workings of a lab and ongoing research.

Living with a Killer: Legume Plays Gracious Host to Pathogenic Bacteria

The mutualistic symbiotic relationship between legumes and rhizobia has been studied in depth. The legume houses the bacteria in its roots and in exchange, the bacteria provide a nitrogen fixation for the plant. While the process of housing the bacteria and providing nitrogen fixation for the plant is well understood, the infection pathway is still a mystery. What causes the plant to accept and protect what are typically pathogenic bacteria? Why doesn't the plant's immune response try to destroy it? During my summer research I worked under a graduate student who focused on the function of exopolysaccharide, a goo-like substance that surrounds the bacteria, and plant protein receptors LYM 1 and LYM 2. The exopolysaccharide was shown to play a key role in infection; without it the plant’s immune response would kill the bacteria. I tagged its gene to check its expression along the infection pathway. The amount of exopolysaccharide expression was almost almost nonexistent when the plant membrane surrounded the bacteria, creating symbiosomes.

How the Four Months Influenced My First Step to the 10 Year Future Plan to Be a Genetics Research Scientist

Last summer, I interned as a research assistant at the Chromatin Biology Lab (CBL) in the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). It was my first opportunity to work in a graduate school lab environment with PhD candidates and postdoctoral fellows. I was mentored by a PhD student who studies how the interaction between the protein complex Spt-Ada-Gcn5 acetyltransferase (SAGA) and the proteasome influences the transcriptional regulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae in vivo. For the first few weeks, I worked along with my mentor, following the exact procedure she conducted and taking notes of the process. I also studied sections of Biochemistry and Epigenetics textbooks along with several papers related to SAGA, the proteasome and overall transcriptional regulation in S. cerevisiae, to familiarize myself with the topic and the purpose of our experiment. After I became familiar with the main procedures and the lab techniques, my mentor assigned me to duplicate her result in gene expression level comparison using wild type, rpt2-1 mutated, and sgf73 deleted samples of S.cerevisiae. I used qPCR to verify the quality of chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) process, which consisted of harvesting cells and isolating the DNA-protein complexes by sonication and DNA purification. The purified DNA samples were sequenced and analyzed using softwares such as Homer and deepTools. My research was successful as the final analysis supported that the mutation of SAGA and the proteasome interaction affects the rate of gene expression of S.cerevisiae cell in vivo. The four month experience at CBL gave me an insight in qualities required to be a successful research scientist, and also in what future academic and career paths I am expected to follow.

Researching Aging in Hematopoietic Progenitor Cells at The Jackson Laboratory

At The Jackson Laboratory this summer, I studied aging in hematopoietic progenitor cells collected from mice. I was participating in the Summer Student Program, where I was placed in a lab with a research mentor, in addition to being provided a stipend and a place to live. My research focused on determining the relative expression levels of cell cycle genes in lymphoid primed multipotent progenitors (LMPPs). LMPP populations have been shown to decrease with age, leading to reduced numbers of B cells and T cells resulting in immune deficiencies. LMPPs are also shown to cycle more rapidly with increased age, therefore we hypothesize that cell cycle genes may be dysregulated with age. Relative expression of target genes was measured with reverse transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR). One of my most valuable summer findings unexpectedly came from an observation of skewed results with this procedure, which allowed me to identify an important change that needed to be made regarding our reference gene. Conducting research at The Jackson Laboratory provided an opportunity to explore a research topic different than my work at UMass Amherst in the Garman lab the last two years. My third summer diving into a new area of research was so much easier than the first because I was familiar with lab work and knew how to find information necessary to understand my project. I felt confident in the lab and ready to tackle new protocols. Immersing myself in laboratory research has allowed me to become a highly capable research scientist which will serve me well as I begin graduate school in the fall.

