Recently in Profiles: Internships Category

My name is AnneLiese Nachman, and I am going into my Junior year at Penn State, University Park. This summer was the first time I had an internship experience, and it went quite well. One day a week, I went to the Public Broadcasting building at Innovation Park to work with Diane Espy, who is a Senior Producer and Director for WPSU.

I helped her with her Beekeeping 101 project, which is an online course being offered by Penn State World Campus this Fall. I was able to see the ins and outs of making an online course equipped with video footage of a bee farm, and commentary by the two Penn State Cooperative Extension educators who are teaching the course. I met one of them, Tom Butzler, at a call-in show that I helped with at the WPSU studio. The show -- called "Get Your Garden On!" -- was hosted by Patty Satalia, whom I met afterwards. It was a lot of fun being in the control room for the live show. I was in charge of intercepting emails and Tweets of viewers' questions and sending them on to the teleprompter for Patty to read. It was an exciting experience!

I was able to go with Diane's film crew on a number of video shoots.  We shot some footage in State College for Beekeeping 101 'B-roll" of people browsing the course.  I also went to the Conewago Creek in Elizabethtown, PA, where we recorded student interns from the Conewago Creek Initiative doing a stream bank assessment in Hoffer Creek. Once we finished our shoot at the creek, we visited a local farm to get footage for Conewago Creek Collaborative Initiative, a showcase watershed effort video that Diane is working on for Kristen Saacke Blunk in the Agriculture and Environment Center. By attending these video shoots, I have learned a great deal of what is involved in doing a live, outdoor shoot.

I do have an interest in videography, though it is not my major. I have made a few videos for class and for fun, but this internship is really eye-opening as to the way film is done professionally. I am able to explore all of the different jobs that go into making a video, from the very detailed job of video editing to being a producer.

My internship allowed me to learn about jobs and opportunities that I would never have known existed had I not taken this internship.  We always hear of jobs that people expect you to choose from, such as being a doctor, lawyer, or a teacher. No one ever tells you that you could be a cruise line director, a video editor, or a person who decides what color the buttons should be on a new control panel for an aircraft. I am on an expedition to find all of these unique jobs that no one ever talks about, and interning has proved to be a very good research method. My search started here, and who knows where I'll end up interning next!  

One of the most nerve-racking challenges every college student must face is finding a worthwhile career after graduation. In today's tough economic climate, the competition can be stiff. Events like Fall Career Days give Penn Staters a chance to connect with potential employers and find out about their hiring needs, but to be successful at these kinds of events, where you're competing with hundreds of your fellow Penn Staters, you should do some pre-event preparation. Today, I offer my advice on how to convince an employer that you are in fact the right fit for that dream internship or career. I largely credit successful career fair networking for the two internships I've completed with New Pig Corporation, so I hope that you can learn something useful!

I am spending very little time discussing appropriate attire and appearance.  This is NOT where you want to stand out from the crowd; be sure to look the cleanest, sharpest, and most professional you possibly can.  Try to dress like the best looking business executive you've ever seen.  Enough said.

Even though you may only spend an hour or two at the career fair speaking with recruiters, the process is in fact much more detailed if you actually want a job.  As countless other career resources will say, be sure to research each company you plan to visit and take some detailed notes.  I recommend listing a brief summary of the company, noting what they list as major accomplishments and why they think they are a good company.  This will be a talking point for something I will bring up a bit later. 

Most importantly, make a (potentially hefty) list of bullet points that portray your value to their company.  You may be the brightest political science major ever who will someday sit on the Supreme Court, but a financial services firm will tell you to take a hike.  Think of your skills and education as a brand that requires effective marketing and salesmanship to succeed.  Sell your brand by knowing the product (yourself), why it will work best for the company, and precisely how it can outperform other products (the kids standing behind you in line to talk to the same recruiter).   Remember: this bulleted list will be different for each company you visit.  Lastly, prepare at least two or three thoughtful questions to ask the company representative, even if you may already know the answer.  Curiosity and a will to learn are huge and will only help you.

This next piece of information is the most crucial to landing your job, in my opinion.  It's not something many career services professionals will mention often.  Heck, it doesn't even have anything to do with your education or experience.  What seems to work wonders is the simple ability to talk with recruiters like normal human beings as opposed to being sweaty-palmed robots extending résumés as fast as they extend handshakes.  These poor souls have to stand at a booth for 8 hours, regurgitate the corny company mission and history they heard when they were hired themselves, and then listen to nervous college students go through their rehearsed routines like clockwork: "Hi, I'm _____ and I'm a _____ studying _______.  Here's my résumé; what can you do for me?"  I like to go to the BJC when things slow down a bit and it's not a madhouse, but not so late that the recruiters are staring at their watches for the last hour counting down until they can pack up the booth to leave.  Approach the person confidently but with a humble smile.  Then simply go on with a tiny bit of small talk such as: "Hi there!  I'm Luke; it's great to meet you.  So, did this place get busy today?  How was the food?  I thought it looked pretty tasty."  Talk about anything that you feel is suitable to the personality of the recruiter.  Make her laugh if it seems appropriate, or keep it at "hello, how was your day?" for someone who looks a bit sterner.  Regardless, don't let the small talk go on forever.  You're there for a reason and having casual conversation is only a smooth segue to getting down to business. 

Here is when you may pull out your research and résumé to say something like, "I was checking out your company and thought that ________ is really interesting.  Could you tell me more about it?" (Keep eye contact, listen intently, pay attention) "Wow, that's cool.  I actually did something very similar for a class I had last semester."  There you have it.  You're officially "in" with the recruiter and viewed as, at the very least, a person they wouldn't absolutely hate to work with on a daily basis.  Now it's up to what your brain has been capable of in the classroom and in previous work environments.  If you can essentially just elaborate on your résumé, you're home free.  Don't get discouraged if companies are not immediately interested in you.  They are ultimately trying to make money, so if you won't bring profits, they will pass on you.  The point is to try this method on many firms so your chances of success greatly increase.  Have no fear!

Thanks for reading this lengthy post in addition to my previous entries this summer.  It's been a pleasure writing for LAUS and I truly hope I could provide you with useful help or at the very least a bit of entertaining insight.  Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments at ldp5042@psu.edu.  I am happy to speak with anyone and everyone.  Finally, don't forget to go out there and show the world who we are and what Penn State is.  Best of luck in everything you pursue.   

It is only fair to you, the reader, for me to begin by making you aware that the title of this entry is quite misleading.  First, it implies that my days at my summer internship with New Pig Corporation are typical or mundane.  The title also pegs me as an intern who works directly with the methods that deliver products to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible.  While both descriptions are occasionally true, they are not sufficient.  Instead, I have provided an informal look into one of numerous plausible days as an intern at New Pig:

7:15 A.M. - Drag myself to the company gym and sculpt my beach body for the ladies.

9:00 A.M. - Drive to the other end of the company campus where the warehouse and traffic office (mine) are located.  Log in, catch up on email, open MS Excel/Access in addition to internal software applications, and definitely do not quickly check Facebook and Twitter (shhh).

9:15 A.M. - Depending on the status of my project(s), either continue collecting and investigating data or check in with my supervisor to discuss my next objectives.  My long-term goal is to identify sources of profit loss in the entire order fulfillment process and develop solutions to these problems.  Thus far, I have collected a sample of data from 2011 and analyzed it to find missed profit opportunities between what New Pig representatives have charged customers for shipping and what the carriers themselves have billed New Pig.  I am currently putting the finishing touches on a numerical demand-based analysis for inventory optimization in our Reno, Nevada, warehouse.

