students craft internships to fit interests from the wall street journal site: link to article...

Students Craft Internships to Fit Interests Students Craft Internships to Fit Interests

From the Wall Street Journal From the Wall Street Journal

Site: www.wsj.comSite: www.wsj.com

Link to articleLink to article

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04/21/231 CEP121 Group Presentation

Family of Ritika PuriRitika Puri interned at Adharshila, a New Delhi-based nonprofit that offers health and education services for residents of a local slumSource: Article, Students Craft Internships to Fit Interests


Why are Internships so important?Why are Internships so important?

According to the reading, employers hired 47% of their internships from the class of 2006, up from 36% in 2000.

On average, 62% of college hires have had some internship experience in the past.

So, by having an internship experience, we are most likely to get a job.

Source: National Association of Colleges and Employers survey released in June.


Doesn’t an Internship fit your Doesn’t an Internship fit your interests?interests?

Sometimes, we may not find an internship that fits our interests or specific goals and interests; in such cases, we may consider creating our own internship stating specific goals and areas of interest. “If the student outlines that a bit, it could get them further along,” says Stew Pechkam, director of career development at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

Even though convincing an employer to create a new internship can be difficult, it is not impossible.


Are Internships in small companies only?Are Internships in small companies only?

No, as the reading tells us, internships are not only in small companies and organizations, but in large companies as well. As we will see on Mr. Fine’s experience presented by the article, some students have pitched internships to larger employers.

04/21/23CEP121 Group Presentation5

So, let’s see some examples:So, let’s see some examples:

The article presents us three main examples of how students did on their internships.

1.Ritika Puri with a literature major at Claremont McKenna.2.Frannie Noble with a government major at Connecticut College. 3.David Fine, graduated last year from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. With a degree in Social Policy.


Ritika Puri, 21 years old.

She was interested in exploring the relationship between socioeconomic status and access to education and health-care facilities. Rather than looking for an established internships, “I was really interested in designing my own,” she says.


She was hired by Adharshila, an organization she contacted through a friend in new Delhi. This organization assists about 400 residents in a local slum. Her job was to assess Adharshila’s existing programs and help choose new initiatives for the organization. She went from door to door to ask people which services they wanted. For this job, she got a $500 donation which she used to buy school supplies for 100 children.


Frannie Noble, 22 years old.

She was really interested in research on children’s rights in Africa. When she went to Mali during the spring semester as part of the study abroad program, and after having sent 20 cover letters and résumés with no response, she tried to reach the organization, this time in person.


Once in Mali, she was interviewed and offered an opportunity by the Coalition of African NGO’s Working with Children. Then, she visited nonprofits organizations to gather information about the biggest challenges to children’s rights in Mali including flaws in the education system, child trafficking and child labor. Finally, she submitted a paper at the end of the internships showing her results.


David Fine, 23 years old.

David Fine graduated last year from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill. After that, he proposed an internship to companies in the Bay Area—such as Levi Strauss & Co., Gap Inc. and Wells Fargo & Co. He told employers he wanted to learn how the private sector could address social issues.


He was hired at San Francisco natural-gas and electric utility company Pacific Gas & Electric Co. his task was to restructure the company’s employee-volunteer program. He also helped set up an internal web site where employees could post volunteer opportunities and worked on a company initiative to help fund the creation of parks in the Bay Area. He finally submitted a paper to his school with the internship’s results and got a credit for it.


Worried about money?Worried about money?

Some schools offer financial assistance:•Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.•Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.•Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.

These institutions provide it for selected students doing unpaid internships. Individual grants are usually about $2,000 but can range up to $6,000, depending on the student’s financial need.


Let’s keep 4 statements in mindLet’s keep 4 statements in mind

1. “If the student outlines that a bit [stating goals and specific interests], it could get them further along.” Stew Pechkam, director of career development at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

2. “It helped me realize that this is a feasible interest to pursue and a feasible career field.” David Fine, 23.

3. The Process of creating an internship comes with a challenge.

4. The trend comes at a time when employers are increasingly looking for new hires with internship experience.


Some sources:Some sources:

Here are some web sites of the organizations that hired some students for an internships experience.

1.Adharshila: http://www.adharshila.net/home.htm2.Pacific Gas & Electric Co.: http://www.pge.com/myhome/3.LaGuardia Community College: http://www.lagcc.cuny.edu/coopedu/default.htm


Students’ names:Students’ names:•Ying ZhuYing Zhu•RumkiRumki•Lonique AlexanderLonique Alexander•Pablo AvilaPablo Avila

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students craft internships to fit interests from the wall street journal site: link to article...

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