A Postcard From: Katherine Sweasy ’20

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Name: Katherine Sweasy
Class Year: 2020
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Guilford, Conn.

Internship Placement: Kwan Lab, Dept. of Psychiatry, Yale University
Job Title: Research Assistant
Location: New Haven, Conn.

What’s happening at your internship?

This summer I have been learning about brain cell structure, and how it relates to schizophrenia. I have been spending my time analyzing brain cell images. I’ve had the amazing opportunity to assist a postdoctoral associate with his ongoing project in the lab. I mainly analyze the brain images of several different mice with differing experimental manipulations. One of these manipulations, is a mutation of the Shank3 gene that is highly significant to schizophrenia. This gene is responsible for building a protein that aids in neuron development, and mutation of this gene is highly penetrant; it hugely increases a diagnosis for schizophrenia. The second manipulation takes a pharmacological approach. The lab utilizes ketamine injections with the mice, as there is literature that suggests that when injected in mice, it is effective in modeling observable symptoms that are similar to schizophrenia in humans. One of these symptoms, the one that I’ve been focusing on, is hyperactivity in the brain cells, more specifically in dendritic spines. This is a part on the neuron that is heavily associated with synaptic transmission, the mechanism by which neurons communicate with each other. In the experiment, the mice have their brain activity imaged in vivo, while they are alive. I look at recordings of these in vivo brain images through a program in Matlab. As I go through the frames of each recording, I indicate the neuronal spines that are located near the dendrites, which are long white branches in the images. As a brain cell activates and calcium is released, a protein that’s used to visualize calcium releases called GCaMP6 makes the dendrites and its accompanying spine “light up.” Hyperactivity means there is an overrelease of calcium by the neuron, which can be the cause of many brain dysfunctions. Making note of the differences in brain activity between the mice help understand the role of communication dysfunction in schizophrenia.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I’ve been a psychology major since the beginning of my time at college, but only since sophomore year have realized my interest in neuroscience. More specifically within neuroscience, I wanted to learn about neuronal structure and development, and thus sought out to do so in a research setting. I’ve had limited experience in doing research in something that interested me, and so I wanted to see what research in neuroscience looked like, and if it was something I wanted to do more of as a career.

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

When I had come to the lab, I had taken a few neuroscience classes before, but they did not prepare me for the level of understanding needed to comprehend the research going on in the lab. There was definitely a bit of a learning curve as my postdoc and I figured out where I needed more background information. I wanted to be able to understand my role in the research and how his project fit into the research in the neuroscience field as a whole. I got into the habit of asking as many questions as I could, and the experience has definitely influenced me to take more biologically based classes, which I wouldn’t have thought to do before.

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

Definitely not. It required me to have more of a reflective mindset and a self-motivated mindset. From day to day, my job was to repeat the same task over and over, analyzing data set after data set. I was responsible for one small part in a large project, and so I had to really motivate myself to stay with it. In order to get what I wanted out of the internship, I had to reach out to the people around me. My supervisor and PI have been really supportive and great resources for exposing me to other research that is going on and giving me information about graduate school. I was also surprised by how much the environment impacted me. The lab is structured in a way that focuses on the member’s independent projects and so there aren’t many instances of intentional collaboration that I observed. After a while in the lab, I was surprised to realize that having an aspect of collaboration and communication in the workplace was something I really valued and missed at my internship. People have told me that internships are just as important in informing what you don’t like, and that has been well articulated to me this summer.

Diagram of Neuron

Diagram of Neuron

 

A Postcard From: Eunsoo Jang ’20

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I’m a digital curriculum intern working under LITS. Throughout this internship, my partner and I have been taking on three projects. One of them is helping one of the economics professors with making Moodle lessons. From this project, we’ve been learning a lot about what goes on in the back end of Moodle. It’s very interesting because as BMC students, we also use Moodle, but we never see the back end of Moodle. I probably would not have been able to have the experience of that if it weren’t for this project. Also, through this project, I learned to do a lot about troubleshooting because everything was very new to me.

The next project that I’m working on involves the BMC library scavenger hunt. Because there was a lot of problems with accessibility in the previous one, our project was to make an augmented reality scavenger hunt. So we are using software called Aris to help us make this AR scavenger hunt. In this game, we mostly use QR codes. People who have iOS devices can use their own, but otherwise will have to borrow one of the iPods from the library. They will use the iOS device to download the app, Aris, and will go around the library to complete the missions in the game. Also there will be iBeacons that will help them learn information about each floor in the library. While we were making this game, we were deciding which colored paper we would use to put the QR codes. So we put different colored paper in the office where I work with interns, and they voted for what they liked. And the last two candidates were pink and yellow. Below is a picture that shows this.

