Author Archives: Chelsea DiCarlo

A Postcard From: Arya Cheng ’19

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Name: Arya Cheng
Class Year: 2019
Major: Anthropology and French
Hometown: Hong Kong

 

Internship Placement: L’Association Pierre Claver
Job Title: Intern
Location: Paris, France

What’s happening at your internship? 

Pierre Claver is a school dedicated to helping the integration of refugees into French society by providing knowledge, resources, support, and friendship. My role as an intern is to provide administrative and classroom support to the organization. More specifically, I have been heavily involved with the organization of the 10-year anniversary event in July. For this momentous occasion, nine former and current refugee students will be performing a classic French play, Britannicus by Jean Racine, on the stage of a prestigious Parisian theater. Over the last month, we have been working intensely on planning and promoting Britannicus. I am specifically in charge of invitations, which has required me to communicate profusely with others in French via email and face-to-face. In the process, I have learned a lot about the implied and hierarchal rules of writing formal emails in French!

Apart from working in the office, I get the amazing chance to participate in the association’s daily courses and special outings, and also eat a delicious Afghan lunch at the newly opened restaurant. So far, I have joined the chorale, the poetry course, the alphabetization French course, and the B2 French language course.

Why did you apply for this internship?

From studying abroad in Paris for a semester and reading the news, I have learned a lot about the hostile and conservative reactions of European countries toward the mass arrival of refugees. I felt completely heartbroken and powerless. … What can I do as merely a student? As a result, I was determined to find an internship in the summer where I could work at an organization that helped refugees. I want to see how I could contribute. Amongst all the other organizations, Pierre Claver seemed the most grounded because it adopts a personalized and holistic approach in helping refugees build a new life in France. The director of Pierre Claver mentioned once, “if one wants to have a future in France, they must also know its history”. This quote essentially summarizes the essence of Pierre Claver’s mission, which is to educate refugees about France, not just its language, but also its culture, history, music, and art. Although Pierre Claver functions primarily as a school for refugees, it is first and foremost a community that cultivates a space for encounters between the French and the refugees. Thus, I hope that interning at Pierre Claver will teach me how to help refugees, and what it takes to build a resilient sustainable community that values respect, mutual aid and diversity.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

It has been absolutely amazing to get to be part of the amazing Pierre Claver community and form genuine friendships with the people. The staff, the professors, and the refugee students are all extremely kind and open. As an outsider, they have accepted me into their community with open arms. Throughout my day, I hear so many different languages, emblematic of the cultural and linguistic diversity of the community that Pierre Claver has created. I hear every day Arabic, French, English, Hindi, Bengali, Pashto, Dari, and Tibetan. I try to learn something of each language, but unfortunately it is hard to keep it in my head. The highlight of my internship so far is definitely being able to help students in the alphabetization course. Although my French is far from fluent and perfect, it feels so good to be able to contribute and help enthusiastic students who are motivated to master the language. In fact, I am constantly inspired and invigorated by the students’ willingness to learn and embrace difference. In the alphabetization, the professor, the students, and I engaged in an interactive discussion, where each of us introduced the languages we spoke, and in turn, each taught the class how to say simple greetings. Although my brain struggled to retain the association between meaning and the beautiful sounding foreign words in Dari, Pashto, and Arabic, it was for me a symbolic moment that captured how one idea or meaning are expressed in so many different ways around the world, and that not one is more just or correct than another. I am extremely lucky to be able to learn from and be part of the flourishing, diverse, and multilingual community that is Pierre Claver. 

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

My initial impression of the internship at Pierre Claver is that as an intern I will have a list of tasks to complete and a strict schedule to follow every day. However, I was just given tasks to complete, without strict guidelines on how I should achieve them. At Bryn Mawr and throughout my life in school, my work was monitored by the comments and advice of my professors. In this work setting, I felt very insecure doing even the simplest of tasks because I did not receive expert opinion and reassurance on each step of my work. The newfound freedom and responsibility were daunting, but in the process the working experience has made me more self-assured, self-disciplined, and comfortable with taking initiative.

