Category: Professional Development

Honors Summer Internship Fellows: Julia

**This is the first post in a series of four posts written by the Summer 2018 Honors Internship Fellows. The students received a stipend that enabled them to work at non-profit organizations for the common good.**

Author: Julia Hammond, junior

Julia and her co-workers take a day trip to the Harriet Beecher Stowe Center to attend a discussion about racism and white supremacy in light of the one-year anniversary of the violent rallies in Charlottesville.

This summer, I was lucky to work at an organization called the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund as the Development and Communications Intern. CWEALF works to advocate for and empower women and girls in Connecticut, particularly those who are underserved or marginalized. They pursue this mission by providing free legal information (including individualized, bilingual community advocacy) and advocating for public policies that support Connecticut’s most vulnerable citizens.

As the Development and Communications Intern, I was able to translate fundraising skills I’d learned at larger nonprofit organizations to a smaller-scale organization with a different donor base. I spent time creating informative and emotionally engaging content for social media and email blasts, as well as taking photos and creating video content for the website. I was also able to write several articles about important events and their policy implications, such as the anniversary of Title IX and the significance of Black Women’s Equal Pay Day.

In the spring of my sophomore year, I worked as an unpaid intern at a larger organization called charity: water, and fell in love with nonprofit work. However, I knew that I couldn’t spend the summer continuing to work as an unpaid intern, so I was incredibly grateful to receive this opportunity; the Honors Fellowship enabled me to learn about a different part of the nonprofit sector and solidify my passion for nonprofit work. Working for CWEALF helped me to see firsthand the difficulties our laws and justice system often present to individuals who face language or income barriers, and it has inspired me to continue working with nonprofits in the future.

Ambassadorial Grant: “Venezuela: Charting the Future”

Author: Santiago Sordo Palacios

With support from the Honors Program, I recently attended a symposium at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service; titled “Venezuela: Charting the Future,” the symposium brought together scholars, policymakers, business leaders, and civil leaders to discuss how the United States, Latin America, and the global community can facilitate economic growth, social peace, and political stability in Venezuela.

I applied for an Honors Ambassadorial Grant to attend the symposium to support work on my  senior thesis, which uses a game theoretical model of political survival to understand why chavismo (the political movement founded by former president Hugo Chavez) has survived in Venezuela since 1999. The purpose of my project is to identify the equilibrium levels of taxation, private goods, and public goods that Hugo Chavez and Nicolas Maduro have selected throughout their presidencies.

As a mathematics and economics joint major, I was prepared to work with the model. However, I did not have the necessary background in Latin American economics and political theory to apply it. Fortunately, at the symposium, I learned about potential data sources, key economic and political developments in Venezuela, and I networked with the panelists.

I thank the Honors Program for awarding me an Ambassadorial Grant and Dr. Barbara Stolz, an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, whom I met through the Honors Alumni Network, for inviting me to attend the symposium.

 

Honors Summer Internship Fellows: Paul

**This is the final post in a series of four posts written by the summer 2017 Honors internship fellows. The students received a stipend that enabled them to work at non-profit organizations for the common good.**

Author: Paul Samson

Paul in front of the AEI building in Washington, D.C.

It’s been said that the “dirty little secret” of Fordham’s Rose Hill Honors students is that they love to learn—not just in class, but on summer vacation, as well. After the Honors Program graciously granted me the Summer Fellowship, I had the funds to further cultivate my love for learning alongside some of America’s top policy experts at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) in Washington, D.C.  Given my previous summers of retail experience, the opportunity to intern at one of America’s top think tanks was an invaluable opportunity that I could not deny.

As an intern in AEI’s development department, I gained knowledge about the donor base fundraising methods, managerial structure, and finances of the non-profit institute. While my responsibilities alone granted me research, computer, and analytical skills, I also had the opportunity to attend weekly intern-only meetings as well as public events with United States Senators, diplomats, and scholars.