QR Codes for Scavenger Hunt

Learn more about the scavenger hunt for BMC libraries.

The third project that I’m working on is making interactive content with the topic of digital competencies. The BMC digital competencies are very useful tools for BMC students, but many students don’t know about it. I took a lot of time learning the digital competencies myself and started trying out different ways to make content about digital competencies that could be active and fun. The one my partner and I decided on doing was making an interactive video. The interactive video is about learning all the digital competencies and reflecting on what kind of skills the person has gained or would like to gain in the future. We used a website called Biteable which we used for putting in animations for the video. Learn more about digital competencies.

This internship reminded me of my BMC academic semesters because there was a lot of multitasking to do. I’ve learned so much about communication and reflective practice and am still learning many more things as a digital curriculum intern. I am hoping that this experience would not only help me with my future after graduation, but during my remaining BMC years.

A Postcard From: Gwen Vandivere ’20

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Name: Gwen Vandivere
Class Year: 2020
Major: Philosophy
Hometown: Lewisburg 

Internship Placement: Springboard Collaborative
Job Title: Intern
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship? 

Springboard is a nonprofit focused on closing the literacy gap in American schools. They engage students, teachers, and families in a five-week summer program and an afterschool program during the school year. My internship allowed me to explore different roles in the office such as; HR, sales, operations management, and surveys and data collection. I also got to work with and observe teachers at participating schools while they worked with their scholars during the summer programing.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I wanted to work with children but also have the opportunity to build skills in an office environment.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part about this internship was being exposed to the conditions in various Philadelphia schools and getting to make connections with students as they learned to read.

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

The hardest part about the internship was fighting boredom; there were days when I had nothing to do for hours. In the beginning it was hard to create things for myself because I was unfamiliar with the things that needed to be done.

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

No, not completely. I knew it would be a new experience for me and I would come out of It having learned and grown. But I did not expect it to be both extremely boring some days and very motivating others. I also thought I’d be doing less important things, but I had a big role in the summer process.

A Postcard From: Elizabeth Hilton ’19

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Name: Elizabeth Hilton
Class Year: 2019
Major: Psychology
Hometown: South Orange

Internship Placement: Breakthrough
Job Title: Teaching Fellow
Location: New York City

I have wanted to be a teacher for a long time, and this summer I am getting the chance to begin. I am teaching seventh-grade science in NYC for a program called Breakthrough, that aims to close the achievement gap by providing curriculum enhancement for underserved populations in middle school, as well as help with the high school and college application and transition process. The program runs all the way from the summer after sixth grade, to when you graduate college. This summer, I am a teaching fellow, which has been the most exciting, exhausting, amazing, meaningful, and joyful experience of my life. This means that for the middle school program, I am one of the eight seventh-grade teachers teaching two classes of about 15 students each. Another fellow and I teach science, and we have a blast.

I applied for this internship because I have always wanted to be a teacher and it is important to me that I am part of a solution in fixing some of the many problems that plague our education system. Breakthrough, while it is limited, prepares students to be successful academically. They are 110 percent committed to their students, and it has been an honor to be a part of. By far the best part of this summer has been the students. They are so fun, and it has been such a joy to harness the students’ natural curiosity, and focus on what they are interested in, and bring that out in the classroom. Because of the nature of this program, I also get to do things like eat with them at lunch and hang out during down time with them. This makes the relationship between teacher and student so strong and special. I also have four students who are my advisees, so I get the opportunity to talk about different aspects of life like stress management, school/life balance, and identity.

I am learning so many skills from this internship. The biggest skill I have learned is how to ask questions to students that allow them to connect their own experiences and knowledge to the academic information they are learning. It is no fun to just be told information and write it down. I have worked really hard this summer to find ways for students to meaningfully engage with their learning. Another skill I have improved upon is teamwork. I work with a co-teacher, which has taught me a lot about communication and how to work together. It is sort of like the longest group project ever. We do not always agree, but we always figure it out. The students are the priority and we come together to put them first.

Overall, it is absolutely amazing. I am so happy that I get to wake up every day and go back.

A Postcard from: Amanda Santiago ’19

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Name: Amanda Santiago
Class Year: 2019

Internship Placement: Camp Voyager YMCA Summer Camp
Location: Dover, Del.

