Session V: 4:45-5:40

Creating Trails to Blaze for Trailblazing Mount Holyoke Students

I completed my summer internship at Mount Holyoke College's Archives and Special Collections. As Archives and Special Collections’ website writes, they “document Mount Holyoke's past and present through archival collections, images, rare books, ephemera, and other one-of-a-kind material.” My main task was putting together an online exhibit using the web tool Omeka about MHC student Mary L. Matthews. Matthews was a missionary who started the first girls school in Macedonia. My favorite part of the internship was getting to research the history of local buildings and sites to create a zine (like a miniature, homemade magazine) about running trails in the area with historic stops significant to Mount Holyoke along the way. This presentation allowed me to reflect on which aspects of this internship I would like in a future career. I hope my experience at MHC ASC can demonstrate how interesting history can be and how many different ways you can work with history.

What is so special about Special Collections?

My presentation will introduce to the audience the very interesting world of Special Collections at the Jones Public Library in Amherst. This is what I plan to say: A gem, Special Collections at the Jones Library – the main branch of the Amherst public library system - is a valuable resource for people interested in learning about people who contributed to the town and often the world (ie. Robert Frost and Emily Dickinson), etc. My internship provided me with an opportunity to work with people who have great historical knowledge. With amazing curiosity and passion, the staff organizes materials, maintains exhibits, and assists patrons in their own historical searches. The supervisor of Special Collections graciously welcomed me into the Department as Special Collections Intern. After many years as a dental hygienist I was not confident in my ability to transfer some of my skill set. The ‘unknowns of interning’ would implore me to push myself and explore possibilities – embracing MHC’s motto of Never Fear Change. My main charge was to process a collection bequeathed from an artist. This connects with my study of Art History here at MHC. The first step was to produce an index by identifying and listing every piece of correspondence in the collection. It was amazing to read letters from the 1800’s – complete with their intricate handwriting and rich content. From there I created a finding aid to support future research. Curating a temporary exhibit as well as creating an ongoing digital exhibit were next.  It would be easy to say the most important thing I learned was how to curate a publicly displayed exhibit. The reality is that I had the opportunity to work with passionate people, not dissimilar to the MHC community. And that is what makes Special Collections so special.

Understanding Renaissance Florence through the Medici Archive Project

This summer I worked at the Medici Archive Project, which is a research and educational program aiming to increase scholarly access to the extensive material of the Medici Archival Collection in Florence, Italy. Although this internship did not have a direct connection to Mt. Holyoke College, I sought it out because this work was a great match to my interest in the Italian Renaissance and to my future career goal of working with rare books and archives. In the two weeks prior to my internship experience, I was also able to take a course at MAP on Archival Studies, which included hands-on work with Renaissance period Italian documents. This was a good background for my internship experience, during which I catalogued and organized archival materials at the Archivio di Stato for the Project’s website. Since most of these sources are handwritten in Italian and about five hundred years old, this work was challenging, but the staff and other students working at MAP were extremely welcoming and friendly. And Florence is filled with numerous museums and historical sites which greatly increased my appreciation for the city’s history. This internship improved my ability to handle complex archival materials, and increased my confidence in working with other scholars in an international setting.

History Detective for East Asian Art

During Summer 2016, I have done a research assistant internship as a research assistant for an Art History professor at National Taiwan University in Taiwan. During this period, I studied important East Asian art and artifacts, creating lessons plans for the professor's future classes, and critiquing class readings/materials. While looking through museum catalogues, I had to choose which artifact is the highlight of period and what makes it unique. The experience helped me improve my academic research skills and critical thinking. The professor made me answer questions such as: why is this painting important in history? What makes this artifact unique? Why the artist drew a scenery this way with what methods? These skills can transfer to when I am doing a research paper in Mount Holyoke or my future job. In addition, the internship led me to a career change, when I noticed the passion for the art history field. After graduation, I plan on learning more about career opportunities in art history and pursuing it in higher education. However, the most essential lesson from the internship was the importance of preserving and analyzing art and artifacts. By learning from art, we can reflect on our past cultures and the emotions that these artists experienced.

From Pennypacker to Brandywine

I interned in a small historic house museum, Pennypacker Mills, in summer 2015 which led directly to my internship at the Brandywine River Arts Museum this past summer. At the smaller institution, I had a more general role giving tours to the general public and school groups, making archive materials, cleaning furniture and books on display, updating collections database images, accessioning new objects, and writing for the museum newsletter. Opposingly, my work at the Brandywine was much more specialized. I had a specific title and I worked in two departments, curatorial and collections management to organize and fact-check existing database files against the permanent paper files, conduct provenance research on some accessioned objects, assist with label-writing for an upcoming exhibit, help with gallery installation, and write a post about Pokemon GO for the museum blog.