Whenever I told my peers and family members that I was venturing to “the District” for the summer, they would tell me something along the lines of, “Brace yourself. Weather-wise, those D.C. summers are intense.” What resonates now, however, is not my constant dehydration in the blistering swamp heat, but my memories of learning and personal development.  My conversations with interns and senior scholars constantly challenged me to reevaluate my opinions on public policy. I am beyond grateful to have received the Honors Summer Internship Fellowship, and my experience sparked a desire to further expand my policy knowledge and to promote civil discourse worldwide.

Honors Summer Internship Fellows: Rosalyn

**This is the third in a series of four posts written by the summer 2017 Honors internship fellows. The students received a stipend that enabled them to work at non-profit organizations for the common good.**

Rosalyn and a cooperative that works with Mercado Global

I am honored and extremely grateful to be an inaugural recipient of the Honors Fellowship. This new program is another indication of the commitment of Fordham and the honors program to supporting the intellectual and professional endeavors of their students. The fellowship enabled me to live and work abroad in Panajachel, Guatemala as the Community Outreach Intern at Mercado Global. Mercado Global is a non-profit that is dedicated to breaking the cycle of poverty for indigenous artisans in rural Guatemala.

Lake Atitlan, where Rosalyn was based

My work entailed keeping track of the donations and fundraising efforts of our network and facilitating donor visits to our office in Guatemala. The most interesting aspect was being a part of the company’s biannual Social Impact Assessment. With the help of local interviewers, the company gathered data on their 200 artisan partners. I learned the demographics of their artisans and witnessed a process that enabled the company to better support the women in the future. I then was able to use this information and other interviews I collected to create a research project about the effectiveness of social enterprises in the lives of indigenous artisans. As a result of this fellowship I was able to live abroad, develop my foreign language skills and learn a significant amount about nonprofit management and the value of research.

Honors Summer Internship Fellows: Lily


**This is the second in a series of four posts written by the summer 2017 Honors internship fellows. The students received a stipend that enabled them to work at non-profit organizations for the common good.**

Author: Lily Patterson

This summer I had the joy and privilege of working at a non profit organization called charity: water as a Water Programs Intern.  charity: water works, through fundraising and implementation of those funds, to bring clean water to people in rural areas all over the world.

The Water Programs team is responsible for working with local partners in the field and ensuring that each donor dollar is used to promote the mission of the organization.  I was given incredible opportunities to sit in on phone calls with potential new partners and complete many other tasks that normally would not be given to interns.

I had worked at charity: water during my junior year in a different capacity than this summer, and while I grew to love c:w I had not been as passionate about my previous work.  I had been looking for a way to come back to c:w in a more exciting role, but it did not make sense for me to work as an unemployed intern in New York during the summer, so I had ruled that out.  For me, the Honors Summer Internship Fellowship came at the perfect time. When I saw the email from Dr. Keller in my inbox I jumped at the opportunity.  I would not have been able to have the experience this summer that I did and be so confident in my desire to work in the nonprofit sector if not for the Honors Fellowship, and I am so so grateful.

Honors Summer Internship Fellows: Olivia

**This is the first in a series of four posts written by the summer 2017 Honors internship fellows. The students received a stipend that enabled them to work at non-profit organizations for the common good.**

Author: Olivia Jones, junior

This summer, I was proud to receive the Honors Summer Internship Fellowship. The fellowship was an incredible opportunity for me, since it allowed me to pursue my dream of working at a nonprofit organization. Many nonprofits only offer unpaid internships, so the fellowship was crucial to my being able to accept the position.

“Pulse of Morning” sculpture outside my office building

I interned with the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM), an international association of reproductive health care professionals, including researchers, practitioners, and clinic administrators.  During my internship, I worked with the Education and Training Department to prepare educational materials for dissemination and prepare for their annual conference. I spent much of my summer reviewing presentations that doctors has submitted to present at the conference, so I learned a lot about medical writing and terminology.