10:00-11:30 A.M. - Either continue my assignment or attend a meeting.  Often times I am meeting with my boss to review my work and discuss what to do next.  This project is very fluid and can change directions at any moment.  I enjoy being able to have a significant say in what I think are the most valuable subsequent actions in the process.  Other days, though, I meet with colleagues from my previous internship (also with New Pig) to keep in touch and maintain important relationships within the organization.
 
12:30 P.M. - Lunch time!  I usually eat at my desk and take a few minutes to read news, listen to music, and develop my LinkedIn profile (connect with me).
 
1:00 P.M. - Resume or begin working on the most current phase of the project.  Later this week, I will begin work on a cost/benefit analysis of opening a new warehouse in the Midwest.  This particular job incorporates many of the techniques any senior economics student at Penn State would have learned up to this point (theory of the firm, cost curves, regression), so I am looking forward to getting started. *A quick side note: While it may seem like I get a heavy workload, it's only because I ask for one.  I would encourage any intern not to be afraid to say something such as, "Here's that report you wanted. (Briefly explain results and observations).  It seems to me like it might be worth looking into ________ next.  What would you suggest?"  Every bit of effort will only benefit you later.

3:00 P.M. - As things begin to wind down around the office, I will often grab some coffee and sit down to observe my coworkers so I can gain exposure to the nuts and bolts of logistics.  They perform vital tasks that get items to the right customers in the fastest and most cost-effective way and serve as a liaison between New Pig and transportation companies.   My supervisor emphasizes that this is learning experience as much as it is work experience.

4:00 P.M. - Finish working on data.  Make a list of objectives for the following day.

5:00 P.M. - Leave for home.

I could probably write a different one of these every day for two weeks and it would never be the same. Hopefully this puts to bed the notion that interns can't be trusted to do valued work for a firm.  My next post will be a proven effective guide for the Career Fair.  I'll talk to you then!

Happy summer!  My name is Luke Patterson, and I am a senior earning a B.S. in Economics as well as a proud member of our university's Blue Band.  I am excited to tell you about my second internship at a serious, industry-leading organization with a not-so-serious name.  Here is a brief overview of my journey to working at New Pig Corporation again.

New Pig sells and manufactures a catalog of thousands of products intended to make workplaces clean, safe, and efficient in countries all over the globe.  They are world-renowned for virtually flawless order fulfillment and logistics, award-winning, innovative products, world class customer service, and marketing efforts that have drawn both accolades and criticism alike (check out our website).  You can spot the New Pig logo on boxes of absorbent wipers equipped on all CATA buses, and their large, hydrophobic booms, which absorb oil but not water, helped in the recent BP oil spill clean-up efforts. 

As most students are, I was very intimidated by my first internship search because I knew that experience would be vital when competing with business/quantitative majors in the post-graduation job market.  A relative suggested I visit with New Pig at the spring career fair held in the Bryce Jordan Center because she always heard about how much people love to work there (it's true; here is a fun product video I got to be a part of).  Upon discovering that they were looking for a market analysis intern with essentially my exact credentials, I paid them a visit and, after about a month-long hiring process consisting of a phone interview and on-site interview, I was hired onto the Product Development team.  I proceeded to establish a company-wide pricing system for their most profitable product line (absorbents) that is still used today via competitive market research and numerical analysis.  This facilitated conversations over the past year that eventually led New Pig to hiring me again this summer, and I am using my skills with heavy data loads to identify profit losses in the logistics system and suggest improvements.

While I will be saving the greater details for future entries, I would like to point out how important my well-rounded Liberal Arts education has been to my work. My colleagues are very impressed with my ability to not only analyze and manipulate tons of data, but more so the way I can then communicate my findings effectively in a way that everyone can understand.  I credit Penn State and the CLA for my success and setting me apart from others with perhaps a more limited background.

Stay tuned for more posts about my internship at New Pig as well as my tips for success at the career fair!

 

This is my third and final blog entry regarding my internship in Washington, D.C., with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in the fall of 2011 (my previous blog posts can be found here and here). I still consider it to be one of the greatest professional experiences I've ever had.

From returning phone calls to charging parties (those who have pending cases with the agency), to keeping records and notes regarding individual cases in our electronic software system, to conducting over the phone preliminary interviews, to potential new charging parties, one day in the office was never the same as another. At times, it was exhausting, but always enjoyable!

It was helpful to have a good idea of employment law and practice prior to the internship, but much was learned during it as well. I took an employment law course at the same time, so that worked out very well. It's important to note that my internship dealt strictly with federal anti-discrimination laws and cases. Wrongful termination and other laws, particularly state and local laws, are not part of what the EEOC enforces. It was surprising to learn what was legal and what was not. It was also interesting to learn that not all "discrimination," in its purest sense, is illegal on the federal level. 

As an intern in such a position of influence, I, along with fellow interns, had a considerable amount of discretion in how cases would be handled, rated and ultimately passed on to investigation or mediation. We also had the power to dismiss cases if the merits were considerably weak or the issues weren't under the agency's jurisdiction. For instance, claims arising under the Family and Medical Leave Act fall under the jurisdiction of the Department of Labor, not the EEOC. We had to refer them appropriately.

The office staff was great! They were helpful and fun to work with - literally like one big work family. As interns, we were welcomed and made to feel included at all times. This made a huge difference in the experience. We also made friends and were able to use people we worked with as references for future opportunities. Such an experience was truly priceless!

The EEOC safeguards civil rights in the workplace in the United States. Its role continues to change and grow as new laws are passed. I gained tremendous respect for the agency and its mission while I was there, and the knowledge acquired and experience gained was unlike any other. I will forever be proud of my work there and grateful for the chance to be part of protecting civil rights for those in the workplace. As my office's deputy director told me on my last day, "Come back and visit - you're part of the family now."

I'd especially like to thank Mindy Weinstein, acting office director, and Cheryl Mabry-Thomas, acting deputy director, for granting me the chance to be a part of the EEOC's Washington Field Office. They, along with everyone else there, will always have my greatest respect and deepest gratitude.    

 

The Center for Global Studies (CGS) at Penn State is dedicated to the growth and support of global studies. The center engages in various outreach activities in which I have been very involved with this semester as an intern. One of the most exciting events, in my opinion, is our World Stories Alive! Tales in Many Tongues program, where guest speakers read stories in their native language to the children of the community and their parents. This is a weekly event and we have an average turnout of fifty people, which is relatively high for something of this nature. I believe that exposure to foreign languages at a young age is crucial, and this is an amazing opportunity the center provides for the community.

Another outreach event is the annual teachers' workshop, which allows local K-12 teachers to participate in a day-long workshop where they learn methods to include global studies in their curriculum. Moreover, the CGS hosts various lectures relating to global studies at least once a week, where speakers come not only from Penn State, but from universities across the state and country.

The highlight of my internship experience was this year's Touch of Culture event. On Friday, March 23rd, the Center for Global Studies partnered with the Young Scholars of Central Pennsylvania (YSCP) to host the charter school's annual Touch of Culture event. This year, the focus was on Eastern Europe. Countries including Moldova, Poland, Romania, Russia, and Ukraine were represented through traditional song, dance, garb, and food. The program consisted of a presentation on Eastern Europe, Russian poems, songs, and folktales, a Romanian poetry reading, piano performances, a raffle, and a buffet style dinner. Some dishes prepared were deruny (potato pancakes), Moldovian potato salad, Moscovite beet salad, salat iz kapusty (cabbage salad), vinegret, bliny (Russian pancakes), pierogies, borscht, and a variety of cakes and candies. The event drew around 200 people, including nationalities such as American, Russian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Indian, Bengali, Turkish, British and Saudi Arabian.