Over the past six weeks I have been a camp counselor at Camp Voyager, one of my local YMCA summer camps, in Dover, Del. The YMCA summer camps are a great place for children to spend their summers because they can participate in the following activities:

  • Swimming lessons twice a week
  • Daily swim time
  • A daily lunch and snack
  • Science and nature classes, arts and crafts, and archery lessons
  • Performing arts classes
  • Weekly trips
  • An opportunity to socialize and interact with children in their age groups

I have to admit, it has not been easy; it has taken a lot of adjusting to a brand-new environment. I have worked in school settings before, but never with 150 kids at once. Just as when I arrived at Bryn Mawr, when I arrived to my first day of camp, I was surrounded with a bunch of people from different places with whom I would be working with on a daily basis.

At the beginning, I found it very hard to find a way to fit myself into the children’s lives in order to both implement camp rules and curriculum and make my own observations for my research. A lot of the children at camp come from “unconventional” families, and they have many trust issues with authority figures, and they saw me as another person who wanted them to follow the rules. In the long run, I had to wait for the kids to open up to me. This allowed me to see the importance that camp has for these children. I thought of it as a place parents could leave their kids for the day while they went to work; however, for a good number of the children at camp, it was much more than that: they saw camp as a place where they were safe during the day, a place where they could be children, and not have to worry about issues at home, as well as a place where they didn’t have to think about their next meal.

At camp, all campers are given a free lunch and snack in the afternoon provided by the state of Delaware. They are allowed to take any leftovers home with them. After a couple of conversations with some of the children at camp, I learned that lunch at camp was the only meal they would have until dinner because their parents didn’t have time to prepare breakfast for them or didn’t have the items to make them something. These conversations broke my heart because as a child I was always very blessed to have every meal every day, but for these children, food wasn’t a daily privilege.

This has impassioned me even more to want to purse a career as a social worker. A lot of the campers need help in small ways: they need someone to listen to them and talk to them, and they need help with bigger issues, like needing someone to fight for them, so that their basic needs are met every day. The YMCA is a nonprofit organization that could use a lot more help than what they are given now. Camps could use a breakfast program and a copious amount of materials to better provide for other children. Please consider looking up your local YMCA and finding a way that you can help make a difference in a child’s life.

A Postcard From: Aubrey Donisch ’20

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Name: Aubrey Donisch
Class Year: 2020
Major: Dance and Sociology
Hometown: Minneapolis, Minn.

Internship Placement: Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts
Job Title: Summer Intern and Assistant Teacher
Location: Albuquerque, N.M.

Hello hello from the hot, high desert!

It’s been a great five weeks so far at Keshet (a seemingly popular name for many internship opportunities for BMC students this summer!)—a non-profit center for dance and the arts. Keshet works with the Albuquerque community in several different ways: As a professional company, they employ professional dance artists for performance opportunities, as a studio they work with all ages and abilities, and as educators, they teach movement curriculums in Albuquerque’s juvenile justice facilities.

I have been working on research projects involving the M3 curriculum as well as organizing and compiling national, state, and county juvenile justice data. I have also been working on outreach projects for an Arts and Juvenile Justice Convening happening in August and hosted by Keshet.

In addition to this office work, I have been able to do something that I really love: teach dance.

Keshet is in Summer Camp mode right at the moment, and I’ve taught a modern dance to 14 6- through 8-year-olds. Together, we created a piece that was performed at the end of their camp week. I was told by one of the students that it was “the hardest piece they had to do all week,” so I’m glad I was able to give them a challenge. There was much jumping, leaping, rolling, negative space statues, and imagery of monkeys picking fruit—it was really fun to make.

I was also able to teach some All Abilities/Adaptive dance classes in Farmington, N.M. I went on a three-hour excursion through the mountains with another Keshet teacher, and the mix of dance and incredible scenery really made the weekend special.

I ended up at Keshet through a series of serendipitous events, but mainly because I love dance and arts communities that are truly inclusive and active in community-building and social justice. Keshet’s M3 program, working in juvenile justice facilities and their practice of dance for all abilities shows, to me, the true potential and impact of the arts. Keshet is also very similar to the organization I danced with in Minneapolis from the age of eight, Young Dance, and so it’s very interesting for me to be able to compare and contrast, to learn and to give input.

The biggest challenge:

The totally new location (where’s the water??? I mean, yes the Rio Grande is here and the Sandia Mountains are gorgeous but … I miss lakes, my friends). I’ve never been to Albuquerque, so the elevation, culture, weather, and arts scene adjustment has been pretty … a lot. Not to mention being on my own. It is definitely growing on me. And I would not change anything because being here is just as much a part of my internship with Keshet as being in the office and the studio.

I am learning so much about communication—I am actively trying to up my game in the asking questions department, in feeling confident teaching or instructing, even in having everyday conversations with the staff. Because I’m pushing myself in this way, I’m meeting so many people, creating my own little system of support in this new place.

