by lhandler | Dec 10, 2020 | Internships, Student Perspective |
By Sophie Schleifer ’22 My name is Sophie Schleifer, and I am a junior Economics Major and Visual Studies Minor at Haverford College. This past summer I had the wonderful opportunity to intern with GoodCompany Ventures, a non-profit accelerator in Philadelphia, where I worked on developing ImpactableX, an impact measurement and analytics service for early stage social and sustainable ventures. Echoing many of my peers’ experience, my internship was completely virtual – in fact, in an entirely different time zone! Despite the inability to meet my coworkers in person, I still had an immersive experience and developed many valuable relationships with incredible individuals. My work with ImpactableX combined my passions for sustainability and social justice with business, and I met many inspiring change makers and entrepreneurs from whom I learned a lot. Over the course of this internship, I developed a deeper understanding of the intricacies and behavior in the impact investing space, while simultaneously gaining valuable start-up experience. Throughout this internship, I was challenged to think innovatively and independently in a range of different positions and tasks behind the scenes of the growing startup. I designed new graphics every week, from externality charts to a visualization of a vegan burger’s water scarcity impact. I learned through practice how to cultivate a brand as well as create clear and educational infographics. I also wrote several articles on topics regarding ImpactableX methodology and impact monetization as well as the greater “social return on investment” market. This project definitely challenged me to understand on a deeper level the history and evolution of impact investing in order to coherently inform founders and...
by Jennifer Barr | Oct 16, 2020 | Career Exploration, General, Internships, Student Perspective |
Daniel Paredes ‘22 Funding Source: Whitehead Internship Program “We are real estate developers who do things differently.” Hello! My name is Daniel Paredes ‘22. and this summer, I worked remotely interning with Shift Capital through the Whitehead Internship Program. Shift Capital is a real estate firm in Philadelphia that dedicates themselves to the mission of long-term self-sufficiency, safety, prosperity, and quality of life for underserved residents in the Kensington neighborhood. Shift actively battles against negative effects of gentrification: displacement, unemployment, and inter-generational poverty through thoughtful real estate development and other measurable social and economic impacts. Last year, I worked at my hometown’s park conservancy as a summer intern. Since then, I’ve grown an interest in seeing firsthand how working with community and property can result in economic development and sustainability. This being said, working with Shift Capital this summer sounded like a perfect fit for my next endeavor. I have been working under Bob Kupsch, the director of property management. I had the pleasure of meeting the property management team in person earlier this year after my interview, but in light of the pandemic, my internship had to be conducted online. At the very start of my internship, I was given my own credentials to log into AppFolio, professional property management software, to view and access Shift Capital’s entire real estate portfolio. As someone who has never signed a lease, let alone know what a REIT is, I was excited to familiarize myself with the inner workings of the real estate industry as close to the ground level as one can virtually be. Although my internship is being conducted...
by lhandler | Oct 7, 2020 | General, Internships, Student Perspective |
By Valentina Moreno ’22 Funding Source: Whitehead Internship Program Somehow in the midst of an unprecedented global pandemic and a border-transcending civil movement, HCIF managed to make my summer experience incredibly fulfilling. I am overwhelmed with gratitude for an organization that adopted me as soon as I got on my first zoom call. The pandemic forced me to move to the UK at the start of the summer where I worked remotely for the majority of my internship. I was separated from my coworkers in a very literal geographic sense and distanced by my drastic time zone difference. Nevertheless, I have never encountered a more welcoming and inspiring group of individuals. If HCIF has taught me anything, it is that there is no need to compromise on what you value in a job. I never had to sacrifice mission and social justice for intellectual rigor and I never had to give up my own mental health and happiness to do well at my job. Essentially, I learned that even as an intern who has yet to graduate, I have access to incredible opportunities. To any future Whitehead applicant, I guarantee that an internship at HCIF (even a remote one) will result in unparalleled personal and professional growth. Prefacing a more detailed account of my time at HCIF, I want to begin by acknowledging the exceptional mentorship of Claudette Fonshell. Claudette is in charge of overseeing Whitehead interns, she continuously made me feel included, comfortable, and challenged by the work I was assigned. I never felt lost or overwhelmed during my internship in large part due to her sustained attention and her...