My experiences at these two museums made my goals for my future career much clearer. I found that my passion for museum work only extends as far as art museums with a larger staff and more specialized projects. I also discovered the range of possibilities when working at museums and the diverse roles people can fulfill though I do think I’ll be sticking to the departments I was interning with.

Paid to Play Pokémon Go and Video Games: My Summer Internship at Polygon

It's true, you can be paid to play Pokémon Go! During this summer, I had the opportunity to work as the Video Intern for Polygon in New York City. Polygon is a popular video game journalism company that reaches hundreds of thousands of gamers ranging from casual players, to professional video game competitors. My job as the video intern was to produce, script, and edit high quality gaming related videos for coverage of major video game events for Polygon’s Youtube channel and Facebook page. This included videos with over 100,000 views on Youtube and nearly 500,000 views on Facebook. Though the tasks of streaming video games and capturing gameplay can seem deceptively effortless, it has proven to require a much wider knowledge of production technology and history of video games. With live streams reaching up to 8,000 viewers, many of the viewers were eager to learn about the games I was playing through my own commentary, demanding a skill in interacting with a diverse audience. As a young woman working within an industry that highly caters towards male gamers, I learned how to portray myself as a viable content creator and commentator for an audience that is often discriminatory towards women. I was able to assert my ideas, promote new ideas for video content, and test the waters of online media. Through the skills I learned at Mount Holyoke and my own knowledge of video games, my summer Polygon internship was certainly a unique opportunity that introduced me to an journalism company that is extremely crucial in covering one of the fastest growing industries of our time.

A Historic Summer, Interning at a local Historic House

As an intern with Historic Annapolis, I gave tours; helped build a database; created a summer camp program; went on the radio and went on some incredible field trips. I had the opportunity to work with almost every department of the museum, learning how a small museum works and operates. I also had the opportunity to see how other museums, including Colonial Williamsburg and the Cultural Resource Center for the National Museum of the American Indian, functioned. My time with Historic Annapolis was often challenging but never to the point where I felt overburdened. My supervisors were supportive and helped me improve my networking skills while helping me gain confidence in my work. It was an unforgettable summer and I am indebted to the wonderful people who worked there, for they have inspired me and helped me form a better understanding of what I want to do after graduation.

My Summer at The Met

Women Helping Women: Creating Hope and Justice in Your Hands

Racism. Sexism. Poverty.The barriers in society that keep women and girls from reaching their full potential are often swept under the rug. This summer, I had the opportunity to work along with the front-line of the progressive movement at the Boston Women's Fund (BWF), a foundation focused on tackling women-focused justice issues in the Boston area. From social and economic justice to women’s rights and public policy, the BWF encourages everyone to take a stand. As an intern, I conducted research on recent trends in philanthropy investments for women and girls, and the types of programs other foundations implemented to help alleviate social problems. The findings would determine what steps the organization must take next to increase capacity building and encourage problem solving. This presentation will discuss my research findings, and experience I had that interlocks with my academic experience at MHC. Women helping women-- the most effective way to move forward and break down barriers.

Insights into the U.S. Federal Budget

Did you know that the U.S. military spending surpasses that of the next seven military budgets combined? Ever wondered how your tax dollars are used? Or did you know that the current U.S. national debt stands at approximately 19 trillion? This past summer I interned with National Priorities Project (NPP) a nonprofit, non-partisan research organization striving to make the federal budget accessible to the American public, and the above are some of the questions I tackled. As a research intern for NPP, I conducted independent research, wrote literature reviews, and published articles on various topics including but not limited to the U.S. national debt and deficit. The information I gathered would be useful to the organization in their analysis of various policy decisions passed by Congress and their effects on citizens. In my presentation, I intend to discuss my experience as a research intern and how this experience nurtured my skills, reinforced my Economics knowledge and informed my long-term career goals. I will also discuss how my academic career eased my transition into the internship and the importance of reaching out to alumnae. Lastly, I will discuss some of the interesting findings from my research projects.

