Leveraging experiential learning

Spring 2019

Internships fuel passion, career aspirations and success for alumni

While a student at Wheaton, Shannon Witter ’11, who majored in psychology with minors in English and general education, interned for four years at the Elisabeth Amen Nursery School. The experience she gained teaching and observing in the campus child-study research site provided valuable field-specific knowledge that continues to help her succeed in her current career.

Witter is a speech-language pathologist who works in a range of clinical and educational environments in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. In November 2018, she returned to the nursery school to present the lecture “Speech and Language Guidelines for Children Ages 3 to 5.” This time she was the professional expert sharing her knowledge with a group of local educators.

“Being back to give a talk was such a surreal experience,” she said. “I cannot believe how much time has passed but how familiar that place still felt. Working at the nursery school was one of the best experiences of my college years. With my speech kids today, I still use many activities that I learned [especially the songs].”

Her sentiment is one often expressed by many alumni, who credit Wheaton for providing internships and experiential learning opportunities that allowed them to follow their passions and develop professional skills.

The Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services for decades has helped students identify and secure experiential learning opportunities to build upon their liberal arts education.

Here, we asked a few alumni who have benefited from their internships to reflect on the lessons and the value of those experiences in preparing and supporting their paths to their current success in the working world. (Scroll to read the individual stories.)

Shannon Witter ’11

“I still think back to that day [interning at The Groden Center] as one of the defining moments on my path.”

Shannon Witter ’11, a speech-language pathologist, works with several agencies, including Let’s Talk Speech and Language Therapy Services, LLC in Easton, Mass., and Rhode Island Hospital/Hasbro Rehabilitation Services in Providence, R.I., where she provides assessment and intervention for children with various speech and language difficulties. She also works for Community Autism Resources in Swansea, Mass., facilitating themed social skills groups across the state. While at Wheaton in addition to working at the Elisabeth Amen Nursery School, she also interned at The Groden Center in Providence.

“I interned with Michael Grupp at The Groden Center in summer 2010. This experience was my introduction to autism spectrum disorders. I learned everything from how to create communication books to how to differentiate instruction for groups of students,” she said.

“Watching the students learn and develop their individual voices was an incredible experience.

“With Michael, I was able to experience firsthand what the day-to-day life of a speech-language pathologist could be. That in itself is invaluable. Michael was always available for my questions. He involved me in every aspect of his day so the learning that I took away from Groden is a huge part of my daily life at my other jobs.

“When I was interning I witnessed a 7-year-old use his communication device for the first time. We were conducting speech therapy during snack time and were giving choices for snack. He requested ‘pretzels.’ When we cheered and reinforced his request, he smiled the biggest smile I have ever seen. He looked at us with such excitement as if to say, ‘You understand me!’ I still think back to that day as one of the defining moments on my path. I think it is important to remember that every individual has something to say. It is up to us to listen closer and help that voice be heard. Communication is the essence of life. And I am constantly reminded of Professor Vicki Bartolini’s words, ‘Always see a child through the lens of ability, not disability.’”

Aaron Bos-Lun ’12

“I can’t overstate how powerful my experiential learning at Wheaton was. Being able to intern in an organization in South Africa focused on youth born into post-apartheid South Africa added a deep sense of purpose to my studies.”

Aaron Bos-Lun ’12, who majored in political science at Wheaton, is the chair of the board of directors for Engage Miami, which aims to cultivate a generation of thoughtful citizens through engagement in local democracy. Previously, he was the recruitment manager for Teach For America for the University of Florida. He interned at the Amy Biehl Foundation as a Wheaton Fellow in 2009 and as a Davis International Fellow in 2011 to develop an HIV/AIDS peer education program with youth in Cape Town, South Africa; at the Monterey Institute as a Davis International Fellow in nuclear nonproliferation in 2010; and for a primary school in Bhutan in 2011.

“I returned from my internship in South Africa eager to make sense of all I had gleaned about what it really means to build a democracy from the ground up—beyond holding elections,” he said.