Personally, I enjoyed the event very much, as I was involved in the program and I had the opportunity to meet several international people as well. My contribution was a Romanian poem recital and a power point presentation on Eastern Europe. I enjoyed all the performances, but the one that stood out was a Russian song sung brilliantly by a ten year old girl. The audience and I were utterly impressed by her singing capabilities - it was absolutely stunning. The event ended with traditional cuisine- lots and lots of mouth-watering dishes!

A complete list of CGS events can be found on the Center for Global Studies website.

This week's episode of Liberal Arts Voices features Manager of Alumni Relations Chris Gamble, Director of Digital Media and Pedagogy John Dolan, Dean Long, and three student mentees participating in the College of the Liberal Arts Alumni Mentoring Program.

Running in its eighth year, the Alumni Mentoring Program matches Penn State Liberal Arts alumni with current students in hopes of fostering meaningful relationships. With over 150 pairs, this program has been continuously growing since its foundation, and looks to expand even further in the future. The process of matching these mentor-mentee pairs is based upon compatible majors, interests, and goals. Once paired, mentees are encouraged to seek help with resumes, possible career paths, the development of job-searching skills, and most importantly growing their professional network.

The three students in attendance, Jim Thompson, Mike Bolze, and Rachel Miller, offered up their own experiences with the Mentor Program. For Jim, his Liberal Arts mentor confirmed his transition into the College of the Liberal Arts from the College of Engineering, while Mike's mentor's career path matched the one he has set for himself. And although Rachel's mentor did not graduate with the same major she is currently pursuing, he was nonetheless able to offer great job advice and networking connections. No matter the story, all say their experiences have been extremely helpful and undoubtedly rewarding.

If you are interested in learning more about the College of the Liberal Arts Alumni Mentor Program, please visit their website. Applications for the Alumni Mentor Program are now being accepted for Fall 2012. Students interested in applying can register online.

Liberal Arts Voices: Episode 39 "Alumni Mentor Program"

To subscribe to Liberal Arts Voice through iTunes, click here.

We encourage all of our listeners to write to us with comments, questions, or suggestions to laus@la.psu.edu. We may even respond to these comments on the next episode of Liberal Arts Voices.

Interning for the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in the fall of 2011 was truly a career and educational highlight for me. It was informative, fun and engaging and allowed me to make a difference daily in the lives of people who sought the services of the agency. I personally handled over 40 cases, giving each case and the parties involved a unique evaluation of their claim and recommendations on how they could proceed. Some led to formal charges, mediation and even investigation, and some withdrew their claims.

My internship began in early September. I, along with several other interns from across the nation, underwent introductory training from the supervising trial attorney in the office. She gave us reference materials and a presentation on the various federal statutes enforced by the EEOC. We needed to know the scope of each law, to whom it applies, and the requirements for a "prima facie" case - that is, a barebones case that meets the minimum qualifications for a claim under the law. Surprisingly, there is great variation among the laws. For example, Title VII of The Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, only applies to employers with 15 or more employees. Not all other laws have the same criteria. I was also taking an employment law class while my internship was going on, so that was even more helpful.

I saw claims of all kinds. Some were legitimate and others were not. Some fell under the agency's jurisdiction and some did not. For example, claims arising under the Family and Emergency Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) were referred to the Department of Labor as they are not handled by the EEOC. Different laws are enforced by different agencies.

It's also important to note that, as I told many charging parties, just because an employer's treatment is unfair, it is not necessarily illegal. Ironically, federal protection for employees is arguably minimal. Unless the reason for termination or other adverse employment action is violating a federal law, it is not actionable. States, however, are permitted to have greater protections in place, and they do. Each state's law is different. Many states have gone beyond federal law to provide additional protections for employees from actions by employers. Also, local jurisdictions can have regulations that protect and expand employee rights. The main concept is that employee rights are protected by local, state and federal laws and that, in addition to the EEOC, there are state agencies that enforce state laws. The EEOC only has jurisdiction in federal law cases.

A typical day included arriving at the office around 8:30 am and working until 5 pm or so. We each had our own desk, phone, computer and working materials. We would regularly receive mail-in claims of discrimination. Upon receipt of an initial claim, we would review the claim and contact the party for additional information. If an individual indicated he or she wanted to file a charge it was our responsibility to determine if we needed more information. In these instances, I contacted the charging party to verify the information and gain additional information.

Our day would be spent preparing notices of a charge to an employer, filing the formal charges drafted, and sending the materials to the charging party for signature. Once they are signed and returned to us, their file is updated and completed and then sent to investigation or mediation, as appropriate. The interns also would take turns taking walk-in appointments. Throughout the day, individuals wishing to file charges or meet with an EEOC representative could walk-in and fill out the intake forms and then meet with an investigator. Interns were qualified to do this because of our investigative training. We would meet privately with the individual to discuss their case in detail. We would then give our advice to them but would also advise them of their rights when filing a charge and what they could expect during the process.

These opportunities gave us a chance to educate the public about the federal laws and their scope, as well as the agency's mission to further the intent of the laws. The EEOC is a neutral fact-finding agency, but it exists to protect those who have had their rights violated by their employer. It does not actually represent individuals, but may take their cases on their behalf. Less than 1% of all cases go to trial, and most are settled through mediation.

I'll be sure to expand even more on the EEOC's mission and the day to day activities that go on within its walls in my next post.

I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have been able to fulfill a dream of mine: an internship with the premier civil rights agency of the United States - the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

As an undergraduate student majoring in Penn State's Law and Society degree program, I had a strong interest in the law. I had interned for a criminal defense attorney the year before working on an appellate murder case, and that experience increased my thirst for the legal field as a whole. I was eager for more, and ideally, an opportunity with a government agency that would broaden my horizons. After looking at numerous opportunities, including the United States Department of Justice, the FBI, and the CIA, I began to narrow down my search. I always had an interest in employment law, and thought that would be a good direction to explore. After finding out about internship opportunities through the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website, I applied.

The news came about in July, 2011, several weeks after my interview. I had gone through the application process and then the phone interview with the deputy director of the Washington, D.C. field office. She had sent me an e-mail confirming my acceptance as an intern there for the fall semester of 2011. This aligned perfectly as it was my first semester as a Penn State student. I had transferred to PSU's World Campus following several years of courses at my community college. I was able to successfully obtain college credit and even financial assistance for the experience through the College of the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network. I was enrolled full-time at PSU, but because I was a World Campus student, I could continue my courses online while interning in Washington, D.C. It worked out perfectly, but would prove to be a very busy, yet very rewarding, semester.

I was able to work alongside trial attorneys, administrative judges, and investigators. I met some incredible people and made great friends while learning valuable skills and knowledge in the realm of employment law. I was assigned to the Enforcement Division of the EEOC's Field Office in Washington, D.C. As an enforcement intern, I would be responsible for my own caseload of employment discrimination claims submitted to the office. I handled over 40 cases during my time there, and was able to conduct preliminary investigations into the claims I received as well as educate charging parties (those filing charges with our agency) on how the EEOC regulations and federal laws pertain to their situations.

The EEOC is a federal agency that was created as part of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It was created to enforce the statutes under Title VII of the Act, which created protected classes of individuals under federal law from employment discrimination. Since that time, the laws that the agency enforces have expanded. It now enforces several other federal laws as well. All of them are related to discrimination in the workplace in both the public and private sector nationwide. For instance, under such laws, it is illegal for an employer covered by those laws to discriminate against someone because of his or her color, race, national origin, disability, age, sex, and genetic information, to name a few.

