Wheaton News

Sara Támara Giraldo ’24 gains clarity on future during internship 

Sara Támara Giraldo ’24 is no stranger to international travel. She was born in Germany, grew up in Columbia and later moved to the United States. 

At Wheaton, she studied abroad in Berlin twice and has plans to attend graduate school in Taiwan. 

Her peripatetic lifestyle has allowed her to appreciate different cultures, but it also has opened her eyes to the inequities of the world and emboldened her to do what she can to fix them. 

The North Attleboro, Mass., resident always knew she wanted to work at a nonprofit, but she was unsure whether to pursue a legal or economic path. 

An 11-week internship this summer at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland helped provide some clarity. 

“The Legal Aid Society was the perfect merging point between the nonprofit and legal fields,” she said. “It made me realize that I want to continue nonprofit work, helping people one-on-one and doing direct service work, but being a lawyer is not the right profession for me.”

She said she would instead like to combine her interests in economics and nonprofit work by potentially working for the United Nations, the World Bank or another nongovernmental organization. 

Giraldo, who majored in economics, international relations and German, secured the internship with the help of the Porter Cleveland Fellowship. 

The fellowship was created in 2005 to honor Nancy Lyon Porter ’43 and her lifetime commitment to community service. The program was set up by Porter’s daughter, former Wheaton College Trustee Elizabeth Porter Daane ’77. It provides $3,500 and housing for students to intern or volunteer at a community-based organization in Cleveland, Ohio. 

Giraldo shared that one memorable internship experience occurred when she worked with a woman from Puerto Rico who needed legal guidance. Although The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland was unable to help her directly, they worked diligently to get her the resources she needed. 

“We provided legal guidance by briefly explaining the legal documents of continuing a divorce case to her. And we shared the Legal Aid information for the Puerto Rico-based branch, as well as the contact information of a couple of private lawyers that could help her, in case she decided to take that route,” Giraldo said.

“Although we couldn’t directly help her, I believe Legal Aid’s willingness to provide her with other resources she could use made an impact that other organizations don’t go the extra mile to make. I find this inspirational, as it helps me believe that small acts can make big impacts,” she said.

Giraldo praised Wheaton’s Career Services and said the college’s intimate class sizes allowed her to find her voice and build strong connections with her professors.

“Having such small classes and a tight-knit community ensures that the opportunities given within the college are accessible to most students,” she said. “Wheaton also encourages you and helps you to be a leader because it gives you a space to become the best version of yourself.”

While at Wheaton, Giraldo received the Hedda Korsch Prize in German Studies, Jean Mulcahy Keefe ’44 Prize in Economics and Catherine Filene Prize in Economics.

—By Scott Enman ’15

Read other internship stories.