by lhandler | Sep 23, 2020 | Career Exploration, General, Internships, Student Perspective |
By Sean Mowatt-Larssen ’22 Funding Source: Whitehead Internship Program When I first received my offer from Valerie Wilson Travel, I was originally planning on being an Accounting intern, living and working in NYC. Little did I know that not only would I be doing the internship from my living room in Houston, but also that my position would change to Marketing. As an English major with a passion for writing, I was thrilled! Although I would not be able to learn new Accounting skills, I know that any opportunity to explore where my passions lie is vital for eventually being able to choose a career that I love. Going back a few months and thinking about the work I completed to land an internship, I have a couple of quick tips for future Whitehead applicants, or for any internship seekers, on how to be prepared and confident. Through the Sophomore Resume Initiative, I was able to receive amazing guidance from the CCPA on my resume, which helped me to put the right foot forward early. Seniors, juniors, and even other sophomores shared recommendations for resume editing as well. Before actually getting started on writing any applications, think about how you can portray yourself to leave the reader wanting to talk to you more, then begin to outline your own journey, passions, and goals for the summer. In order to feel confident in an interview, research the prospective company’s websites and profiles and think about how their mission connects to the schoolwork that you enjoy so that you are able to display genuine interest. From the first minute of my...
by lhandler | Sep 17, 2020 | Internships, Job Search, Student Perspective |
By Noha El Toukhy ’22 My summer internship was split up into three main parts: (1) SPSS, (2) CBT skills and (3) Virtual Therapy Sessions. When I first found out that my internship was going to be virtual, I was certain that this new virtual experience would not meet my expectations for the summer internship. However, immediately on my second day, I noticed that perhaps this virtual option was a great blessing in disguise. Had I met with my colleagues in person, perhaps I would not have been able to dive into the SPSS program in as much detail as I was able to do this summer. SPSS, which stands for Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, is an online program used for complex statistical data analysis. Through this internship, I learned how to transpose information in Excel to paste the cell contents in SPSS. I also learned a lot about Anova, T- and F-Tests, as well as comparing means functions. These tests are so interesting to work with. Furthermore, my internship allowed me to learn the various Cognitive Behavioral Skills, which are based off of Martha Lillian’s CBT handbook. I spent many hours learning about Emotional Regulation Skills, and their effects on the orbital prefrontal cortex of the brain. Meditation, Art Therapy and Yoga are all examples of emotional regulation skills and seeing their effects on FMRI scans was incredibly interesting. Learning about these skills is essential to my career goal of becoming a clinical psychologist. After learning about SPSS, and educating myself on the various CBT skills, I started to virtually join some psychologists therapy sessions. This...
by Amanda Dennis | Jul 30, 2020 | Student Perspective |
By Ellie Keating ’23 Funding Source: Smart Family Communications Internship Grant My name is Eleanor Keating and I am a rising sophomore; I am interested in Political Science, Spanish, and Environmental Studies. Two years ago, I was volunteering for a “Get Out the Vote!” shift at Montclair State University, my hometown’s local college. I randomly met the candidate Mikie Sherrill, the woman who I was campaigning for, canvassing in a Starbucks on my way home. She saw my “Mikie Sherrill for Congress” shirt, thanked me for all the hard work I was doing, and told me to keep an eye out for internship opportunities in 2020. I did as I was told, and this summer I am interning with Mikie Sherrill for Congress, made possible by the Smart Family Communications Internship grant. I have had an outstanding time and gained valuable experience in a communications environment so far interning with Representative Sherrill’s campaign and office. This furthered my interest in pursuing a Political Science major at Haverford College and a political communications career beyond Haverford. I was planning on my experience including a 20 minute commute from home in the campaign office but then it became completely remote in late April due to COVID-19. Starting out, I was a bit overwhelmed and confused because there was a lot of information, but not a lot of structure. Since then, I have made new friends, connections, and created a weekly routine for myself which has been both productive and fun. It has not been nearly as difficult as I expected to build personal relationships with in-district as well as national staff...