“I was able to return two years later and be there during an election year, continuing my work. It inspired my interest in going to what was then the world’s newest democracy, Bhutan, to conduct my senior thesis on its transition to democracy. It was there, while interviewing the minister of education, that this crazy sense I had that politics and education were connected came to life. He said that ‘democracy and education are meant to work hand in hand to improve people’s lives.’ That directly led me to a teaching position with Teach For America for four years in a low-income high school, as part of my ongoing quest to find spaces to build on my belief that directly improving people’s lives through educational opportunity is the core purpose of what societies should focus on.

“I turned 30 last year and can look back on a decade of experience, going back to my Wheaton studies and internships, which have made me a very different political thinker, community-oriented in my leadership and choices, and offered me a great deal of insight. I want to be part of making things better, and Wheaton was the foundation to do that confidently and with extraordinary reference points for which I remain grateful.”

Antonio Jakes ’12

“All of these experiences pushed me to be a better worker. Each internship was in a different field, so I was able to see how people were successful.”

Antonio Jakes ’12, who majored in English, is the national press fleet manager for Nissan North America, Inc., in Franklin, Tenn. His job involves working with live events, participating in vehicle launch activities, and creating and analyzing inventory management reports and a host of other responsibilities. He had several internships while at Wheaton: in the Office of Instructional Technology at the New York City Department of Education in summer 2009; as a product public relations intern at Nissan North America, in summer 2010; as a marketing intern at Aramark, from August 2011 to April 2012; and as a public relations/social influence intern at Mullen in summer 2012.

“My internship at Nissan shifted my career goals. I came to Wheaton wanting to be a doctor, but after that experience I realized that was not what I really wanted to do,” he said.

“Working as a public relations intern at Nissan was a new experience for me. I had no background in public relations and was actually really nervous about the internship. Throughout the summer of 2010 I was given multiple projects to complete, from grant proposal letters to handling important press releases.

“My biggest project was organizing the 40th Anniversary Nissan Z Convention. The event was taking place at Nissan headquarters in Franklin, Tenn. I had to organize vehicles, secure a photographer, create signage and pick up special guests. One thing I realized during that time was that no one was looking over my shoulder to make sure that I was getting the work completed. This let me know that I needed to always make sure I was on top of my game and got the job done.

“Whenever I’m given a task I make sure that the work I produce is the best. Managers and supervisors have their work to do, and they trust that you’re able to do your job without having to micromanage you.”

Brianne Jeffrey ’08

“Hurdles are opportunities… Things are always difficult when you first start them. But put in some time and those things can become what you do best.”

Brianne Jeffrey ’08, who majored in psychobiology, is the in vivo studies lead on the lysosomal storage team in the Gene Therapy Program (GTP) at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. While at Wheaton, she was a student intern/research technician from 2006 to 2008 in the Harvard Medical School neuroscience laboratory.

“I had a fantastic internship experience that truly shaped my career,” she said. “In my current role at GTP, I work in translational research on the lysosomal storage disorder team to develop new gene therapy models and applications. We use small viral vectors to develop and deliver gene therapies to animal models for debilitating, incurable diseases that arise primarily in children. I independently plan, conduct and analyze experiments as well as provide technical support and manage the timelines and sample collection of our animal studies. I also perform data analysis, prepare scientific presentations and participate in manuscript preparation.

“My entire career has essentially been built on the experiences I had at the Harvard lab during my internship. Not only did I gain valuable experience in research and project management, but I also had opportunities to present research at conferences, be published in peer-reviewed journals and gain connections and recommendations in the field of my study.

“I also learned a valuable lesson about communication. Early on in my internship, several of us were working on multiple aspects of ongoing research, including performing behavioral assays with rats. One day my supervisor asked me to work alone on some microscopy work that required mapping brain sections and counting cells that were stained with two different antibodies to look for co-localization.

“This work was at the time incredibly challenging for me since I had not yet developed an eye for the tissue staining and did not trust that I was doing the work correctly. I groaned and made a sarcastic comment thinking I’d get an ‘I know, this isn’t the most fun job around here’ response, but instead I was met with a lecture on the opportunity they were giving me.

“I was always a well-behaved, good student with great rapport with adults and felt immediately horrible because I did truly appreciate the opportunity, but my perfectionist fears led to my out-of-character comment. Later that day I sought out my supervisor to apologize, and we were able to move past it.