The Hawthorn Club: International Networking

Connecting ideas and people is an important aspect of how the global community is going to deal with climate change. In order to help move the conversation forward effectively, one must make sure that all voices and opinions are heard. Creating large, world-wide change is not going to be easy in order to solve global warming but bringing people together who work in different sectors and disciplines is a great place to start. This presentation will discuss the benefits of women in leadership positions who are helping the clean energy and climate change dialogue and what it was like working as an assistant for an international networking club for women in the energy sector. Come learn about the behind the scenes aspects of how a non-profit international organization is run as well as how networking occurs at events.

You Don’t Really Have To Be a Genius!

It was already exciting to be working for a resort in Nepal surrounded by greenery and in addition to that, it was a start-up where even my simplest ideas like making tear-off flyers for promotion was considered innovative and was highly valued. Past summer, I worked for Chhaimale Resort, the place that made me realized how much I love the hotel management and culinary arts industry and how highly valued my everyday observations of the world and experiences were. From service development and initial outreach to building and maintaining customer base, unlike other internships, I was able to complete the task from start to finish instead of just assisting. By the end of the internship, I was inspired and had gained enough confidence to cconsider starting and managing a business of my own in the future.

The Intersectionality of Global Business: Hospitality in New York City

This summer, Haley Robinson worked as a Meetings and Events Management intern at the Sheraton New York Times Square, a property of Starwood Hotels and Resorts. She assumed the responsibilities of a manager, reviewing contracts, corresponding with clients, and finalizing details for incoming global travel groups. In her position, she collaborated with staff from every department, exemplifying the interconnectedness of the hospitality industry and its direct correlation to the intersectionality of Global Business. Haley worked with a team of interns and interdepartmental staff that fostered a true sense of community and encouraged her to learn and grow both personally and professionally. While Haley doesn’t intend on pursuing a career in hospitality, her internship pushed her to look beyond familiarity and seek new aspirations and opportunities.

Behind the Scenes: Managing a Professional Tennis Tournament

I spent the Summer after my sophomore year interning at the International Tennis Hall of Fame, located in Newport, Rhode Island. The hallowed grounds of the International Tennis Hall of Fame is the cradle of tennis in the United States of America. In addition, the International Tennis Hall of Fame actively engages in promoting the sport both nationally and internationally while also celebrating the history of the game. It honors past champions of the sport and those who have made significant contributions to the sport by inducting them into the Hall of Fame. This year Marat Safin and Justine Henin were the inducted into the Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame Championship is the only grass court tournament in North America. The experience in Newport was fulfilling in more ways than one. As the Tournament Management Intern, I was directly involved in planning, organizing and managing almost all aspects of the 2016 Hall of Fame Championships and the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. Organizing a premier international ATP Tour event is a mammoth task since everything has to be perfect. Working in a real-world organization and living alone for the very first time, with three other interns who I met for the first time in my supervisor’s office, was a fantastic growing up experience. Thirdly, I got to live in historic and scenic Newport with its beautiful beaches and lovely mansions. In this presentation, I am going to talk about my research efforts in securing this internship, my learnings at the Hall of Fame as a Tournament Management Intern, and my overall experience of working and living in the real world in Newport, Rhode Island.

Different Ways of Communication In the Retail Industry

Gap, Inc. is the largest clothing and accessories retailer in the United States. Victoria Cai worked at the headquarter of Gap Inc. Greater China in Shanghai last summer as a Field Communication and Customer Experience intern under Store Operations department. Greater China is one of Gap’s primary growth markets, which covers businesses in Mainland China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. The internship opportunity enabled Victoria to communicate effectively with her diverse background. Being at an American company in Shanghai is similar to her experience of studying in the United States for a few years with a Chinese background. Adding on to her familiarity with both cultures, the internship experience has enriched her understanding of how American companies operate and how Chinese market works in the professional world. The main responsibility for Field Communication is to function as a bridge with effective communication between the headquarter and the field (i.e. the more than one hundred stores in the area), delivering execution information from multiple departments at San Francisco and Shanghai headquarter to the field and receiving feedbacks from the field to the headquarter. This presentation will outline how Victoria’s role contributed to Gap China’s goal of global alignment as well as how she advanced her communication skills in different ways.