 

A Postcard From: Namrata Basu ’19

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Name: Namrata Basu
Class Year: 2019
Major: Mathematics

Internship Placement: MathILy
Job Title: Program Aide

For a part of this summer, I’m working with MathILy (Mathematics infused with levity), a residential summer program for high school students. It takes place on Bryn Mawr College’s campus.

Being a math major at a liberal arts college, this program fits right into that experience. Students from different parts of the country, and the world, come to learn and grow not only as academic scholars, but also as individuals. The program is five weeks of looking at mMath and at life through different lenses, which is similar to what I’ve experienced at Bryn Mawr. It’s not just plugging numbers into a formula or rote learning a theorem; it’s questioning, analyzing, reading and writing!

I’ve always loved math and being in conversations with like-minded people was great. My position is a program aide. My duties include being a residential counselor, supervising and supporting students, managing logistics. All the duties mentioned above relate to the on-campus positions I hold. So, it’s a good opportunity for me to grow in those positions and hone the skills I’ve developed at Bryn Mawr.

I also like interacting with high school students; they are at such an exciting age where they are eager to learn and to try new things. I like the idea of being able to contribute to their learning curves. It’s also nice to see the community we have even if it’s only for five weeks. Bryn Mawr provided me with a community that’s there for me when I’m trying to figure out who I am, and I see that with this program, too. It’s a community of people from different walks of life who want to support you in whatever you’re doing.

This experience has given me the chance to think about life after Bryn Mawr — what it would be like to have a “real” job. It was also interesting to see Bryn Mawr in the summer. It’s a different vibe. Overall, these five weeks have been a huge learning curve!

A Postcard From: Rachel Silverman ’19

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Name: Rachel Silverman
Class Year: 2019
Major: Religion and Sociology
Hometown: Freehold, N.J.

Internship Placement: Keshet
Job Title: Advocacy Intern
Location: Boston

What’s happening at your internship? 

I’m interning at Keshet, a national organization that works for full LGBTQ equality and inclusion in Jewish life. My main focus is on the Massachusetts Ballot Initiative. In 2016, Massachusetts passed protections for transgender people in public spaces, and this November there will be a measure trying to repeal the law. Keshet is mobilizing the Massachusetts Jewish community to stand up for transgender rights and ensure that these important protections remain.

As part of this effort, I am reaching out to and following up with different Jewish organizations and communities in Massachusetts about getting involved in our campaign. My big project will be leading a Jewish Community Canvas Day in July. I am also organizing and moderating a webinar to educate the Jewish community on this campaign and how they can take action. Another project is working with our rabbinic intern on creating a resource that Jewish clergy can use to incorporate the campaign in their High Holiday services—from trans text studies, to ideas for sermons, to alternative rituals they can do to honor transgender lives and commit to trans advocacy.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I am extremely interested in Jewish social justice. Much of this comes from my academics; as a religion and sociology dual major I have learned about faith-based organizing. Last summer, I did a Jewish social justice program in D.C. and interned at a nonprofit where I got to see how faith-based advocacy operates on a federal level. Then, through the LILAC Externship Program, I shadowed two rabbis who are advocates in their communities. This is the kind of leader I want to be, and I now plan on becoming a rabbi and community organizer.

On the last day of my D.C. internship last summer, my supervisor told me that she wants to “fight for people like her.” That really struck a chord in me; I want to advocate for my communities. Our Hillel rabbinic intern suggested that I intern at Keshet; when I found out that an LGBTQ Jewish nonprofit exists, I immediately knew that this was my next step. I am lucky enough to have a rabbinic student and organizer as my supervisor, which makes this experience even more helpful and meaningful.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

I represented Keshet at an event raising awareness for the ballot initiative where Joy Ladin, a trans Jewish professor and poet, spoke. Last semester, I read her memoir for my Queer Religion class at Haverford, so I was extremely excited. I had planned on incorporating her work into my senior thesis, and here she was! I had the opportunity to ask her questions relating to my thesis firsthand, and she told me she’d be happy to stay in touch. What I thought would simply be an interview for my thesis turned into a two-hour very sincere and mutual conversation. I went from being her fan to making a hopefully lifelong connection!