New Perspectives on Global Challenges and International Security

This summer I tackled the question of global challenges and how they can be uncovered, envisioned and solved by non state actors through policy recommendation. I took part in the Bard College Globalization and International Affairs program, a program which combines an internship in international affairs during the day and seminar classes at night. I interned at the World Policy Institute, a think thank which identifies global challenges and works on solving them by bringing in new global perspectives and policy solutions. My work there was focused on International Security and Human Rights through arm transfers and arm control in the Middle East. I researched, reported and analyzed flaws in the current arm transfer system and how it leads to inevitable human rights abuses and threatens international security. The goal of my work was to help produce a policy recommendation, denouncing abuses, offering a new perspective on the matter and leading the world towards progress on this issue. My seminar classes perfectly aligned with my internship as I studied Counterinsurgencies and Non State Actors; because I experienced simultaneously academic work ad practical experience I gained a unique perspective, one of a student transitioning from academic learning to real world application. My work kept drawing me to global challenges and the numerous possible actors and solutions, and I was fascinated by both the challenges the world faces but also the solutions it can envision and lead.

Cross-Border Trades: Story Behind Strengthening Global Bonds

This summer, I had the opportunity to work at the Industry and Trade Information Center in Vietnam. The center’s main function is to collect and analyze information on industry and trade for the purpose of economic management of the economy. One of the major projects that I worked on was the Asia cross – border trade, for example the Vietnam – China trade. Not only an economic issue, commercial activities at border gates have also been a momentum for socio-economic development, and a national defense in keys area. As a Research Assistant, my daily task was to get informed on the issue, analyze trade statistics and structure bi-weekly report to propose recommendation for policy makers in the field. My presentation will incorporate the aforementioned topic as well as my day-to-day life as a Research Assistant and how I fit in as the youngest staff at the center.

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

My work this summer was with Covalence EthicalQuote, a non-government organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. During my 12 month tenure with Covalence, I undertook research projects on the subject of corporate social responsibility, intersecting human rights issues, environmental concerns, consumer protections, and humanitarian work. I also got the chance to work on policy for the Working Group for Environmental Monitoring and Assessment at the UN Office in Geneva. Through focused research and study of international law and practice, I was able to best utilize my time and energy in a setting where I felt that I was helping to inform and impact the change I want to see in the world. Since returning to Mount Holyoke, I have been able to expand on the research on industry compliance and sustainable development that I began with Covalence. In my course work, I am expanding on my internship related projects through industrial development and historic approaches to technological advancement with concerns to human rights and protections. My goal through college and beyond is to continue compliance-based work and research to ensure that international organizations and corporations are fostering the development of economically equitable and environmentally sustainable projects at present and in the future.

International Research at AIR INC

I was a Housing Analyst this summer at an International Research Company called AIR INC. I called realtors and other rental market experts across the United States and Canada to help assign budget grids for potentially relocating clients’ executives. Including executives of Fortune 100 companies. In addition to assigning budgets for each respective location, I wrote market reports based off of research that I collected. I expanded my research skills, maximized my time management, and worked on my communication skills. I worked in both collaborative and independent settings to tackle some of the larger rental markets. I trained new interns. I wrote economic reports on 35 different locations. Including high profile locations such as Dallas, Boston, Quebec City, and Manhattan. Additionally, I worked on other sensitive locations such as Fort McMurray in Alberta Canada, which lost a fifth of its town during a widespread forest fire.

Viable Sustainable Development Mechanism Based on Cooperation and Compromise: WWF China’s Strategy

China’s average ecological footprint has grown rapidly since the 1960s. As part of its economic growth, China has become a major consumer of oil, gas, coal, metals, timber and fish from overseas. This summer, during my time in Beijing, I worked as a research and administrative assistant intern in the "China for a Global Shift" team at World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). WWF is an international non-government organization; one of its goals is to reduce the world’s carbon footprint on the environment. My work included drafting and publishing a biweekly newsletter, and helping host conferences on sustainable development, along with researching the Belt and Road Initiative and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. In this panel, I will present a brief summary of the sustainable development mechanism that I learned and a holistic understanding of experience interning for an environmental NGO spanning over the world.

Innovation in Non Profit Fundraising

Philanthropy and fundraising involve more than just charity galas for endangered animals and donating to your alma mater. This past summer I interned at Changing Our World, a firm that does fundraising management for non-profits. As part of my work I conducted massive amounts of research, which constitutes a massive part of giving and fundraising and learned the ins and outs of the system. I also learned how to do everything from reading tax forms filed by foundations to determining criterion for giving to doing business development research. The most wonderful portion of this experience was the opportunity for mentorship. Working directly with senior management led to clearer lines of communication and the ability to grow as a budding professional.