I was naturally excited to learn about each of the laws and the protections offered to those they cover. I learned a lot of new things, such as to what extent people with disabilities are protected and what it takes to prove a case of discrimination by an employer. I quickly learned how many employees and employers alike are vastly unaware of their rights and responsibilities, respectively, under these federal laws.

It was an incredible experience and one that I'll always be proud of and grateful for. I'll be sure to elaborate and expand upon the specifics of each working day in a future blog.

This Valentine's Day, I fell in love with the sound of the conga.

"Heel-toe-slap, heel-heel-toe, over-over. Okay, ahora el mismo, uno, dos, tres, cuatro--"

Luis Conte's patient mix of English and Spanish conga instruction drifts from the studio adjacent to my office.

When I met Patricia Butler (class of '83) last fall to thank her for supporting the Paterno Fellows Program, I never dreamed that I'd soon be working for her in California. The joint generosity of Patricia, President of ArtistWorks, and the Penn State Liberal Arts Career Network has provided me the means and opportunity to work for ArtistWorks. It's an incredibly unique experience to be learning customer service and marketing hands-on while virtuoso percussionist Luis Conte records just feet away.

ArtistWorks, which uses "Video Exchange" technology, offers music lessons online for ten different instruments and thirteen different schools, each headed by a master musician of the specific instrument or genre. With such immense talent, it's easy to focus on the breadth of Conte's and the other teachers' experience and genius. This year alone, three ArtistWorks teachers received Grammy nominations. But beyond their virtuosity, the teachers provide an unparalleled level of availability and passion for teaching students of all levels to become better players.

Take Luis, for example. Two weeks ago he was in the ArtistWorks studio recording a staggering amount of lessons in both English and Spanish in order to reach as many percussion aficionados as possible. Hour after hour, I heard him introduce each exercise, slow his hands, then pick up speed.

I was a history major, not a music major. But Luis makes his craft learnable even to a percussion novice like me. So learnable, in fact, that I was inspired to sign up for conga lessons at the ArtistWorks Drum Academy via the upcoming Luis Conte School of Percussion. Luis will be available at any time by message, in the forums, and especially by "Video Exchanges." I'll watch his lesson, record myself playing, upload it to the site, and wait for Luis's video response. He's kind and encouraging, supportive and boisterous. I'll be able to watch his videos over and over. I'll also watch other students' Video Exchanges and learn from the advice Luis gives them. I, too, can start to play.

"Luis, when did you start learning conga and giving lessons?"

"Oh, I'm self-taught. When I was twenty, this lady just asked me if I could teach her the conga and I said sure! For $20 an hour, I needed the money, you know? And that was it."

He's so humble, joyful, patient, accessible. "Relax," he assures the student on the other end of the camera. Anyone can learn from Luis. He demonstrates warm-up exercises and tricks as well as meat-and-potatoes techniques. "You can go as fast as you want. This can go to the stratosphere, you know? And volume is also important. One, two, three, four...."

Yes, Luis is a conga genius. Now he can be your teacher. He gives you the tools to learn how the conga can be the salt and pepper of your jam session, the heartbeat of your day or life.

All you need is the desire to play.


Check out ArtistWorks on Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube or follow me @lislotito.

As a double major in English and Print Journalism, I am often faced with the question: What are you going to do after graduation?

The answer . . . I don't know.

What I do know is that I've been collecting skills and racking up experiences to fill my resume so that when I finally do figure out that question I'll hopefully have a skill set that allows me to be anywhere I want.

Academically I have been involved with the Penn State Marketing Association, was a sales representative at Victoria's Secret, a summer camp counselor and spent a semester as a Teaching Assistant. Currently I work for the College of Agricultural Sciences as a writer (Thanks to the wonderful Liz Jenkins!), am involved in the Penn State Public Relations Student Society of America, Peers Helping Reaffirm Educate and Empower and also I am an Event Planning Intern with New Leaf Initiative.

I have taken classes on Photoshop and InDesign and am currently taking a Web Design and a Photojournalism class. I am told again and again that I have to be as useful as possible to potential employers, a goal that I work as hard as I physically can to achieve.

However, since I was little, I can remember I have always loved magazines. I always begged my mom to buy them for me on trips to the grocery store. The glossy pages filled with beautiful people I wanted to meet and places I wanted to go.

Those few times she said "yes," caused me so much happiness trying to describe it might be embarrassing. But, I would spend hours a day paging through my newest prize. Eventually I started actually reading the magazines and fell even more in love.

I wanted a job working for a magazine, but getting an internship with one was another story. After looking at various magazines I wanted to work at, I discovered that applying and accepting a position just wasn't going to happen. I felt hopeless. I simply could not afford to relocate and then work for little or nothing. I would not have survived.

But then my father told me to apply for Philadelphia Magazine. I could commute in and would still be able to live at home. I don't know why I thought New York was the only place magazines came from, but it was . . .

. . . Perfect!

I applied and after some initial disappointment I was told that I could apply to intern over my winter break. I had to write a mock blog entry, take two fact checking tests and do an interview to see if I was qualified for the job. But, I did end up getting the job. I was thrilled to finally be able to work for a magazine as prestigious as Philly Magazine!

I spent the majority of my time fact checking, but I also had the opportunity to do some light research for one of the writers and transcribed interviews for two others.

The atmosphere was usually quiet and I sat in a cubical, but everyone was super friendly, I felt like I was a part of a family there. Ironically there were also more than a few Penn State graduates working there. We Are . . .

The only thing about the experience that I didn't like was that it was so short.

"Take what you can get," my mom said, and so I did. If I had stayed longer I may have been able to write something for the magazine or one of their blogs. The writing experience would have been an incredible confidence boost, but I can't complain. I learned that I would be happy to work for a magazine again in the future, and if I get the opportunity to be on staff at one, I will JUMP at the chance.

But - if I don't. I think I could be happy working in a publishing house, a public relations firm, a nonprofit or something else I haven't discovered yet. Opportunities abound for English and Journalism majors you just have to put in some work and find them! The key is being versatile.

For the past six weeks, friends and family have asked me how my internship has been going, what's it like to work for Parliament? I admit, I have continuously given vague, generic answers: 'It's going well, I like it a lot.' I assume they're still waiting for a real answer, and now that this is my final week in Parliament (where has the time gone?), I think I'll try to answer what this internship has really been like for me.
 
First and foremost it must be said that working for Parliament has an aura of importance that never really faded for me. From the tourists snapping pictures of Big Ben and queuing up to visit where I work, to the possibility of running into a quasi-famous politician, I loved coming to Westminster for work.
 
But those are exterior impressions, things that anyone would notice. The impression that will really stick with me is being on the inside, being in the office able to see what is actually done on a day to day basis. To start, Gordon's Westminster office has a staff of two: myself and a full time researcher, Sam. He arranges Gordon's diary, writes letters and press releases, researches and briefs current events and legislation. I have been Sam's shadow, doing whatever he needs me to do--which could be anything. Some days I'm simply typing letters that Gordon scribbles onto yellow sheets of Parliament paper in just barely legible script. There are also the stereotypical intern days when I'm doing the office busy work of photocopying, mail sorting, and typing letters. Other days I am reading through reports, collecting statistics, and reporting back to Sam if the article was interesting or worth passing on to Gordon. Still other times I am looking up names or statistics or dates of events as quickly as I can while Sam puts together power point presentations for Gordon's next meeting or debate. I've searched the Internet countless times for the contact info of someone Gordon wants to speak with. To date, the most challenging person to find personal contact information for has been a writer on German savings banks. Any information on a Stephen Clarke would be greatly appreciated.
 
