SGA's responsible citizenship internships are a 'huge hit'

Thanks to the Student Government Association (SGA), 30 Skidmore students who could not afford to serve in unpaid internships this summer are able to do so after all. They're working in such far-off places as Tanzania, Indonesia, and Alaska and for such diverse organizations as the Brookings Institution, the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants, and the Martha's Vineyard Museum.

These work experiences are made possible by the "responsible citizenship internship awards" (RCIA) that SGA created last spring. More than 120 Skidmore students applied for the awards, which provide $2500 to students who commit to working in unpaid internships.

"Once we began accepting applications, we recognized the RCIA was a huge hit," says Raina Bretan '10, who served as SGA president through May and plans to enroll at Rutgers Law School this fall. "We heard great feedback from students, faculty and administrators alike."

So great was the demand, says Bretan, that SGA requested additional support from the President's Discretionary Fund. "We settled upon 30 lucky winners, each of whom had secured rigorous internships that promoted responsible citizenship and followed an academic or co-curricular interest."

Below are reports we've heard from six current students and recent graduates about their experiences.

Jenna Gersie '10
Interning with: Mote Marine Laboratory 
Assignment: At Mote Marine Laboratory, Gersie's main assignment has been to work along side staff members, interns, and volunteers, monitoring 35 miles of beaches in Sarasota County for loggerhead and green sea turtle activity. Her responsibilities have included data collection, marking of nests, rescuing hatchlings from damaged nests, excavating hatched nests, and office work in support of the program.  See our report

Elana Hazghia '10
Interning with: Outward Bound Center for Peace Building  
Assignment:  Revamping the center's Web site, creating pages in social networks, and researching potential program partners, funders, and conflict assessments of regions such as Sri Lanka, Israel, and Palestine where the center plans to launch new programs. See our report

Geneva Kraus '11
Interning with: Klamath National Forest   
Assignment: Inspect public lands for presence of cultural resources, and record descriptive data about cultural resources including text, photographs, sketches and maps.  At Klamath National Forest, she's working with a team of archaeologists tasked with exploring and documenting the 9,000-year history of human activity in the region. See our report

Katherine Rasche '12
Interning with: Portsmouth Museum of Fine Art
Assignment: Work in marketing, curatorial, and developmental areas of the museum. Rasche is managing the museum's Facebook page and bolstering its online resources. She also is assisting in all curatorial aspects, such as researching and writing artist bios and statements in connection with upcoming shows. See our report

Gabriel Weissman '10
Interning with: Williamstown Theatre Festival  
Assignment: Fully immersive experience will include auditions for main stage productions and various technical aspects of a play.
See our report

Christopher Weigl '11
Interning with: KCK Photography   
Assignment: Work is focused on the business side of professional photography: managing the calendar, updating the firm's Web site and blog, and designing custom photo albums.

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Following are the other 28 RCIA awardees about whom we'll tell you more.

Marta Cuellar Aguilar '11
Interning with: Nueva Esperanza del Norte, Inc.
Assignment: Assist with developing a before-and-after school program and develop a curriculum for a youth leadership project.

Olga Beltre '12
Interning with: Congressman Scott Murphy
Assignment: Research policies, plan events, and provide general support.

Danielle Crickman '10
Interning with: Jewish Book Council  
Assignment: Editing and writing copy for fall issue of quarterly magazine.

Emma Crimm '13
Interning with: Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island National Monument Museums
Assignment: Work with chief concessioner as an environmental advocate.

Elena Cruz-Allen '11
Interning with: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants
Assignment: Create and teach to immigrants a health-related course focused on how to navigate the American health care system. Also: Create a supermarket guide that will help people make healthy food choices.

Rebecca Donner '12
Interning with: The Strategy Group
Assignment: Assist with variety of projects and media relations issues for non-profits and other companies.

Julia Feighan '11
Interning with: Education Resource Center of the Philadelphia Museum of Art 
Assignment: Provide assistance with the Center's Calendar Project.