The American Red Cross: Behind-the-Scenes of Patient Care

Two summers ago I had the opportunity to intern at The American Red Cross in the Immunohematology Reference Lab. This was an amazing learning experience where I was able to observe the behind-the-scenes of a blood bank and their relationship with hospitals, their patients, and customers. I worked closely with red blood cells frozen in liquid nitrogen that were used for rare antigen tagging and donations. I also was able to assist and observe many of the laboratory routines used by the technicians to diagnose patients with rare blood types. Moreover, I was given many responsibilities throughout the lab such as organizing and managing the shipment of blood units and typing of patient letters for hospital customers. This internship gave me the opportunity to see all of the dedication and hard work that goes into one aspect of patient care. The 24/7 facility worked endlessly to provide patients with the fastest results, highest quality products, and best care possible. Above all, this internship provided me with the experience and skills to secure an internship the following summer. I am extremely grateful for my experience with The Red Cross and the opportunities it presented.

A Research Learning Experience

This past summer, I was a Student Clinical Researcher at Boston Medical Center. The main goal for me this summer was to begin the process of my own research project. This included starting my own literature review and submitting an IRB. The main topic of my research was dental insurance and how it affects the head and neck cancer population. Although I had previous research experience during my school year at Mount Holyoke College, this research was challenging because I was working as an individual rather than as a unit. I had to analyze the literature that was already available to us and determine what was missing, and trust me, there is more on the topic of dental insurance than we realize. I was not able to submit my IRB by the end of the summer because I was not able to pinpoint exactly what my focus on this specific topic was going to be. In addition to research, I had the amazing opportunity to shadow a head and neck cancer surgeon in both his clinic and in his operating room. Changing ones mind many times throughout the summer can be defeating, but I was able to look at the bright side and witness how facing those challenges prepares me for what to expect in my future professional opportunities.

Physical Therapy in the Humanities

At New England Orthopedic Surgeons, I worked to help one specific physical therapist every day. This included, greeting and checking in new patients, setting a hot pack on their surgical area, and going through an exercise routine with them daily. Along with a large amount of “hard knowledge”, I also learned that in the medical field, you must treat each person you interact with equally, but differently. Each patient that I worked with required different amounts of attention and instruction so adjusting to that was crucial. As a psychology and education major, I felt like I had learned several different ways to interpret and deal with people that helped me in this internship. When working in an internship that involves person to person interaction, you have to be ready to adjust to experiences you were not expecting. For example, going into my internship, I thought I would only want to work with athletic injuries, because that was something I was always interested in. To my surprise, at NEOS, I often worked with elderly people who had recently received a total knee or hip replacement, and I can say with confidence that these people were some of the strongest that I worked with. After going through this experience, I feel I have learned to appreciate the vast range of people that receive physical therapy.

No Bones About It: A look Into the Surgical and Clinical Aspects of Orthopaedics

The specialty of orthopaedic surgery is often described using many stereotypes and assumptions. Due to the stereotype of having to be big and strong to be in the field, along with an “old boys club” attitude that still presides, orthopaedics has become the surgical specialty with the lowest percentage of female surgeons. As a woman going into this male-dominated field, I worked this summer to uncover and defy these stereotypes during my internship. I interned with the Orthopaedic Associates of Wisconsin (OAW), which is the largest independent group of orthopaedic surgeons in Wisconsin. OAW has several clinical locations, a surgery center, an MRI imaging center, a physical therapy center, and has surgeons operate at two different hospitals. I was assigned to work with certain doctors in clinical and surgical settings and my responsibilities included following the doctors’ daily hours by going into every surgery and clinical case, scrubbing in in the operating room to help hold tools and sutures, operating numbing spray for cortisone injections, preparing for cases by reading articles and books to familiarize myself with the anatomy and conditions, and providing help to staff around the clinic and operating rooms. I was able to use the confidence that I attained from speaking up in the classroom at Mount Holyoke and translate that into having confidence in speaking with, standing up for myself, and asking questions of the doctors and staff. My internship at OAW solidified my career path of pursuing medicine as an orthopaedic surgeon and made me even more excited for my future. I discovered more specialties in the field that interest me, such as hand/elbow/shoulder, pediatrics and foot/ankle, and I gained confidence and independence as a woman entering into this male dominated field from being encouraged and challenged by the doctors I worked with.