While these skills are useful--I have certainly become much better at finding credible information on the Internet as quickly as possible--the most rewarding aspect of working for Gordon has been seeing Gordon work for his constituency.

Gordon is a shadow minister for the Business, Innovation, and Skills Committee (BIS), so his issues center on skills education, apprenticeships, and regional growth. (Side note: In British politics, the opposition party forms a shadow cabinet which essentially debates issues with the official cabinet and plays a watchdog role to government legislation. If the Labour party were to come into power, their shadow cabinet would step in as the official cabinet.) Focusing on job creation is essential to his position as the MP for Blackpool. In the 1950s, Blackpool was a thriving seaside resort town but has seen tourism plummet as more of the English vacation in Europe. Blackpool isn't a ghost town, but the economy was severely hit. Therefore, being instrumental in creating more job opportunities, for the youth and the older populations, is in large part why Gordon was elected. I can say from experience that Gordon focuses his energy on policy that will increase apprenticeship opportunities, re-education and re-skilling, and regional economic growth. Coming to work for Gordon, I didn't have a particular interest in skills development (not such as sexy issue), but after spending six weeks reading reports and reviewing statistics I understand why skills are essential for a healthy economy. Vocational training allows for someone to make a decent wage without attending college. It keeps a strong middle class.
 
Apart from pushing for legislation that will help all of Blackpool, I have seen Gordon take on causes for individual constituents. He's written a letter for a man attempting to carry the Olympic torch in 2012. He's written to cabinet members on behalf of constituents having problems with everything from visa issues to business grant issues. If a letter comes to Westminster from his constituency, I know he will read it and do something. I like knowing elected officials (at least some) want to represent those who elected them to office.

I've heard we must accept that politicians will be corrupt, will philander, and I am sure some do. However, working for Gordon and with Sam has reaffirmed my belief that government is capable of working for the common good and not in constant self-interest.

I wasn't in the office on my first day more than five minutes before my tie came off. As I was introduced to my casually dressed coworkers throughout the workspace, my already moderate anxiety leaped toward a full-on panic attack. My perfectly ironed slacks, spotless white dress shirt and (quite fashionable, I should say) Brooks Brothers tie made me stick out like a sore, and rather embarrassed, thumb. After more than one decidedly good-natured chuckle graced my coworker's lips, my boss pointed to the painstakingly tied Windsor knot around my neck. "Let's drop the tie, Chris. We're pretty laid back about the dress code around here." The slight wardrobe change made a significant difference in my comfort and relaxation, and began the start of a pleasurable, exciting day, but the flak-taking wasn't quite through yet. As my boss sauntered away, a coworker, his face filled with a friendly yet mischievous grin, quipped, "Well, what are you gonna wear tomorrow, a tuxedo?"

I guess a quick introduction is in order. I'm Chris Wright, a (soon-to-be) senior undergrad student at PSU studying History and minoring in English. I pursued my current internship, an editing position at Fly Fisherman Magazine in Harrisburg, PA, with particular zeal because it combined not only two things I enjoy (editing and fly fishing), but also could, I hoped, give me great insight into a possible career field. As I anticipated, the job is definitely affecting how I view my future career and education plans. But more on that later in future blog posts, perhaps.

My memorable first morning at Fly Fisherman Magazine is a perfect example of one of my favorite aspects of the job so far: a relaxed environment, which allows me to expand my skills and learn new things without fear of excessive pressures or burdens. Editing at the magazine presents tens, and often even hundreds of opportunities to misstep in each article I tweak and pore over; however, lacking a fear of failure, I am able to boldly make decisions, gaining confidence when I succeed, and building upon my editing skill set when I go astray. My boss--Ross Purnell--and all of my coworkers are always ready to answer my questions and give kind, insightful advice. In short, I've been dropped into the deep end, but with some pretty big arm-floaties, and maybe even an inner tube, if that helps the metaphor.

On top of my editing work for the magazine's next issue, I've been working on gathering and editing articles from the past ten years of the magazine's "Seasonable Angler" column (short stories and essays) to put into a "best of" anthology book. Having a large amount of control over what goes into the collection is certainly a thrill, and I've been having a lot of fun choosing my favorites and getting in touch with their authors in order to renew contracts.

Speaking of fun, an exceptionally unique part of my internship has been learning the art of fly tying. Later in the summer I'll be editing a second collection--this one the magazine's "Fly Tier's Bench." Because I'll need some specific knowledge, Ross has set out to make me fly-tying literate--a process that's been surprisingly enjoyable, and has provided refreshing periods between some mentally challenging editing work.

I'll keep you updated on how everything turns out, and end today's blog with a somewhat pertinent quote by fly-fishing writer Alfred W. Miller: "If fishing is interfering with your business, give up your business." It is my pleasure to avoid this problem entirely.

Just over two months remain in my semester in Georgetown. Where did all of that time go? I feel as though I was frantically running through the hallways of the Russell Senate Office Building just yesterday, in a panic because I could not find my office on the first day of work. This semester has been quite busy, incredibly enriching, and a complete rush.

If I had to sum up all of the things I have learned so far, I would simply say this: There is nothing like being here! This city is young and electric, an exciting place to be no matter what your interest or career. I have to pinch myself on my commute every morning when I pass the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, because I am in the center of it all. I read and hear news online that is happening all around me. Sometimes, especially at work, I am ahead of the news. For instance, I have assisted an aide by summarizing a brief and a few hours later, Politico covered an event in which my boss referenced that same brief. This opportunity to spend a semester away from Penn State has allowed me to experience a new university and atmosphere while remaining a Penn State undergrad, knowing I will return eventually and that my college experience at UP is not over yet! Studying in D.C. for a semester has actually allowed me to appreciate my time in the city more than if I had gone to school here for 4 years because I know I have only a short time to do and see everything I want.

I am interning for the United States Senate and to say that Congress's image is a little tarnished right now would be generous. Although I am not anywhere near qualified by my 2 months as an intern to make any sweeping statements about the state of affairs in Congress, I would only say this: public service is truly a sacrifice, and I don't think that it is appreciated. An image persists of Congress as a world of comfortable work, inattentiveness, and self-satisfaction. What is not often understood is that lawmakers sustain a workweek of 80+ hours, incessant travel, separation from family for weeks at a time, and a sincere work ethic that pervades the office, from the senator or congressman down to the intern.

I was told by one of my professors, Brad Blakeman, that holding a political office is an opportunity, not a career. I appreciate that distinction, but on the whole I disagree; public service is a vocation to which we are all called. It does not have to be, and will not be for most, a career working on Capitol Hill or in the White House. We have the capacity to serve, and as Liberal Arts students, we are asked to take an interest in serving our university, our communities, our states, or our countries with pride and honor. I firmly believe that Liberal Arts students can be service leaders of the University. The University was founded with the notion that financial capital would be invested to return a yield of scientific and agricultural knowledge. Now, with our greatly expanded mission, Penn State yields an even greater return of human capital in its graduates. We have the privilege granted by our education to improve our world. I have been following the Pennsylvania budget battle from DC, and I would only say that I hope Governor Corbett realizes what kind of return he gains from the finances invested in his state universities.

So there I was, in a Chinese fire station, being greeted by the twenty young firemen. Through our company's Volunteer Association, I had gotten to know a widower who worked in the factory and spend time with her children. Her oldest son, who is soon to be in 10th grade had been invited by the fire station to make a visit and they had extended the welcome to me. I felt strangely out of place with Communist pledges and codes on the walls around me, but was warmly welcomed by the bright young men who made lunch for us, showed us the fire trucks and even breakdanced for us!