As an EMT with Fordham University Emergency Medical Services, I’m familiar with patient care, but less familiar with all the work that goes on behind the scenes in the medical field. This internship allowed me to explore possible careers in medicine that wouldn’t necessarily be hands-on. I’m excited to continue exploring new career fields as I continue my time at Fordham, and none of this would have been possible without the support of the Honors Program.

Honors at Undergraduate Research Symposium

The Honors Program had a strong presence at the Fordham College Rose Hill 2017 Undergraduate Research Symposium. Honors students from sciences, humanities, and social sciences gave oral presentations and presented posters on their research.

For example, in an oral presentation panel focused on cancer research at Fordham, two of the three presenters were honors students: senior Carolyn Allain (chemistry) and junior Bernadette Haig (physics). Carolyn presented on the angiogenic implications of mutant adenoviral E4ORF1, and Bernadette on innovative Raman spectroscopy for diagnosing head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Honors students spoke in other oral presentation rooms as well, on topics as various as refugee resettlement in upstate New York, Italian silent cinema, and historical trends in the United Mineworkers of America.

Carolyn Allain, senior
Bernadette Haig, junior

 

 

 

 

 

Besides oral presentations, there were also poster presentations at the event. Honors students were highly visible here as well. From a project on counter-terrorism through deep learning to drug delivery vehicles for cancer inhibition, honors student research from this past year was both prominent and exciting. We can’t wait to see what research honors students work on this coming year!

Sara Hurley, Junior
Dominic Fogarasi, senior

Honors Interview Workshop

In the most recent event of the Honors Professional Development series, honors students had the opportunity to practice interview skills one-on-one with trained career counselors. This event came out of the close relationship between Honors and Career Services, and an ongoing commitment to helping honors students both discern career paths and prepare for them.

 

Yianni, a first-year honors student, said that the individualized attention of the workshop was “really valuable,” and that the career counselor he worked with provided him with a lot of constructive criticism and helpful advice, even adding a resume review to the experience. Yianni applied and interviewed for an internship following the workshop, and attributes his success in getting the internship partially to the practice interview experience he had in the honors event.

 

We’re happy we were able to offer this event for the first time this year, and are looking forward to offering it again in the future, and continuing to build our Professional Development series in other ways.

Professional Development Series #1

Sara talked about her prestigious research fellowship in Germany
Sara talked about her prestigious research fellowship in Germany

The Honors Professional Development Series began with Session 1, an opportunity for students to start thinking about their professional development path in college. The event started with presentations and advice by upperclassmen from each of the three broad disciplines of Humanities, Social Sciences and STEM.

 

Marcelle encouraged students to take advantage of Career Services' resources
Marcelle encouraged students to take advantage of Career Services’ resources

MaryKate, a senior Philosophy/Theology major, shared about her internship, leadership and theatrical experiences and encouraged students to do what they are passionate about in college.  Marcelle, a senior International Political Economy major, shared about her summer political internships, and her work at the UN and a smaller non-profit, highlighting skills she gained. She recommended that students take advantage of the resources Career Services has to offer. Sara, a junior Chemistry major, talked about her clinical and research experiences, culminating in a prestigious summer research internship in Germany. Sara encouraged students to make connections with professors in their field.

Cassie Sklarz provided helpful career counseling advice
Cassie Sklarz provided helpful career counseling advice

The second part of the event was a presentation by Cassie Sklarz, the Associate Director of Career Services at Rose Hill. She highlighted the importance of a liberal arts education in the workplace, told students about Career Services’ resources, and shared tips and examples for cover letters and résumés. This part of the workshop also gave students Level 1 access to Career Services resources.

At the end of the event, students were able to talk with Cassie and another Career Counselor. Attendees found the event very useful and are looking forward to the next Professional Development workshop.

~Workshop hosted by the Professional Development Committee of the Student Advisory Council ~