What's Montague? Casting Aside Labels

Who is counted as fully human in this country? Often, people end up living in inhuman conditions. The Western Mass Recovery Learning Community (RLC) provides a space for people to gather who have been oppressed, or who have experienced trauma, where they can support each other. This summer, I had the opportunity to participate in some of the discussions among RLC members. Many of the intentionally scheduled group conversations at the RLC revolve around a piece of identity that many members share — being psychiatric survivors. A psychiatric survivor is a person who has been given a psychiatric label. Sometimes, people have also been held against their will in psychiatric institutions. Many have been compelled, either by law or because they were told that there was no other option, to take mind-altering medications. Some of the groups for psychiatric survivors at the RLC include meetings of the US Hearing Voices Network and Alternatives to Suicide groups. I participated in the facilitators’ trainings for both Alternatives to Suicide and the Hearing Voices Network. Both trainings focused on the need to address people with respect and honesty, as these are the things psychiatric survivors have most often been deprived. This includes using common language, not diagnostic terminology. Although I had the privilege of facilitating Alternatives to Suicide groups, it was never my responsibility to “fix” anyone (nor would I have accepted such responsibility). Therefore, clinical language was irrelevant. I simply had to try to understand people’s experiences from their perspectives. As an English major, I think about language more than most people do, but this internship gave me the opportunity to think about language as a tool of oppression — or, alternatively, the tools of understanding and healing.

A Chance to Care

Are you prepared for the unexpected? Or can you ever be prepared? Do you know what it takes to deal with challenging difficulties, an accident, a chronic illness? This summer, I had the chance to work at the Dazy Aphasia Center, which is a support group for aphasia patients. It was a humbling opportunity to be part of this center’s mission, which is to empower, enhance and enrich the lives of those with aphasia and to help them to rediscover a new life....one with aphasia. Aphasia is a communication disorder that affects someone’s ability to write or say words correctly after a stroke, a ruptured aneurysm or a tragic accident. This disorder may also cause difficulty in understanding, listening and reading, but may also impair their social life, which can often lead to depression. At the Dazy Aphasia center, aphasia patients felt happy and comfortable to be around people who appreciated them and saw them past their disability. They wanted to be in an environment where they felt loved and accepted, and this center provided that for them. A person diagnosed with aphasia face many challenges every day and at times, it can be easy to just see the person’s apparent disability and unwillingly miss the person behind their illness. Caring for someone with aphasia can be overwhelming but can also be rewarding. It is indeed a challenging role but one must know that a simple act of love, a little bit of anything can go a long way.

Providing Care Through Compassion: The Importance of Listening

Acute Care for Elders (ACE) is an interdisciplinary approach to caring for hospitalized elders that reduces rates of delirium, falls, and hospital stay lengths. This summer, I was a research assistant for the ACE team at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield Massachusetts. My role on the team was to meet with patients seventy years and older who had been admitted from the emergency department, and had inpatient status. I used the Edmonton Functional Assessment Tool to conduct interviews with patients and ran cognitive exams to test for mental status change. I rounded daily with a geriatrician, a pharmacist, a chaplain, a patient advocate and the patient’s nurses. In rounds we discussed the patient's care and made recommendations to improve their treatment plans. Although data collection was a central focus to my work with ACE, the most important work I did which actually directly influenced the patient’s care, was time spent listening to patients and providing feedback to them about their current situation. Having someone to talk to from a non-clinical perspective, was a relief for many patients. Patients shared with me information that was much more personal than the information they provided to doctors and nurses. As a result, I often recognized important psychological hurdles such as depression or particularly traumatizing life events that influenced their care, such as having a daughter or son die in the same hospital they themselves were now receiving care in. This information gave the ACE team a more complete picture of the individual’s health and often was more critical than the cognitive assessments. It is difficult to know what to say to someone who is disclosing extremely personal information to you. It was in these emotionally trying times that I reflected on difficult conversations that I had in my Mount Holyoke classes. This internship related to my academic experience in that I was required to be open and receptive to what individuals were sharing with me, regardless of my personal feelings about the information itself.