Had you told me that I would be in that fire station, with that group of Chinese people, I would have thought you were crazy. Sometimes during the trip, I thought even I was crazy for choosing to put myself so far out of my comfort zone, in such a new culture and type of work. But it wasn't the work, or the culture that gave me the most memories. It was the people.

Even now as I reflect on the dozens of incredible adventures during my internship in that shoe factory, I just smile thinking about the endless recollections from my short time as an intern...

• How kind Joyce, Miley, Candy and Bella were to welcome me into life in the factory, from the first day to the last afternoon in the CR office.
• How patient my instructors were to calmly repeat directions and not scold me while I stubbornly learned how to use a sewing machine. 
• How thoughtful the Chinese families I met were to always extend a hot cup of tea or delicious meal with me, going out of their way to serve me as their guest. 
• How funny Xiao Yong, Justin and James were as we ate Kentucky Fried Chicken for the first time in Qing Yuan, cheerfully proposing toasts with our Pepsis and asking me why a strange old man was the face of KFC. 
• How fun it was to spend sweaty Sunday afternoon's with the three kids, running around the basketball court and back alleys of their broken neighborhood. 
• How I almost cried in laughter seeing my coworkers try and dance to OK Go's "A Million Ways to Be Cruel" song. 
• How much I would sweat after playing basketball with friends in the factory for a few solid hours in the blistering heat and humidity. 
• How diligent my workmates were to teach me Chinese when I didn't want to learn it, and try to speak English when I longed to hear it. 
• How dear my factory friends were to say hello to me when walking through their areas.
  

But more than fun experiences with nice people in the factory, these friends taught me so much about life's journey. They taught me to always cherish the countless blessings I've been given in this life. They reminded me that I could never complain about my education, my work or other things about my life. And above all, they showed me by example how to welcome, serve and love a stranger as if I were one of their very own.

                                   

                                  

I am eternally grateful for my time with the CR department, the members of the factory and everyone in Qing Yuan, China for guiding me and teaching me on my journey. Even though I didn't get any wages for my time in the factory this summer, I received a complimentary pair of shoes to wear home. With the signatures of friends from the factory in the inside tag, I carry these adventures within me and on my feet wherever I go.

Part Two - Jingle Bells and Bike Alarms

So there I was, carefully examining the newest and most daunting dish served from the company's cafeteria. Today, the challenge was to not just eat, but attempt to enjoy chicken feet. All my coworkers considered it a delicacy as they smiled and piled more of their apportioned feet onto my plate. Tomorrow's challenge might be pig stomach, fungus, strange tofu or even snails! While I was completely afraid initially to even taste these dishes, I slowly began to enjoy them as time went on, becoming more acclimated to Southern Chinese cuisine.

Learning to eat and enjoy new and exotic foods was really symbolic of my learning to more fully enjoy the internship, despite its challenges and strange events. To return to the food analogy, the first few weeks were merely eating rice, some basic vegetables and soup. The next few weeks however, were rising to the task and eating snails, chicken feet, unknown tofu or pig stomach. Little did I know that these disgusting-sounding dishes are healthy to the body (or at least according to the Chinese they are)!

My brain would be entirely spent after a full day of reading, speaking and even thinking Chinese. After a few weeks I longed to talk with someone in English for more than 5 minutes and savored each minute during a call with my family, or when a friend in the factory practiced their English with me.

Although I took on a sort of celebrity status for being the only young and strapping American chap, I often felt strangely isolated in this factory of so many (other than the fact that my skin was white, and I was deemed incredibly tall, I really didn't think I was that much different).

Most mornings, the first thing I would wake up to was the terribly annoying and free alarm clock system. Each morning at approximately 6:30 a.m., the electrical bikes and motorcycles would screech in sequential unison directly outside of my apartment (if you've been to China, then you know what I mean).

After those initial weeks of early mornings, brain exhaustion and sporadic loneliness, I wondered if my time over the rest of the summer in the Corporate Responsibility department would really have any positive impact on the factory. Would I have been better off just staying in the States? Would I be remembered as more than just the silly foreigner who stuck around for a summer?

I walked into the Qing Yuan, China factory on May 17th for my first day of work (see picture on the left). It was 7:50 a.m. and the nearly 16,000 other workers were flooding in the gates to get to their production lines before 8 a.m. I felt lost and out of place among the crowds and nervous to enter the first factory in my life. Suddenly I began thinking that a commitment to stay here for more than two months was a very, very big mistake.

Before coming to Penn State in the fall of 2007, I spent six years in Tianjin, China and graduated from high school there. I chose to study Labor and Employment Relations at Penn State to understand the movement of labor in the global economy, with the hopes of improving the lives, conditions and wages of workers in corporations around the world. I was somewhat involved in USAS (United Students Against Sweatshops) on campus and nurtured a passionate dislike of multinational companies that often made headlines for sweatshops, disproportionate worker wages and other unfair labor practices (Nike being a prime example). Yet here I was, six months after having the vague thought of an internship, in a large multinational shoe company's prime Chinese factory serving (unpaid) as the factory and the supplier's first American intern.

After entering the gates of the factory, I was immediately led to an office area in the main building and informally introduced to my coworkers in the company's Corporate Responsibility department. I would be with this department for nearly ten weeks for my summer internship. Most of that first day was learning (all in Mandarin Chinese) about the functions of the department itself among the company's 52 separate departments and 26+ production lines, but the heaviest thing on my mind was when I would finally see the factory floors.

When my one coworker finally took me to tour a soccer shoe line, I was about to burst with anxiety. What was I to do if I saw children working in the lines? How would I document the terrible acts to show the Western world? But before I could answer these questions, we were enveloped by the sound of heavy machinery, hundreds of sewing machines, and thousands of workers on their job. My eyes shot to the intricate path of hundreds of soccer cleats making their trek from one side of the room to the other. My coworker introduced everything to me, but between the noise, my limited Chinese ability and sheer amazement of the scale of production I didn't register much that she was saying. Each group of workers we walked by stared at me with a look of fear that I was an audit from the United States (my standard issued "Visitor" tag for the first few days didn't really help). After about 15 minutes we left the soccer line and headed back to the office as I tried to regather myself after seeing such intensive labor and so many workers. There was nothing shockingly horrible that I had just witnessed and I began to realize how terribly inaccurate my original perceptions of a large Chinese shoe factory were. I started to comprehend just how complex, often monotonous and finely mechanized the production process of a single pair of shoes really is.

The next week, my manager had me go through first week training with new hires. After two days of quite boring classes on company management, work environment and safety, job tasks and company history, etc., we were finally let loose to the training center for the remainder of the week where we began practicing our actual jobs. They started me on the cutting machine - the first process of shoe-making in which workers use cookie-like cutouts to cut the basic material with a machine that exerts force of over three tons (I couldn't believe they trusted me to do this within a week of being in the factory)!

Next was the sewing machine, where we practiced five different stitching patterns before we could test to be in the actual production lines. My instructors and fellow workers got quite a laugh at the site of this six-foot-three American (or "老外" (lao wai)) squeezed into a chair and his inability to effectively work the machine. Those training days were actually quite fun, between the poorly received instructions and sweaty repetition as I got a taste of some of the boredom and monotony of a single task for entire weeks or months on end. However, I was blessed to only be practicing for the sake of learning as part of my internship and not practicing to be put to work for the next days, weeks, or even years of my life.


I found myself during those first two weeks pinching myself and wondering if I was actually the only foreigner in such a large shoe factory in a somewhat obscure southern Chinese city. I enjoyed my new friends in the factory and office, but wasn't sure if my Chinese would ever be good enough to talk and converse with the people here to actually have a positive and lasting impact on the culture. But after those first two weeks, I felt welcome and excited for the next eight weeks to learn and live in such a unique place - as long as I didn't have to work on the production lines!