Circulating Artforum: Dynamism in the Workplace

For over fifty years, Artforum, headquartered in New York City, has been the leading contemporary art magazine worldwide. Their articles focus on fine arts, film, music, and performance. They publish ten issues per year, including a special summer issue that combines content from June, July, and August. Maya Johnson worked in the circulation and archival department from June through August. As a circulation intern, she contacted the stores of competing magazines to inquire about the prospect of selling Artforum, and then connected interested parties with her circulation director. She was able to hone in on her persuasion skills while working in that department. As an archival intern, she proofread, edited, and uploaded past issues to the website for the use of advertisers and subscribers. Archiving the issues online preserves the content, history, and importance of the magazine. Having exposure to the old articles allowed her to gain knowledge of 1970s and 1980s art culture. Through her experiences coordinating with both departments, Maya came to understand that effective communication is the best way to succeed in any field.

The Role of Chinese State Media: Leveraging National Image and Public Sphere

Comparing with the private news media companies in western countries, the entire Chinese media industry is controlled by the government. Many people are curious about how the Chinese state media channels work. I also have written a research paper a year ago in the East Asian Democratization class to discover Chinese media industry and its impact on the development of civil society from political science perspective. In the past summer, I was lucky enough to get an internship at China Radio International, and to be able to have first hand experience exploring the relationships among political censorship, news freedom and Chinese public sphere. In my presentation, I will introduce the working environment at a state media and use the South China Sea arbitration news as a case study to illustrate the dilemma Chinese media workers are facing. I will also talk about the difficulties I encountered during the internship and how I overcame them.

From Australia to Lahore to New York: Space, My Canvas

Senior year in mind, I wished to work on my independent art studio work to build my portfolio as a visual artist. Therefore, I chose to spend my summer as an artist in residence at the School of Visual Arts in NYC (SVANYC). At SVANYC, I applied for the painting residency program which ran for a total of 4 weeks. During this period, resident artists like myself were assigned individual studio spaces and required to produce independent work. During the course of the 4 weeks, we were required to meet with visiting faculty for daily critiques on our work, attend guest lectures by artists/critics/gallery curators, as well as visit several gallery exhibitions around the city. At the end of the residency, we were required to exhibit our produced work. The residency program allowed me to reflect on my own studio practice in great depth. The residency helped me reorient myself and get back on track with my studio work after a semester abroad (which involved a solid 6 months of travelling and dislocation). I was able to indulge in my traditional style of painting (using canvas and acrylic) while, at the same time, experiment with different media (like paper and ink). Communicating and interacting with artists, critics, peers and art students allowed me to build communication skills so that I was able to network with individuals in the arts. While curating my own exhibition of the produced work, I learnt how to communicate with an unknown audience, which involved thinking about what I wanted to convey through my artwork. From production to exhibition, I was able to paint a larger picture and envision my own life as an artist in the real world.
All in all, the summer experience helped connect me to myself, to the art world, to artists/peers and to New York City in a way that helped me think productively about my future.

The Efficacy of being an Outsider

For two months this summer I lived in Amman Jordan and interned with The Hashemite Fund for Development of Jordan Badia. As a semi-governmental organization, the Fund works toward the Kingdom’s sustainable development goals by planning and implementing economic, social, and environmental projects on a community level. Within the organization I was given the opportunity to work with different stakeholders to develop proposals for two new projects. In preparation for an english teaching foreign fellow in the fall, I researched teaching methods and curriculum in poor performing schools. Additionally, I contributed to revising the english language website and implementing a new social media plan. Throughout this experience I was confronted by many challenges and internal conflicts within the field of international development. Specifically, I questioned my own role as an outsider within an organization run by Jordanians who were dedicated to improving the standard of living in their own hometowns. As an outsider I was also faced with the challenges of adjusting to a foreign work culture and learning new processes of getting things done. Having been given room within my job description to self direct much of my work, I was able to improve upon my professional writing skills while contributing positively to the mission of the Fund. The opportunity to develop a new project from its basic principle to a completed grant proposal gave new dimensions to my previous coursework in Development and Middle Eastern Studies, including my previous Independent research on the economic integration of Syrian refugees in Jordan.