What is most rewarding about your internship?

I love how representing Keshet at events has allowed me to connect with people in the community. The best experience was when I staffed our table at Pride. I held a sign with a rainbow Star of David that read “proud to be queer and Jewish.” I loved seeing people’s faces light up as they saw the sign and ran to my table. Many of them had no idea that a Jewish LGBTQ organization existed, and as I told them about the work we do and ways they can get involved, it was great seeing how happy they were (many were shocked, because like me, many people were brought up thinking Jewishness and queerness were incompatible).

A Postcard From: Rachel Hertzberg ’19

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Name: Rachel Hertzberg
Class Year: 2019
Major: English and Spanish
Hometown: Minneapolis 

Wyck House window looking onto outdoor patio

Internship Placement: Historic Wyck House
Job Title: Collections Intern
Location: Germantown, Pa.

What’s happening at your internship? 

The Wyck House is a small house museum that houses over 300 years of history. The home remained in the hands of one Quaker family for nine generations, and over the years, the family was meticulous about collecting and preserving artifacts for posterity. The house museum has an incredible collection of household objects, furniture, books, and clothing. Much of this collection can only be seen in person—it has very little digital/online presence.

Wyck House interior room with four chairs, sofa and table

Embroidery artwork at Wyck House

This amazing artwork was embroidered by a descendent of the family who lived at Wyck, and it shows the lineage of the family, starting with Hans Milan, who bought the property in the 1680s, and going all the way down to the house’s very last occupants in the 1980s. The border is embroidered with plants found in the Wyck gardens. The entire piece took a decade to complete!

As a Collections Intern, I’m hoping to research museum digital policies to help Wyck begin to formulate its own. In my research of the collection, I also plan to write short articles and blog posts to be made available online, in order to attract interest to the museum, and inform members of the community about the collection’s hidden gems.

Journal and book

Why did you apply for this internship?

I was inspired to apply for this internship by my interest in American history. Last year, I volunteered at another local small historic home, and this experience made me excited to pursue another similar opportunity, but with some more responsibilities.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite aspect of Wyck is its hidden beauty; the house is somewhat hidden from the street by a fence, and no one I have talked to has ever even heard of Wyck! This is something I hope will change in the future, and one reason I believe the museum should have a stronger online presence. At the same time, there’s something special about engaging with historical objects that have been so isolated and preserved for so long. Stepping inside the fence is like entering another world, with its heritage garden and white stucco walls.

Fence and flowers outside of Wyck House Wyck House front door and pink flowers

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

I am living in an apartment in Philadelphia with two roommates. The experience has been an exciting new challenge. I’ve had to learn how to navigate public transportation and stick to a budget; so far I’ve had my fair share of success and failure with both! I’m lucky that my internship has been very flexible with hours and scheduling, so that I have time to explore the city. Being able to just wander around and be a part of the city is an experience that I have not had while living on campus, so I’m very grateful for this opportunity.

 

A Postcard From: Romy Dangol ’19

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Name: Romy Dangol
Class Year: 2019
Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Lalitpur, Nepal

Internship Placement: LITS, Bryn Mawr College
Job Title: Digital Curriculum Intern

What’s happening at your internship? 

I am working as a Digital Curriculum Intern with LITS (Library Information and Technology Services) this summer. It has just been a couple of weeks at work, but I am already involved in new and interesting projects like designing online interactive digital competencies training activities; designing an augmented reality library scavenger-hunt game for students; assisting faculty with seed grants on blended learning resources; and creating and editing Moodle activities.