...

Tune in next Friday for Part Two - Jingle Bells and Bike Alarms

As I begin to wrap up my internship inside the beltway at the Council of the Americas, I thought it would be poignant to reflect on my Washington D.C. experience. Not to echo the excellent post by Mr. Glazier, but I truly believe every student interested in the American political process should pursue spending a summer working in DC.

I feel extremely fortunate to have spent my summer as an intern living in DC. During my short stay, I have had the opportunity to visit and attend events at many places I had previously read about only in newspapers, including the Department of State, National Press Club, and the inner sanctum of the Capitol Building. The food is great, the museums and monuments are all free, and you're more likely to walk past a democratically elected member of the United States Congress on the sidewalk than you'd think. After work, I often find myself reticent to resign to my meager accommodations, preferring to explore the city's sights or indulge in some cheap ethnic cuisine.

Despite all of this, the most rewarding aspect of my time spent in DC has been the other interns I've met. Amongst the executives, ambassadors, and Congressmen that litter Washington DC exists a behind-the-scenes network of students, filling summer internship quotas annually. These students often forgo lucrative opportunities at Fortune 500 companies for a chance to be a part of the massive political machine here in Washington DC. The city shoulders the collective ambition of these college students, which number in the tens of thousands.

Even if traditional politics is not your cup of tea, advocacy organizations tailored to every special interest under the sun have set up shop in Washington, ensuring that their membership's collective voice is heard in Congress. For the skeptics among LAUS' readership, even more traditional college staples, such as beer or video games are readily represented inside the Beltway.

During my time here, I've met students spanning all walks of life, from "faraway" places such as Arkansas, Kansas, and Hawaii. These students begin their experience as political science, economics, history, and philosophy students, and finish their summer as veritable jack-of-all-trades, armed with the ability to readily shift from receptionists, to letter writers, to excel masters, and beyond. Occasionally, we have congregated at a think-tank briefing or a Congressional hearing, networking and sharing our common experiences and stories on a lark.

A notable example comes from a fellow intern whom I met during my time here in DC, Bill. Bill was transformed from a wide-eyed North Dakotan Senate intern into a tour guide extraordinaire; whisking constituents across the pristine halls of the Capitol Complex's various buildings, providing interesting facts and historical anecdotes with the wisdom of a seasoned professional. I know this because I had the privilege of taking a tour with him on one of my days-off. His constituents were shocked to hear that this was his 6th week on the job, remarking that they would have guessed he'd been working with the Senator for at least 2 years.

As I pack my bags and look towards my return to campus, I have amassed a sizable rolodex (not a real one, I assure you) of fellow interns with interests and career aspirations that truly run the gamut. I have no doubt that I will be reading about some of my new acquaintances in magazines and newspapers in the coming years.

In closing, I'd like to express an utmost endorsement for the internship experience. I recognize my employer's patience and humility to take on an inexperienced 20-year-old college student, and I can only express appreciation for their time and guidance.

Internship at Neurobehavioral Associates

Upon receiving an e-mail from the College of the Liberal Arts detailing an internship with Neurobehavioral Associates, a company dedicated to serving children, adolescents and adults with neurobehavioral disorders, Claire Semerjian (psychology) was immediately interested. When Penn State Liberal Arts alum and renowned psychologist Dr. Vincent Culotta offered her the position, she eagerly accepted and began commuting two days a week from Washington, D.C. to Columbia, Maryland.

Working as the only undergraduate intern in the office, Claire played was able to observe many patient services. Her various responsibilities included watching Dr. Culotta or his colleagues administer psychiatric tests, interacting with young children while they participated in testing, and accompanying Dr. Culotta on his visits to school board hearings. Additionally, Claire conducted research for Dr. Culotta's future book. Claire's day would begin with a meeting with Dr. Culotta in which he would walk her through the disorders they would be addressing that day with a power point presentation, followed by a full day of patient appointments. One aspect of the internship Claire found particularly interesting was the school IEP hearings she attended, where she observed Dr. Culotta asking the school board to allocate funding so his patients could have access to special education.

The internship at Neurobehavioral Associates helped Claire understand how important people skills are to the psychology field. It was important not only to understand the problems the patients were having in school and at home, but also to accurately communicate with the parents and the children. Claire's experience as a Lion Ambassador at Penn State helped her maintain poise when interacting with patients and their families. Ranging in ages from five to seventeen, the patients were Claire's favorite part of the internship. She had direct hands-on experience with patients diagnosed with various neurobehavioral disorders, from Asperger's syndrome to various levels of ADHD.

This internship was Claire's first experience in the neurobehavioral field. In addition to learning an incredible amount about neurobehavioral disorders and how certain tests are administered, Claire also received advice concerning graduate schools and pursuing a career in psychology. Claire's Penn State coursework helped prepare her to be a successful intern. She entered the internship with a strong background in certain disorders and disciplined study habits, which helped her when conducting research for Dr. Culotta.

Claire is currently applying to graduate schools, although she may take a year or so off to gain additional research experience before starting a program. She recommends this internship as a rewarding opportunity for students interested in neurobehavioral psychology. To learn more about her experience at Neurobehavioral Associates, please contact Claire at chs5013@psu.edu.

Profile written by Julia Smith, College of the Liberal Arts Communications Intern

Vincent Culotta, Ph.D., '81 Psych, strongly believes that in order to be most prepared for their future, students should experience an internship, in addition to excelling in their classes. For this reason, Vincent hosted a Penn State intern at his company, NeuroBehavioral Associates, in Columbia, MD.

Vince is a licensed psychologist with subspecialty training in clinical neuropsychology. He earned his 'Ph.D. from the University of Memphis and is the president and owner of NeuroBehavioral Associates, a specialty practice serving children, adolescents and adults with known or suspected attention, learning, or neurodevelopmental disorders. NeuroBehavioral Associates provides a broad range of clinical and forensic consultation and assessment services as well a training site for masters and doctoral level graduate students in psychology.

Prior to founding NeuroBehavioral Associates, Vince held clinical and administrative positions in medical, rehabilitation, and private facilities treating children, adolescents, and adults with neurobehavioral disorders. He has authored several publications concerning neurodevelopmental disorders in children and has previously served as director of Neuropsychology in the Neurosurgery Division at the University of Maryland's Shock Trauma Center.

Vince knew the value of a Penn State education, as a psychology graduate of the college himself, and was aware that a Penn State psychology student could handle his organization's work environment and focus in neuropsychology. He enthusiastically accepted Claire Semerjian, a rising senior, for a summer internship with NeuroBehavioral Associates in 2009.

Claire was quickly put to work in NeuroBehavioral Associates and was given many relevant tasks including direct observation and participation in neuropsychological assessment, treatment planning and family meetings. Claire also accompanied staff on visits to school IEP meetings, organized data collection, and assisted in research for an upcoming book. Vince found Claire particularly useful when he was interviewing families of younger clients. These clients, ranging from ages five to seventeen, found comfort in talking to Claire because of their closeness in age; she was a student like them as well.

One of the most beneficial lessons of Claire's internship was the real-life learning and connecting a person to the issues she studied in the classroom. It was one thing to read about autism in a textbook, but completely another to hear first-hand from parents about their difficult journey of finding the right treatment for their child for their autistic child.