“He has since written me numerous glowing letters of recommendation. I think about this interaction often when I am faced with uncomfortable situations for several reasons.

“First, own your mistakes. Sometimes in the workplace there are errors, misunderstandings and disagreements. No matter how uncomfortable it is, taking ownership and apologizing can go a long way. That one comment could have ruined our relationship and never led to the career I have today, but it didn’t because I took responsibility.

“Second, and perhaps most relevant to my career and graduate school experience, hurdles are opportunities. I often think about how much I hated doing the mapping because I was bad at it—until I developed a touch for it and became the brain mapping master at the lab. I developed a skill that seemed impossible and was able to not only get good at it, but to enjoy it. Things are always difficult when you first start them. But put in some time and those things can become what you do best.”

Erin Jaske ’11

“My internship gave me exposure to a variety of methods and techniques used to identify disease determinants, and gave me the chance to test out a potential career path.”

Erin Jaske ’11 majored in biology because she was interested in pursuing public health and studying disease determinants once she graduated. Her internship as a research assistant at the Tennessee Department of Health in the entomology unit in summer 2010 pointed her directly toward work that best fit her passion. Currently, as a data analyst at the Department of Veterans Affairs in Seattle, she uses a variety of statistical tools to manage and analyze veteran surveys and electronic health record data.

“My internship in Tennessee solidified my interest in public health, and specifically in epidemiology,” she said.

“My day-to-day varied a lot while I interned at the Tennessee Department of Health. There were some days in which I was running tests in the laboratory all day, days in which I worked outside at a test site collecting mosquitoes and other days in which I was performing analysis on data we collected.

“Through all of this, I began to look forward to the days when I was crunching numbers and looking at the results of what we had collected. Ultimately, I decided that my best course of action would be to acquire a stronger skill set in statistical software and analysis—something that would require further study in public health.

“After graduating from Wheaton I
attended Yale University to earn my master’s degree in epidemiology, which has led me to my career today.”

Julie Bogen ’14

“My time at Teen Vogue and at Oribe Hair Care were my first New York City-based opportunities and are arguably the reason that I have the career I love.”

Julie Bogen ’14, who majored in film and new media studies with a double minor in journalism and Spanish, is the senior associate editor of audience engagement at The Atlantic in Washington, D.C. A deputy team leader, she helps to manage the department’s goals and priorities, oversees emerging platform strategy and spends several hours each week running The Atlantic’s social media channels. While at Wheaton, she was an editorial intern for The Litchfield County Times/Passport Magazine in summer 2012; served as a remote copywriting intern for a now-defunct online destination called ‘I Like What You’re Wearing’ while studying abroad in Spain in spring 2013; and was a Teen Vogue intern in the magazine’s features department and also at Oribe Hair Care in New York City in summer 2013.

“My internship with the Litchfield County Times/Passport Magazine was my first professional experience pitching, researching and writing my own articles,” she said. “I had a ton of freedom to try new things and contribute to the publication in a meaningful way with nothing but encouragement from my then-editor. It helped improve both my skills and my confidence, as well as allowed me to write several pieces that significantly built up my portfolio.

“I spent my days at Teen Vogue writing, editing and doing minor fact-checking for the magazine and website—including drafting a piece that would become my first international print byline. Oribe gave me experience communicating with influencers as well as assisting with public relations strategy. Having two major industry names and practical skills on my résumé made a major difference when it came time to apply for jobs around the time I graduated from Wheaton. My Teen Vogue boss also kindly set me up with several interviews at positions inside Condé Nast. I didn’t get the job, but having her support as I networked and interviewed for other roles made a huge difference.

“During my internships I made a couple of mistakes that I still cringe thinking about, but I learned from them. One of them happened one summer when I was brainstorming article headlines with my boss at Teen Vogue. I thought of one that I really liked after she had left the office for the day. So I tweeted at her excitedly saying to check her email. It was so extremely unprofessional and inappropriate. She was so, so nice about the way she approached it with me. That taught me a long-lasting lesson about how best to communicate with superiors, both in terms of preferred method as well as tone.”