I love watching the dancers make movement transformations, make discoveries about dance and their bodies and their peers while moving. I’m learning how to combine my interests, passions, and skills. Dance can be a foundation for so many aspects of education and development, which I love and can’t wait to explore more of.

It’s a hard summer, but a good summer!

A Postcard From: Amy Young ’19

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Internship Placement: Philadelphia VIP

If someone asked me to describe my childhood, I would say that philanthropy was at the heart of it. Whether I was offering my time through community service or giving monetary donations to charities that my church supported, I was always encouraged to give what I had. As well as being involved in the church, and charitable organizations like Girl Scouts and the National Honor Society, by the time I was 18, I had lived in 10 different places, spanning states, countries, and continents. This particular aspect of my childhood exposed me to an array of cultures, governments, and economic structures; therefore, I learned at an early age that need was everywhere. It did not take long for me to understand why generosity was so important.

However, during my sophomore year at Bryn Mawr College, my understanding of philanthropy changed. I can recall the excitement hanging in the air that fall semester. All around me, women were lively and carefree; we made fun of the ridiculous things we heard on Fox News and we were eager for the moment we could finally exclaim that this country was being headed by a woman. Finally, America was progressing. Yet, as much as I remember that fleeting, hopeful sentiment, what overshadows it is the shock, despair, and fear that my community and I felt the early morning of Nov. 9, 2016. What unfolded in the following months was a change in my spirit. Suddenly, I was being forced to come to terms with the kind of dismal future that my mother and her family would face as immigrants from Ecuador. I would be forced to watch as my white, wealthy father would continue to prosper while my low-income mother, with whom I had never lived, would potentially lose everything for which she had worked incredibly hard.

What was happening? How did this happen? Why was there so much selfishness and hatred?

I had so many questions. I cried for days and I prayed for weeks. I brooded with anger and I protested when I could. I disowned my religion and devoted myself to compassion, truth, and education. I was not going to sit by and do nothing as the lives of millions of people were now in the hands of a spray-tanned, narcissistic demagogue.

Queue Philadelphia VIP. When I began looking for summer internships, prioritizing a philanthropic cause, I noticed this nonprofit. Their slogan is “since 1981, the hub of pro bono legal services in Philadelphia” and their mission is preventing homelessness, stabilizing families, preserving income, and promoting community economic development for families and individuals who are at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. I was determined to be a part of that cause and I am proud to say that I now am. While I am gaining valuable knowledge and skills at VIP, I love being able to fundraise for, plan events for, and market an organization with such a morally upright purpose. Everyday, I witness a group of inspiring people fight against powerful corporations, laws, and individuals to maintain access to justice; no matter how discouraging this world can be, my coworkers’ persistence teaches me about not just generosity, but perseverance.

Through politics, faith, and the recognition and valuation of my heritage, I have come to realize that philanthropy is not just a moral obligation of mine, it is my purpose.

A Postcard From: Alexis Giron ’20

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Sadie Nash Leadership Project group picture

This diverse group of young, powerful women and trans/gender non-conforming folks have provided so much for me this summer. Entering Sadie Nash Leadership Project, I was not sure what to expect. This is the first time that Sadie Nash uses an intern at the Newark, N.J., site, so I was nervous of being seen as small or an unimportant part of the team or even trying to fit in. Let me tell you, that is DEFINITELY NOT the case! Sadie Nash reminds me of my small Bryn Mawr community. We cover pronouns, diversity, empowerment, etc. I wonder where I’ve heard that before?

The staff have been nothing but wonderful to me. Often times, they thank me and make me feel like one of the most valuable parts of our day-to-day operations. Whether it’s fixing the printer, creating spreadsheets, scanning documents or posting flyers of our events, the staff makes me feel like my work is the best product it can be, because I have worked hard to create these products.

Now, besides all the boring stuff, I have gotten the opportunity to connect with Nashers in a very beautiful way. Most of the time, they have been helping me! Hyping up my style and hair-dos, my creativity, and most commonly, my eyebrows, these Nashers make me feel so confident in myself. One Nasher continuously checks in with me throughout the day, once telling me they “hope to grow up and be like me” (although they are only a couple years younger than me). This Nasher is also a Nasher that I gave the tour to, that helped me learn about this internship, so we go a bit back. Additionally, the deans are so loving and caring. I’ve actually been able to think of them as my friends, rather than just my coworkers.

This place is beautiful and I’m beginning to really fall in love with it.