Architecture in Practice: Sustainable Design in Kenya

I spent two months this summer living and working in Kenya for a U.S Based nonprofit, Builders of Hope. BOH aims to create sustainable, affordable housing projects. This is their first international project and they are currently involved in the tech sector, developing apps related to housing and sustainability for Kenya and India. I began my internship with a week in Nairobi, sitting in on meetings related to all areas of the company and then spent my remaining time in the remote Mara area. My main responsibilities involved generating the design and overseeing the site/construction of multiple projects. The aforementioned projects include a sustainable low-cost housing unit, a clinic remodel, two schools and a staff housing development. I dealt with local construction workers and suppliers to create cost estimates proposals for all units I designed and then organized construction schedules for builds. Towards the end of my internship I was a part of a team of U.S interns who completed the build of my sustainable unit design for a local community. As the only design intern in Kenya, I was given the opportunity to completely immerse in the local culture. This allowed me to work closely and learn about the Maasai culture and then incorporate that knowledge into my designs. Furthermore, it encouraged me to ask questions about the socioeconomic implications of the work I was doing in Kenya through the nonprofit. It gave me the competency to design the best possible spaces with limited sources and it made me question the extent to which we are pushing our western ideals onto another culture. These projects and experiences allowed me to grow as a designer and as an individual.

International Development: Education Reform in Mbeya, Tanzania

This past summer, I collaborated in the development of an innovative pilot-stage education program that leverages information technology to make high-quality education affordable and accessible to underserved student populations in developing countries. I began my work in Mbeya, Tanzania, at the Olive Branch for Children, a Canadian and Tanzanian NGO. With the help of a translator, I trekked through surrounding villages to learn more about public schooling opportunities, universalized as a service by the government only within this past year. My team found that especially within remote communities, low-income populations were being served by underfunded schooling models based on antiquated British curriculum requirements. Our attention was especially drawn towards the pervasive gap in English language acquisition, a skill necessary within the Tanzanian education system to achieve post-secondary advancement. While kids grow up to speak a tribal language in the home and Ki-Swahili in grammar school, the National Examinations require English proficiency (i.e. trilingualism by age 14), an impossibility in understaffed schools with sparse resources available. Our resolution was to provide an optional supplementary English program for students transitioning to Secondary School. We hired and trained two local instructors to use low-cost tablets filled with volumes of digital education applications for use in off-grid, offline environments. and piloted five village program sites. My hope is that our approach taken and directive Exit Report can enable replication in a larger scale network of learning centers.

Reconstruction Women's Education

Over the summer, I interned with a small architecture firm in New Delhi, India. The firm, Common Ground Practice, focuses on building small and medium scaled public and private projects. During my time with the organization, I focused on the analysis and presentation of a reconstruction of an abandoned shed to an office space. The office space is for Vedica Scholar’s Program for Women at the Aurobindo Society, a prestigious spiritual committee. The Vedica Scholars Program, is an alternative to the traditional MBA program for women. Vedica aims to provide women with potential an opportunity to achieve fulfilling careers. It is an 18 month full-time, residential, post-graduate program that caters to the needs of today's employers. For this project, CoGroup, explored the spiritual theme of connecting the indoors and the outdoors, by opening up the doors and the walls and maximizing the exposure of the interiors to the exteriors. My job at the firm was to show each detail of the project in carefully curated presentation drawings for the final portfolio of the firm. I achieved this by going on several site visits and analyzing each window and its views. I took pictures, talked to people, looked at the models, and did a lot of research on the project and the program. I then did multiple iterations of drawings, where I got to exercise the software skills I learned at Mount Holyoke. My eight-week internship, helped me understand the role of culture in architecture. I was a team member and was expected to perform under tight deadlines. My Mount Holyoke education helped me deal with the challenges and pressures of a real world work place and helped me enrich my experience.