Clayton Rieck ’14

“Wheaton laid the foundation for a new way of thinking critically about solutions across a diverse landscape of problem sets, and my internship further solidified that through a practical implementation in a real-world profession.”

As a software engineer at NBC Universal, Clayton Rieck ’14 builds and maintains iOS applications and services for nine networks owned by NBC. He was drawn to his computer science major because of the instant gratification of seeing the fruits of his labor. It also fuels his desire to create. He had three internships while at Wheaton—as a business analyst at Liberty Mutual in Boston in summer 2012 and as a software engineer intern in Liberty Mutual’s Dover, N.H., office in summer 2013. He also worked as a software engineering intern at Raizlabs in Boston during the summer 2014 after graduation.

“My first two internships taught me more about how to lead and carve a direction for myself at work while my last internship gave me practical software engineering experience. Both have been very important,” he said.

“Being able to show that you have the skill to identify fault points in processes and/or products and communicate how you’re going to fix or improve them leaves a lasting mark in any organization. I’m just glad I had the opportunity to learn this and practice it earlier on in my career.

“Every internship experience has left its mark on me both on a personal and professional level, particularly the one at Raizlabs in Boston from day one.

“I’m not sure why, but I expected to be building websites during my internship. However, it immediately became clear that would not be the case. Instead, I was placed on the iOS team and ended up building open source software and apps on iPhones and iPads. As much as I initially lamented the assignment, it ultimately taught me something valuable.

“I was doing myself a disservice by focusing my skills on one thing. I now work on many different technologies from apps to servers and even websites. I’ve focused on gathering a wider breadth of knowledge in my industry as a whole instead of settling on a single niche.

Alumni offer good advice on getting the most out of internships

“Customize your own path. Express gratitude. If the experience confirms your interest in your field of study, that is great. If not, that’s even better. You should not feel that you need to love every experience in order for it to have profound value.”

—Shannon Witter ’11

“Do not limit yourself. Wheaton is one of the most supportive environments you will find in your life, and whatever it is that fascinates you—in a class, a speaker, a friend—build on that thing and find an opportunity somewhere that will bring to life the world-class education you are getting.”

— Aaron Bos-Lun ’12

“Take initiative. I could have gone into my internship with my head down and left learning one task that summer. Instead, I learned how to do countless behavioral assays, surgeries and techniques that I still apply to my work and I cultivated relationships with some friends and colleagues. I gained experience mentoring through this position, and I learned how to talk about my research in laymen’s terms as well as in scientific terms. Teaching is often the best way to learn, and I was able to gain an appreciation for that through my internship experience.”

—Brianne Jeffrey ’08

“Don’t let any negative experiences discourage you. One of my internships was a very negative experience, but it made me take a step back and reassess what my interests were. After returning to campus, I thought more about what interests I had so I could find a field that I could practically pursue after graduation.”

—Erin Jaske ’11

“Start small. Take the opportunity that will give you the most relevant, hands-on experience—even if it’s not the biggest name. Work hard, try new things and send thank-you notes at the end.”

—Julie Bogen ’14

“Reach out and connect with people in other departments, if you are working for a company.”

—Antonio Jakes ’12

“Be a leader and communicate regularly with your team and manager about the ideas that you have, your concerns and, most importantly, how you plan on addressing them. That initiative goes a long way and leaves a lasting impression with the team and the company.”

—Clayton Rieck ’14

Opportunities by the numbers

$25,000 provided annually for students to attend professional conferences

300+ first-year students built customized career plans this academic year

55 students across disciplines received stipends this academic year to spend the summer conducting research on campus

10-year anniversary for the Internship Showcase (pictured above)

2018–19 internships:

66 U.S. cities

35 majors

21 countries represented

Internships fuel passion, career aspirations and success for alumni

Shannon Witter ’11

Aaron Bos-Lun ’12

Antonio Jakes ’12

Brianne Jeffrey ’08

Erin Jaske ’11

Julie Bogen ’14

Clayton Rieck ’14

Alumni offer good advice on getting the most out of internships

Opportunities by the numbers

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