In the future, Vince and his staff would like to expand undergraduate internships and engage interns in more research activities so that they may be able publish a research paper in an academic journal, which is a mark of high distinction for a student and their scholarly abilities. Overall, he found that hosting a Penn State student intern was a win-win situation for both parties involved. NeuroBehavioral Associates became more productive during the summer with another helping hand, and Claire gained valuable professional skills and insight for her future career and education.

To learn more about sponsoring a student intern in your company, contact the Liberal Arts Career Enrichment Network at (814) 865-1070 or lanetwork@la.psu.edu.

All Employer Profiles written by Tara Enzmann, Liberal Arts Alumni and Development Intern

Internship at Penn State LGBTA Center

The Penn State Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender and Ally (LGBTA) Student Resource Center focuses on educating students on sexual orientation issues in order to encourage acceptance and awareness.  The LGBTA offers numerous internships for students in areas such as writing, programming and events, straight talks, office resources, Greek outreach, and racial and ethnic outreach.
 
Yvette Lerma (senior, sociology major) receives Penn State credit through LA 495 (Liberal Arts Internship) as a Straight Talks Pro and Assessment Intern at the center.  Yvette was first introduced to this internship when she enrolled in BBH 251, a course taught by the LGBTA office directors.  The course trains students to conduct straight talks, in which a student panelist runs an open dialogue forum on sexuality in Penn State classes.

Yvette typically works twelve hours a week, and deals specifically with the Straight Talks programming.  Depending on what part of the semester it is, Yvette's duties vary.  She schedules Straight Talks dates and speakers, and trains students to become panelists so they can run the program on their own.  In the beginning of the semester, Yvette runs the majority of the straight talks due to the fact that she is still training most of panelists.  When Yvette trains panelists, she focuses on introducing them to the idea of public speaking and sharing their personal story in front of large audiences.  The curriculum involves discussing social justice, practicing delivery of their personal statement, and going through an FAQ session with the trainees.  Twice a semester, Yvette also  speaks in BBH 251 about peer education.  In addition to teaching, Yvette has been in the process of creating a Straight Talks Pro Guide Book.  Yvette received the manual as a ten page guide when she first began her internship and transformed it into a forty-five page comprehensive guide to answering difficult questions for panelists.    

One of Yvette's memorable tasks over her two years as a Straight Talks intern was running a lecture for student affairs professionals about how to deal with transgender students and address gender questions.  This experience helped her realize this internship could lead her to a career in college student affairs and that she wanted her future to involve educating.  Through her internship, Yvette came to realize she greatly enjoys working with and educating college students, and hopes to attend graduate school and get a masters in College Student Affairs.  She aspires to one day be the director of an LGBTA center while simultaneously teaching LGBTA focused college courses.

Yvette recommends LGBTA internships to students who are patient and who are willing to develop strong public speaking skills through experience.  Additionally, Yvette mentions that it is important for all interns to be passionate about LGBTA issues.  Students interested in hearing more about Yvette's internship experience can contact her at yil5036@psu.edu. 

If you are interested in an internship with LGBTA for the 2010-11 academic year, see the recent LAUS Announcement post for details.  Please note that the application deadline is Friday, March 5, 2010.

Internship at Merck & Co., Inc.

Merck & Co., Inc. is a pharmaceutical research company that creates and markets vaccines and medication for populations in need. According to Vault, they also host one of the top ten internship programs in the US. After reading about their program on the College of the Liberal Arts internship website, Tim Reside (senior, economics and sociology major) applied and was offered an internship, which he immediately accepted.

At Merck, Tim interned in the business management branch of the Global Human Health Information Technology department. Not only was his internship a great opportunity for Tim to develop his interest in economics, but it was also convenient, because he could live at home and commute to work daily. Tim worked mainly at corporate headquarters in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, although he occasionally commuted to Merck's other location in Landsdale, Pennsylvania.

Working as a business management intern for eleven weeks, Tim focused mainly on one long-term project: an economic model that would forecast Merck's spending for the next year. Tim received previous spending statistics from 2008 to June 2009, and worked to predict future spending for the remainder of 2009 and 2010. Upon completion of the forecast model, Tim was asked to document the model, which entailed writing how-to-use instructions so the model could be used after Tim completed his internship. The model was such a success that the company is still using and refining it today.

Tim's day usually began with updates from his supervisor's receptionist, and then transitioned into various meetings regarding the model. He constantly communicated with colleagues from Landsdale by phone, e-mail, and video conference. During Tim's last week, he and his partner had to present their model to clients world-wide, using the video conference technology. While such a big presentation was a challenge for Tim, he says it was all worth it when his supervisor later commended him and his partner. Tim's experience giving an important presentation in front of management made him realize the value of his Penn State coursework. He credits CAS 100 with helping him with his public speaking skills, and his economics classes with giving him valuable information he used while creating his model.

One highlight from Tim's internship was attending a Phillies game, one of the many "intern outings" created by Merck. This game allowed Tim to interact with other interns that he wouldn't necessarily have met while working in the office. Another intern outing included a day off of work and a cruise with DJ, full buffet, and prizes awarded to the interns. Merck also hosted many recruiting activities, such as a lunch meeting at corporate headquarters in which its employees discussed the future of the interns at the company.

Reflecting back upon his internship, Tim notes the importance of excellent communication skills and the ability to work both in teams and alone efficiently. For more information regarding Tim's experience at Merck, please e-mail him at tcr5007@gmail.com. See Merck's website for additional details of their internship program.

Internship at Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape

The Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape is a non-profit organization based in Harrisburg that works to prevent sexual and domestic violence. The organization works with rape crisis centers throughout the state to educate communities about sexual violence. Danielle Pavlansky (senior, crime law and justice major, women's studies minor) found a summer internship with PCAR through the Harrisburg Semester Program, which works to match students with internships in government, political advocacy, and community development.

Danielle worked three days a week as a Technical Assistant, logging 150 hours at the Harrisburg PCAR center. Her main duties revolved around creating curriculums for programs called Campus Initiative and the Men Against Sexual Violence Initiative. After conducting extensive research, Danielle created lesson plans for college classrooms and other public forums to teach volunteers and employees about sexual and domestic violence education. Danielle played an important role in the PCAR curriculum development. One of her favorite parts about her internship at PCAR was her involvement with Campus Initiative, because it was directly related to her and her peers. As she was conducting research for her own demographic, Danielle was able to ask her friends for opinions and then incorporate their thoughts into her research.

In addition to her work with curriculum development, Danielle would attend staff meetings and offer her input on ways to effectively educate college students. She even had the opportunity to attend a task force meeting in downtown Harrisburg with the lead DA, lead detective, PCAR and other advocacy groups, who congregated to discuss their recent field experiences. Additionally, Danielle played an important part in the re-design of the PCAR website due to her background in web design.

Danielle's Penn State classes provided her with a strong background for her internship. Her class discussions in her women's studies courses that concentrated on sexual and domestic violence allowed her to create effective curriculums that incorporated various perspectives. Although this was Danielle's first internship devoted to public advocacy, her prior internship experience at the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office and a private law firm helped her develop research skills, which frequently came in handy at PCAR. Danielle also notes the importance of strong communication skills to this internship, as she was responsible for keeping her supervisor and colleagues up-to-date on her findings.

After graduation, Danielle hopes to attend graduate school and then pursue a future in public advocacy. Her summer spent at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape was an extremely influential experience in helping her settle on her future career path. Danielle recommends this internship for students who are interested in public advocacy and in creating awareness about domestic and sexual violence. Students interested in learning more about Danielle's experience can contact her at Danielle.pavlansky@gmail.com. Students who are interested in pursuing this internship, or other advocacy internships in Harrisburg, should contact Harrisburg Semester Director Dr. Carol Nechemias at c4n@psu.edu.