How I spent my summer internship

Jessie Kavana '12
As promotions coordinator for the
Hudson Valley Renegades, Jessie
Kavana '12 assisted in sales and
helped to make each game
entertaining. More photos below.

September 13, 2012

From South America to Africa to Saratoga Springs, 63 Skidmore students had internship experiences this summer that many called “life changing,” “amazing,” and “confidence-building.”

Here’s a small sampling:

“I don’t think I could have found a better internship for myself,” Staub said. “I was able to practice my Spanish every day, have an inside look on how to manage a fairly new NGO, learn about immigration laws, and develop strong friendships with the people I worked with.”

“One of my biggest takeaways from this internship is the importance of passion,” said Marte.

Differing from Skidmore’s SEE-Beyond experiences in their focus on enabling students to develop industry-specific abilities, these internships were support by diverse funding sources, including donations from Skidmore alumni, parents, staff and friends; the Student Government Association, Parents Council, and President’s Advisory Council; and the New World Foundation in New York City.

  • Jennifer Parke '12 immersed herself in Peruvian culture by working with Arariwa, a microfinance bank committed to rural development.
  • As promotions coordinator for the Hudson Valley Renegades, Jessie Kavana '12 assisted in sales and helped to make each game entertaining, an experience that really helped to boost her confidence, she says.
  • Working with The Door, a nonprofit agency for runaway and homeless youth in New York City, Julia Pichardo '14 found "the experience really helped me understand what it's like to be homeless."
  • Kelsey Yam '13 coached soccer and developed course curricula for Soccer Without Borders in Kampala, Uganda, an experience she called "life-changing."
  • Marcos Luna '14 (far left) handled outreach and administration for a campaign initiated by the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development to encourage fathers to take their children to work. The experience, he says, taught him to better appreciate the needs of others.
  • Eden Dotan '13 took on a range of assignments for Seeds for Peace, a nonprofit based in Saratoga Springs that provides vegetable and flower seeds, as well as garden tools, to war- and weather-ravaged people around the world. Just one of her jobs: staffing a booth at the Saratoga Farmers' Market.
  • As a summer fellow with the Roosevelt Institute, Jean Ann Kubler '14 helped develop a new discussion series about the responsibilities of both government and citizens in a democracy. Among the highlights of her experience: Meeting journalist Amy Goodman with "Democracy Now" and attending a taping of "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
  • Working in marketing with the Provincetown (MA) Film Festival, Nikki Beuscher '12 "helped to get out the word out about this amazing little cinema in a bustling town," she says. And her experience turned into a job as co-manager for the off-season.
  • Working in Guatemala on a project led by the University of Arizona, Angela Cascone '12 assisted in collecting health data and in mapping the local community. The experience "bolstered my confidence in my abilities to do field research abroad," she says.

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