Suzanne Finkel '11
Interning with: International Rescue Committee  
Assignment: Help to coordinate their home and lunch tutoring programs and their lifelong learning program

Jeremy S. Goldman '11
Interning with: Moon Capital Management, LP    
Assignment: Conduct in-depth analyses on individual companies, focusing on business strategy and operations, cash flow, and valuation.

Jessica Hass '10
Interning with: Corcoran Gallery of Art  
Assignment: Assist with the planning and implementation of the pre-college portfolio development summer program and student exhibitions.

Yahia Imam '11
Interning with: Dartmouth Broadcasting   
Assignment: Design and help implement the complex technical infrastructure that comprises a modern broadcasting facility. 

Hisaya Ishii '10
Interning with: Two Rivers Printmaking Studio  
Assignment: Assist with gallery openings and studio maintenance, provide clerical assistance, and projects as assigned.

Eleanor Kassner '10
Interning with: Ons Plek    
Assignment: Organizing the vacation programming for the Ons Plek girls, including their field trips and educational opportunities.

Jonathan King '10
Interning with: JWM Productions  
Assignment: Assist with transcription of footage, help the associate producers with factual research, and assist in travel coordination in addition to whatever other tasks are assigned during various productions.

Kalu Long '10
Interning with: Northwest Earth Institute   
Assignment: Continue the development of a discussion course in ecological economics and help pilot a NWEI discussion course in Saratoga Springs.

Elizabeth McKenna '10
Interning with:  Congressman Scott Murphy
Assignment: Assist Congressional staff in policy, legislative tasks, constituent services, and administrative duties by working with government agencies and officials, constituents, and other interested parties.

Megan Randall '10
Interning with: WorldTeach Tanzania Program
Assignment: Teach English at a Tanzanian public secondary school for the academic year.

Ian Ritchey '11
Interning with: Three Group
Assignment: Organize and prepare research studies and evaluate results. Create  proposals, screeners, and discussion guides, and analyze data.

Anastasia Rodzianko '12
Interning with: United Russia
Assignment: Work with representatives from different media groups in the presentation of events, help in developing documents on issues in the current media/news.

Annie Roos '12
Interning with: The Archives of American Art  
Assignment: Digitize audio and video and catalog collections.

Paul Russell '11
Interning with: SEP/Sollega   
Assignment: Design and model PV solar installations and develop hardware for the Sollega InstaRack.

Marina Rutherfurd '11
Interning with: Vanity Fair
Assignment: Help writers and editors and assist with Web and blogs.

Sayed Sarchashmah '10
Interning with: U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants    
Assignment: Help refugees from many backgrounds obtain employment.

Jakob Schenker '10
Interning with: Reef Artisans Collaborative Inc.    
Assignment: Assist with implementation of hydrophones, art and culture center and an education camp.

Joanna Schubert '12
Interning with: Brick Wall Management   
Assignment: Provide administrative assistance, Web and graphic design, event planning, and tour management.

Zachary Schwartz '11
Interning with: Lake George Opera    
Assignment: Serve as a marketing, finance, and administrative intern with a special focus on promoting the 2010 opera season.

William Sharry '11
Interning with: America's Voice   
Assignment: Track bills in Congress, conduct research, and assist with blog and Web site.

Michael Silverstein '10
Interning with: RACI at Bunaken Island Marine Reserve, Indonesia Assignment: Develop sustainable livelihood opportunities for residents.

Ritika Singh '11
Interning with: The Brookings Institution   
Assignment: Assist three senior fellows with their ongoing projects, including conducting database researches, attending interviews and hearings, fact-checking and proof-reading drafts.

Alexandra Weinberg '10
Interning with: St. John's Medical Center
Assignment: Work in the primary care unit of the clinic, assisting nurses with patient care, and administrative work.

Giulia White '11
Interning with: Ani Lee, LLC  
Assignment: Assist with spring 2011 Overture lines. Help plan events to promote the line with a New York PR firm.

Darren Wilson '11
Interning with: OFA Alaska   
Assignment: Adopt a Voter Program Coordinator responsible for the training and coordination of volunteers and state-wide events.

Spencer Xingjian Dangzhi '11
Interning with: Friendship Charity Association in China  
Assignment: Manage community development project and provide technical expertise.