I have also done research on designing digital assignments. I have organized and managed data on digital competencies that the students have gained in the past summer, and I have learned to create Moodle features like quizzes, lessons for adaptive learning, and feedback surveys. As part of my internship, I have been doing a lot of problem-solving through testing and re-testing. Other interns in the room also volunteer to run and assess the new Moodle activities and give immediate feedback, which is very helpful. We often bounce ideas off one another and incorporate them to create a better version of the model we are currently working on.

It has been a great learning experience so far and I am looking forward to the rest of my summer here.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I was interested in learning more about the digital competencies and also in developing my own digital skills further. In addition, I wanted to explore the different types of technological advances in the education sector and use these tools to create digital content to engage learners.

Was there anything special about how you found this internship? 

I was actually presenting my work from last summer’s internship during our Bryn Mawr and Beyond presentation in 2017. There I got the chance to meet Jennifer Spohrer and share my summer experience as a Data & Strategy intern with her.  After learning about my interests in data and technology, she told me about the LITS summer internship opportunities. Here I am now.

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

I knew coming in that I would learn about project management because of the various projects that I was going to be involved in. However, I did not expect to gain intensive knowledge about managing project constraints, design thinking, planning, and communicating the projects efficiently. These are all valuable skills and I am glad I received the chance to participate in different workshops to hone my skills.

A Postcard From: Connie Chan ’19

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Name: Connie Chan
Class Year: 2019
Major: Chemistry concentration, Biochemistry, minor in Computer Science
Hometown: Somerville, Mass.

Internship Placement: Haverford College
Job Title: Postbac Research Assistant

What’s happening at your internship? 

I am currently diving into a lot of computational tools. There are a lot of quantum chemistry points of view that I am trying to understand because combining physics with chemistry is honestly mind blowing. Add biology and computer science to the mix and you really have yourself a summer full of learning. I am trying to use quantum chemistry to characterize hydrogen bonding in hopes to find a new characterization method that is currently not considered with protein modeling.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I was really interested in learning more about material science after taking a course with the PI that I am currently with. In particular, I am interested in learning more about biomaterials. Rather than being someone who is interacting with patients and seeing to their care firsthand, I enjoy being someone who is capable of improving someone’s health from behind the scenes. I am still trying to understand a balance between what I want to do in the future and what I truly enjoy because it is hard to adult at times.

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

The code and knowledge blocks, but this is all part of the process. While it can really be hard to overcome blocks and move on, when you finally succeed and understand what is going on, you realize how far you truly have come. It’s always hard to put yourself first and truly understand yourself at times when you are faced with a lot of work and challenges, so I hope to also stay true to myself and be happy with what I am doing.

What are three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Adjectives: challenging, rewarding, interdisciplinary

Nouns: quantum chemistry, computer science, protein stability

A Postcard From: Sophia Bokhari ’20  

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Name: Sophia Bokhari 
Class Year: 2020
Major: Political Science and History
Hometown: Egg Harbor Township, N.J.

Internship Placement:  Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the University of Pennsylvania
Job Title: Data Collection Project Lead and Research Intern
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship? 

I am doing research on think tanks and their role in civil society, specifically in the Middle East and North Africa regions.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because an upperclassman at Bryn Mawr referred this opportunity to me. I noticed that a lot of Bryn Mawr students had participated in it, especially students with similar academic interests as myself, so I thought it would be a worthwhile experience.

 Was there anything special about how you found this internship?

I had come back to campus about a week early in the fall. One night, around midnight, I walked into Lusty Cup to print something out and I saw my friend. We ended up talking for a long time about what we did over the summer, and she told me about this internship. I think I probably would not have been so inclined to go after this opportunity had I not heard about my friend’s experience and it may not have been on my radar either.

What are three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Intense. Independent. Inspiring.

Challenge. Leadership. Advancement.

