Skidmore-funded summer projects span the globe

Katie Cuthbert '16, with degrees in environmental studies and education studies, is interning this summer for the Northeast Organic Farming Association in Vermont, where she weeds, teaches, and brings free meals to kids. She is also learning how small-scale agriculture really works.

Sanjana Gothi '17 is working at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and learning firsthand that "if the 20th century of museums was about collecting, the 21st is about civic engagement."The art history major is happy that she's found a place where she has a "sense of belonging and my talents and passions converge."

Dan Lesko '17 is at the Joint Institute for Lab Astrophysics (University of Colorado, Boulder), where he's looking at the changes in rotation of slit, jet-cooled molecules (-253 deg C, -424 deg F) when they absorb light and vibrate. Says the chemistry major, "Research is tough because it seems that you are always encountering problems, but the challenge is extremely rewarding. Getting to observe a signal is the most rewarding thing imaginable."

Blair Warren '17 is volunteering in Kathmandu, Nepal, at an orphanage and disabled children's home, where she helps with homework, plays, and helps prepare meals. She also teaches English to Nepali women. The psychology major says the "highlight is the people of Nepal. Everyone is so open and kind, welcoming me into their world. Working with them is an honor."

Having already interned for the Saratoga Springs Planning Department, Lincoln Lin '19 is back home in Jiangshan, China—he's comparing municipal planning in the US and China. The business and international affairs double major says the biggest difference is that the Chinese government can dictate business property locations.

These students are among more than 70 who received financial support this year through the College's summer funded internship program, supported annually by gifts from Skidmore's alumni, parents, friends, and Student Government Association. New sponsors this year are the Parents Fund 2017 and the Thorne Award for first-generation students.

Settings range from financial institutions and businesses small and large to hospitals, schools and universities, museums, nonprofits, and government agencies. Go here for a complete list of 2016's internships.

"The importance of doing an internship before graduating from college cannot be stressed enough,"said Penny Loretto, associate director of career development. "Employers prefer new hires who have completed internship or co-op experiences. And according to a recent national survey, employers made full-time job offers to 65% of their interns."Loretto says more than 60% of Skidmore students participate in at least one internship, and that doesn't include student-faculty research, service learning, or volunteer experiences.

The value of integrating academic work with professional life is reflected in Skidmore's new 2015–2025 strategic plan, which has an explicit goal of expanding funded summer experiences with the hope that every student will take advantage of at least one before graduation.