Executive Function training used to reduce the symptoms of ADD/ADHD in Children

ADD/ADHD affects 10% of children in North America who may experience symptoms that affect their academic performance. To manage these symptoms, drug therapies are the most common form of treatment, but some parents are concerned about the effects of pharmaceuticals on children or prefer skills training in combination with drug therapy. This summer, I assisted in the research of the effects of executive functioning training to reduce the symptoms of ADD/ADHD in children. Executive functioning is similar to air traffic control at an airport because it sees all incoming information and organizes it to allow individuals to plan, be on time, manage tasks and think ahead - processes essential for academic success. My role was to interview families participating in the trial, explain tests and paperwork, and evaluate test results using a grading software. Results of the clinical trial are still being collected.
By working with families, I realized the full extent a diagnosis may have on a patient’s life and how to interact with patients and families in a respectful and understanding manner. Developing interpersonal skills was necessary to act professionally and compassionately with stressed and emotional parents. As a future physician, this experience was very valuable to view the diagnosis process, to understand how diagnoses affect patients and their families, and to learn how physicians interact with the community and with their patients to ensure quality care.

Making International Connections - Shaping your Future

This past summer I interned at The International Center in Hanoi Vietnam. There I was tasked with being a project intern working both in the office and in the field providing humanitarian aid to people with disabilities. I do believe that my Politics major, and Model UN prepared me for this internship as they made me more culturally aware. This opportunity made me reassess my goals and now instead of going to Law School, I have decided that I want to obtain my Masters in Human Rights possibly in Europe. It was because of the connections and the experiences I had in Vietnam, why I feel more determined than ever to impact people's lives.

Transitioning to Office Life in the State Capital

Last year, I had to start considering what I would like to do after college. One option that stood out to me was studying and eventually practicing law. The only way I could be sure that this was really something I wanted was to get practical experience in the field, so I applied to Dreyer Boyajian LLP in downtown Albany, NY. Dreyer Boyajian specializes in multiple types of law, from white collar to personal injury, and is considered a premier practice in upstate New York. My daily activities included researching for and writing blog posts, examining medical records and surveillance tapes, writing summaries for the attorneys, working at the reception desk, distributing mail, organizing files, going to court, and all around helping others with various tasks. As an English and Philosophy double major, my ability to analyze and describe various forms of information in clear, concise ways was often called for. The most difficult aspect of office life was taking calls and working directly with potential clients, as many were emotional due to a variety of circumstances, but it was also rewarding to see these same people being helped by the Dreyer Boyajian team. I'm from a little hamlet in Colonie, very close to Albany, but I had only rarely been to the area and usually only for a short time. Spending my work day in the capital city was an interesting experience; downtown Albany is a fun place for a person in their 20s. There are parks, food trucks, and hundreds of people walking around at any moment. I enjoyed the busyness of my internship and how this energy was reflected by our environment, and I am now more sure than ever that pursuing law is my next step.

Cultivating the Mind and the Soul: The Power of Community in Acahualinca, Managua, Nicaragua

Acahualinca is a community in Managua, Nicaragua that falls victim to a machista culture, which is affected by poverty, alcohol and drug abuse, as well as physical and emotional violence, and it is the reality many youth and children in the barrio constantly face. Regardless of the research I did and the stories I heard prior to my arrival, nothing could ‘prepare’ me for the loving and open-hearted environment I experienced while living in the barrio. From June until August, I interned at Podcasts for Peace, a social justice community center that aspires to cultivate an environment of peace within the youth, children and the community of Acahualinca, as well as foster social justice values, critical thinking, activism among the community, solidarity and youth leadership. Being a project intern, I had the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities and classes that aspired to cultivate the mind as well as the soul. Through music, singing and physical activity, the youths of the community and I nurtured the consciousness of our inner strength and confidence. The members of the neighborhood and I taught and learned from one another; we listened to each other, we took care of one another, and we worked together towards fostering an empowering and sustainable community to fight against social injustice and exclusion. This presentation will elaborate on the different activities I facilitated, and will discuss the power of the community of Acahualinca. The individuals I grew close to in Acahualinca demonstrated the importance of social justice engagement at a grassroots level for the empowerment of all members of a community. But above that, the community of Acahualinca became my family, and my source of a greater love, strength, admiration, and hope for a brighter future.