A Postcard From: Nozomi Park ’19

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Name: Nozomi Park
Class Year: 2019
Major: Psychology and Linguistics

Internship Placement: Center for Autism Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
Location: Philadelphia

Regardless of already starting my fourth week as an intern at the Center for Autism Research (CAR), the orientation from the first week is still clear in my memory. In order to help us better understand autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the other interns and I were encouraged to attend Next Steps as part of our orientation. Next Steps is a workshop through CAR, for both professionals working with those who have ASD and families of individuals with ASD. The workshop covered a variety of topics surrounding ASD such as the current understanding of what ASD is, current services and supports available to individuals with ASD and their families, and current ongoing research on ASD.

Coming from an academic background focused on psychology and education, I believed I already came into this internship with a firm understanding of ASD. At the time, I was more interested in the current research surrounding ASD because I understood that the tasks I would performing this summer would be more involved in that area. However, Next Steps exceeded my expectations, introducing panel speakers who were not only made up of clinical researchers, but also had speakers who were therapists, teachers, and family members who are constantly and directly involved with individuals who have ASD. The workshop was not only information-rich about ASD, but it was inspirational with genuine voices of individuals who have struggled with ASD and looked for better interventions to improve the life quality of individuals with ASD.

That doesn’t mean that I wasn’t already motivated to be an intern at CAR. I was initially interested in ASD because of the continuous encounters I have had with ASD from my past experiences in classrooms and programs dedicated to individuals with learning disabilities. Every day of the past three weeks have been interesting as I have had the opportunity to learn about different programs to input and analyze linguistic data such as ELAN and XTrans. These opportunities strongly link both cognition and language and have pushed me to apply the foundations I have built throughout the psychology and linguistic courses I had taken.

Nevertheless, meeting the individuals who were clearly connected to the research I would be involved in and listening to their stories at Next Steps has sparked my curiosity in learning about the faces behind the data that I would work with every day. Each individual that has participated in a CAR study can have their own encounters or lack of encounters with ASD that can be both different and relatable. While this isn’t a profound discovery that I recently found through ‘Next Steps’, the workshop has certainly personalized my expectations of my own internship experience. Most importantly, the workshop has encouraged me to build a network with the professionals at CAR and listen to the variety of perspectives of their different backgrounds with ASD. Attending Next Steps had helped me to better understand and conceptualize my role at CAR.

Learn more about ASD and current research on ASD through CAR’s website, which also offers resources such as Next Steps.

A Postcard From: Ruby Zeng ’20

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Name: Ruby Zeng
Class Year: 2020
Major: Psychology and Music

Internship Placement: Music, Imaging, and Neural Dynamics (MIND) Laboratory
Location: Wesleyan University

As a psychology and music double major, I am very fortunate to be able to explore my interest in music psychology in the Music, Imaging, and Neural Dynamics (MIND) Laboratory under the supervision of Dr. Psyche Loui, the Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Neuroscience and Behavior Program at Wesleyan University. Working in the MIND Lab is a milestone for me to combine my interest in music cognition and practical research experience into one. This is my first time doing music psychology-related research after so many years of aspiration, and it is a great opportunity for me not only to apply my prudence, critical thinking, and research skills to help with the lab, but also to gain more insights on music cognition and neuroscience.

In general, the MIND lab seeks to understand the networks of brain structure and function that enable musical processes, such as auditory and multi-sensory perception, learning and memory of sound structure, sound production, and the human aesthetic and emotional response to sensory stimuli. Specifically, I’m responsible for helping with data processing and data analysis for the Jazz in Creativity Project. We try to unfold the neural processes and connectivity of different domains of the brain that enables creativity in humans by looking at the behavior in jazz improvisation. While there are many different components in the project, such as behavioral measures (e.g. pitch discrimination, divergent thinking) and neuroimaging analysis (e.g. EEG, MRI data), my main work is rating audio recordings of each trial of improvisation for creativity based on a given rubric. Apart from that, I am also helping with EEG data collections in another project that looks that the neural and behavioral representation of the Laurel-Yanny illusion. In addition, we have weekly lab meetings where lab members take turns to present a paper related to music cognition and together learn about cognitive neuroscience through discussion.