A Postcard from: Aldercy Lam ’19

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Every morning, I am encouraged to take a moment to think about how I am feeling, why I feel that way, and what I can do to feel my best. Whether it be working out, getting another hour of sleep, or getting a meal with friends before going into the office, this internship is untraditional in the best sense possible. I stumbled upon this organization while I was searching for an internship to do this summer, however, I didn’t expect that I would get way more than a position to put on my resume.

Laptop computer on desk

In the past, I’ve had amazing experiences with nonprofit organizations before, I did things that I loved and I met a lot of people, but in this position I was able to combine my knack for nonprofit work with a special focus on my own growth. My experience this summer has been incredibly transformative. As a rising senior, I’ve been able to appreciate and fully take advantage of the professional and personal growth opportunities this internship has provided me with.

This organization I am working with is called Calm Clarity. It is a social enterprise with a nonprofit side. The founder, who is my supervisor for the summer, uses this organization to teach people about the benefits of mindfulness and how we can utilize being mindful to overcome obstacles in our lives. After quitting a successful role in consulting, she went through a long journey of spiritual awakening, and brought back the idea of Calm Clarity to share with as many people as possible. In addition to founding this organization, she recently published a book in the spring about her story and her teachings.

I feel extremely lucky because I’ve not only attended a Calm Clarity retreat and read the book, but I’ve also been able to gain so much wisdom from the guidance of my supervisor. It’s been inspirational to work with someone successful who comes from a background that is similar to mine. It isn’t often that I meet a Vietnamese-Chinese woman who has made it out of the low-income neighborhoods of Philadelphia.

The work I’ve been doing this summer is focused on the nonprofit side of the organization. Besides from marketing these Mindfulness retreats to professionals, Calm Clarity has a College Scholars Program where they invite first-generation and low-income college students to attend at no cost. As a College Scholar myself, I’ve been working on reviewing and expanding the program by interviewing past college scholars, going through feedback surveys, and getting in contact with universities that may want to collaborate with Calm Clarity. Additionally, I’ve been figuring out ways to improve the social media use of Calm Clarity in order to support College Scholar Alumni and target more students to join. If you’re reading this, follow Calm Clarity on Instagram and Twitter! I promise there will be more content soon. Another exciting project I’m working on is figuring out how to bring Calm Clarity on campus, so be on the lookout for mindfulness clubs and flyers on campus!

A Postcard From: Junyan Duan ’19

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Name: Junyan Duan
Class Year: 2019
Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Nanjing, China

Internship Placement: SMALL Undergraduate Research Project at Williams College
Job Title: Student Researcher
Location: Williamstown, Mass.

Williams College campus

Williams College campus

What is happening at your internship?

SMALL at Williams College is a 10-week program that provides research opportunities for undergraduates in math-related fields. Together with three other undergraduate students, I’m working on two mathematical ecology projects: One focuses on the spread and control of white nose syndrome in bats and the other focuses on ecosystem federalism.

Caused by a fungus called P. destructans, white nose syndrome (WNS) constantly wakes up hibernating bats, and this leads to drastic depletion in fat storage and then starvation-related death before spring. WNS was first detected in New York in 2006 and has spread out in the U.S. Because the rate of disease-induced mortality is so high, ecologists predict that some bat species will go extinct by 2023. As it’s not reasonable to do large-scale experiments on those bats, using mathematical models to simulate the situation is a better choice. We have updated the model and tested several potential control methods suggested by biologists and ecologists according to their data collected in labs.

For the ecosystem federalism project, we focus mainly on disease outbreaks. We developed SIR models to study disease dynamics and to see how different levels of government influence the outcome.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because of my passion for both biology and mathematics. At the end of my sophomore year, I settled my mind to focus on applied math, especially mathematical biology, which is the overlap of the two fields. After going through a list of REU programs, I applied to several that offered research opportunities in mathematical biology (or mathematical ecology).

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

Williamstown is surrounded by mountains and the closest airport is in Albany, which is about 30 miles away. Williamstown is small but filled with fun activities in the summer. Williams College Museum of Art offers free lecture series and music events in July and those talks are always fun and inspiring. Clark Art Institute is an art museum within walking distance and SMALL students often go there on weekends. MASS MOCA is another art museum nearby and it’s a good place to go to as well. Williamstown Theater Festival started around the beginning of July, and this year Matthew Broderick came and performed in one of the comedies.

Williams College Shop

Williams College Shop

SMALL students also organize fun activities such as hiking, movie nights, ballroom dance and game nights.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

Besides what I do every day, such as researching, developing models and analyzing results, going to science lunch and talks as well as math department tea events and talks is my favorite part of this internship. The talks expand my knowledge not only math, but also in various fields such as material science and ornithology. Tea and lunch events allow me to communicate with professors and students and learn more about other students’ research.