Making My Summer Internship My Starting Point Towards My Career

This past summer I interned at Mark Terry's Law Firm who specializes in Patent, Trademark, and Copyright laws. For those 10 weeks, I was fortunate to have worked closely with Mark Terry's paralegal and himself. I gained 2 important things this past summer, education and experience. Learning from my superiors allowed me to hone in new skills and gain knowledge about the legal side of the intellectual property field. Mark Terry took it upon himself to make sure I learned everything his paralegal knew about her responsibilities and how to do her job. Not only did he have me learn from his paralegal, Mark Terry also taught me the inner workings for the Patent and Trademark Office. After working with Mark Terry, it allowed me to realize that I couldn’t work in a field such as immigration, because it dealt with people’s lives. I would not be able to sleep if I was an immigration lawyer knowing I did everything I could for a client and was not able to give them the result they hoped for. Although I am passionate about my Latin American Studies major, specifically dealings with deportation, it is not a passion I can work for. This epiphany gave me the opportunity to rethink my options. Instead of going to law school I would first like to work as a paralegal to find the field I like. I made my internship a starting point towards my career. Mount Holyoke highlights the importance of networking, and it wasn’t until this internship did I realize how important it was. Having worked with Mark Terry and shown him my potential, I was able to have conversations with him about my future. I have transitioned from an intern to a Law Clerk who works remotely for him.

The Resilience of a LitMag

During the summer Danielle was an intern at the "Massachusetts Review," a literary journal at UMass Amherst in a very small three-room office that produced the staple seasonal journal, e-books and blog posts regarding contemporary literature and events. Even though she did not experience a high-paced journalistic endeavor, she found herself enjoying her duties regardless and invested in serving a readership dedicated to the world of poetry and prose. Join Danielle as she explains what parts of this reserved internship lead her to heavily consider a career path in the world of publishing.

Getting to Know You: Bridging the Gap in Community Reporting

As a born and raised Brooklynite, I thought that, if anything, I would be the opposite of a parachute journalist in my role as a community reporting intern at the BK Reader, a hyper-local Brooklyn news site. As I started my internship, I quickly learned that I overestimated how well I knew Brooklyn. It seems like a no-brainer, but in order to produce good local journalism, you have to get to know your locale and find out what sorts of stories they want to see. In this presentation I will focus on what I did to better know my borough and produce stories that Brooklynites would care about.

Stepping Up to the Plate: Learning the Importance of Journalism and How to Keep Little League Stats, All in One Summer

There's no one way to write. As a sports reporter at the Hampshire Gazette this summer, I wrote about a wide range of athletes, from seven-year-old little leaguers to Olympic medalists. I learned how to write a complete article on a three-hour deadline and ask questions not because I'm "supposed to," but because I want to know the answers. These skills have made me not only a more confident reporter; they've made me a more confident person. My internship showed me just how much you can learn from a little league baseball game and I hope my presentation does the same for you.

Wicked Local Reporting: How to Tell Small-town Stories

I spent my summer working as an editorial intern for Wicked Local, an umbrella organization that publishes weekly newspapers in and around Boston. Whether I was writing about a high school graduation ceremony or the debut of a local author, I learned to respect what many consider “fluff pieces” as a valuable public service. I also covered Norwell Selectmen meetings for The Patriot Ledger, the South Shore’s daily paper. This small taste of beat reporting brought it’s own set of challenges, including unfamiliar policy lingo and faster turnaround for articles, but reflected the importance of building relationships with community leaders, and how those relationships should look. My presentation will focus on the lessons I learned while reporting on the communities of Norwell and Hanover.

I'm Not Dieting, I'm Changing My Lifestyle

This summer I participated in my first clinical research experience at Harvard Medical School. I interned in an Endocrinology, Diabetes and Hypertension lab at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. The study I was involved with was called the Heart Health 4 Moms study, HH4M, which was a prospective randomized study of 150 women. The study focused on improving the long-term health of new mothers that have had previous preeclamptic pregnancies, by introducing healthy eating habits and lifestyle choices to these women postpartum. Preeclampsia is defined as the occurrence of a blood pressure of 140/90mmHg or greater and significant proteinuria after 20 weeks’ gestation. Preeclampsia doubles a woman's susceptibility to type 2 diabetes, and makes them four times more likely to develop hypertension postpartum. Under Dr. Ellen Seely’s mentorship, I learned how to review medical records and abstract information from them. I primarily worked with the medical records to determine the clinical characteristics of these women that have experienced preeclampsia and determine the most appropriate tests for women to be diagnosed with elevated proteinuria in their urine. Overall, clinical research provided me the opportunity to directly see how changes in diet and exercise could directly result in the improved health of these women. This clinical research experience was influential in my desire to pursue biomedical research in the future, as I realize the endless potential research holds in advancing medical therapies and treatments.