I’m glad that I get to experience the life of being a researcher—a life that has a routine, that has a goal to achieve every week and even every day, that is highly self-motivated, and that requires a long-term perspective to really enjoy the repetitive work and to endure times of frustration. Repeatedly listening to hundreds of audio recordings can be boring, but always keeping a bigger picture in mind, and thinking about how my efforts would contribute to the project and hopefully unfold some mysteries about human’s creativity makes me excited about every day’s work and want to know more about this subject. It also makes me realize how much I don’t know, what I need to know, and what I want to know.

Because most of my classes at Bryn Mawr have been social science and humanity, when it comes to hardcore science like neuroscience, physics, math, as well as computing, I have to do a lot of self-teaching and research to understand related concepts and apply them to my work. I also came to realize how useful programing skills are in terms of analyzing data in any kind of research. More importantly, I know I want to take more neuroscience classes at Bryn Mawr, which is a sub-field of psychology that I never thought I would be interested in. I can’t believe I’m already halfway through the internship; I look forward to learning more about this field and myself in the last few weeks!

A Postcard From: Noelle Stockwell ’20

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Name: Noelle Stockwell
Class Year: 2020

Internship Placement: Running Start
Location: Washington, D.C.

This summer I am in Washington D.C. working at a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization called Running Start whose main goal is to get more women to run for elected office. Their work is focused on holding political leadership training for young women in high school and college. So far, much of my work at Running Start has been to prepare for the Young Women’s Political Leadership Program (YWPL). Seventy high school girls from all different backgrounds came to D.C. for the week, and it was so amazing to be a part of their time here.

As part of YWPL, the participants get to spend a day on Capitol Hill and were able to meet with their representative or a member of their staff, and this was hands down my favorite day of the week. It has been my responsibility for the past month to schedule these meetings and organize their groups. Never would I have anticipated being in contact with Congressional offices. Our communication was mostly via email, but sometimes a phone call was necessary. I have never, never, liked talking on the phone, and if I can, I always find a way out of it. I surprised myself by rising to the responsibility and scheduling 60-plus meetings with these high-ranking political figures. It felt rewarding to see all of my hard work paying off, and to hear how excited all the young girls were about their meetings. I had my own group and throughout the course of the day, I got to meet Elizabeth Warren, Nancy Pelosi, and Joe Kennedy III. Not only was it a great experience for me, but I loved seeing how excited my own group was and how confident they were having conversations with members of Congress. It made me excited to see what these high schoolers would do in the future, because I’m sure it will be something amazing.

Noelle Stockwell and Senator Elizabeth Warren

Elizabeth Warren, United States Senator from Massachusetts

Noelle Stockwell and fellow interns with Congressman Joe Kennedy III.

Joe Kennedy III, Congressional Representative from the 4th District of Massachusetts

I look forward to what the rest of the summer will bring now that we are done with YWPL. I know we will launch a large-scale research project in which we will attempt to survey every female state legislator, who number upwards of 1,800. I look forward to hearing what advice they all have for the young women who want to follow in their footsteps.

I look forward to going into work every morning. There’s a large group of 20 interns working in the office in addition to a small full-time staff; I appreciate how much attention is given to all of us. The organization will bring in speakers for us to have lunch with. We’ve already met with the former Executive Producer of “Meet the Press,” Betsy Fischer. We got to participate throughout YWPL, and network, which was a new experience for me. The atmosphere reminds me of Bryn Mawr in a way because I’m part of a strong community of women who are supporting each other and trying to make a difference. I feel like I have learned so much already, and I look forward to seeing how much more I will grow by the end of the summer.