Local to Global: How Your Cultural Background and Multi-Cultural Education Shape Who You Are Today

As an Educational Adviser intern at the Fulbright Commission in Belgium, helping young European students and researchers achieving their American Dream, I had the opportunity to witness the power of education vividly. Whether it be a high school dropout hoping for a second chance, a soon-to-be Biomedical Scientist seeking for opportunities in the US to further develop her research on GMO, or a freshly minted college graduate from Virginia turning down lucrative job offers on her homeland to teach English for children in Luxembourg, I learned life-changing stories everyday. International education is an essential part of intellectual growth, and proves to be even more critical in the world of globalization today. Throughout the course of my internship, meeting people from different countries and being able to help them from my international perspective, I realized the importance of being a global citizen, breaking through language barriers and cultural differences but at the same time holding your own identity at heart.

A Summer in Neonatal Medicine

The Neonatal Follow-Up Program of Women and Infants Hospital provides a variety of longitudinal assessments and management of clinical care for high-risk infants from birth to seven years of age. The program offers comprehensive care and support for high-risk infants and their families. During the past summer, I worked as an intern alongside physicians, nurse practitioners, psychologists, and nutritionists. Learn about my incredibly rewarding experience with neonatal medicine and how it shaped my plans for the future.

Anxiety Disorders is it because of Your Family?

Worry too much, have sleep problems, or feel too self- conscious? These are just some of the common symptoms of an individual who might have an anxiety disorder. Now you might be thinking: “Wow, I have all these symptoms so I must have an anxiety disorder”. Don’t worry, that’s not always the case. Around 40 million individuals in the U.S. have anxiety disorders and approximately only one third of them get treated. At the Yale Child Study Center at Yale Medical School research is being done to treat children with anxiety disorders by conducting Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) along with other alternatives. As a researcher intern, I assisted with the treatment that specifically targeted children with anxiety and their families. Family accommodation is highly prevalent in families of children with anxiety disorders which is known to amplify the negative effects of anxiety symptoms. I will provide insight on how a mother’s over-involvement during a difficult and challenging task that the child completes may lead to more severe symptoms for the child later on in life.

Let's Watch the Flowers Bloom: Living in a Children's Home

I went in not expecting anything, not even the hope that I could get close to the kids in the short two months that I would live with them. My only thought when I entered this internship was that I would do all I can to support the NGO, the home, and these kids. I didn’t realize how deep I could feel for people I barely knew, but I think you would have fallen in love with them too. The home calls these kids flowers, and when they smiled, they bloomed. My stay at the children’s home (otherwise known as an orphanage) pushed me to reevaluate my social justice perspective and whether or not I truly wanted to enter the field of social work. This presentation focuses on these changes and the greatest lesson I learned: love.

Experiencing Education in Two Settings

How do you teach a child to read? What do you do when a child is falling behind the required reading level? What techniques can be used to help a child who is struggling in school? These were all questions that I faced during my internship. This summer, I interned at a public elementary school and at a month-long summer school program. During my time at the elementary school, I worked with a reading specialist. I learned about reading tests that were given to students and administered a grade-wide exam. I then interned at a summer school program for students who were not reading at grade level. I had the opportunity to work with a small group of students on specific skills they were struggling with. In my presentation, I will share what I learned this summer and how I was able to use the knowledge I have learned at Mount Holyoke during my internship. I will also reflect upon the changes I saw in the students over the summer.

Kings to Queens: The Transformation of Impoverished Youth

As a child, I remember how excited I was for the summer time. It was a period of fun and adventure through summer camp. Going into this summer, I wanted to give the same experience for others like me, so I decided to become a camp counselor in Far Rockaway, an impoverished neighborhood in New York. It was a great opportunity to teach the youth different creative outlets and test my own abilities. We did everything from bringing their imaginations to reality, to learning how to befriend people that are different than they were. Learning comes in different styles and settings. This summer break I got the opportunity to make a life changing impact on the children I watched over. Understanding their diverse backgrounds and their want for success led me to the idea of creating my own nonprofit, “Kings to Queens.” If it had not been for this adventure, I would not know how to fulfill my purpose in life - helping others like me to accomplish their dreams and more.

Creative Learning in Medellin's Second Commune: Claiming Territorial Identity

My summer internship in Medellin, Colombia centered around three major themes: the value of accessible arts and culture education for under-resourced communities, the power of community-based organizations in supporting a city's transformation and most important, the politics of belonging to a territory that is, at the individual level, already yours. How do communities written out of the city's national identity claim territory, community power, and identity? My presentation will be a reflection on how alternative/creative education methods through music, arts, dance, and theater can support a community attempting to heal and reinvent itself while claiming the city as their own.