Wheaton News

What might the future look like? That’s the question 19 students spent winter break considering as they explored potential future careers during internships. Each year, Wheaton’s Winternship initiative provides stipends for students to work in schools, health clinics, nonprofit organizations and corporate settings. The Filene Center for Academic Advising and Career Services launched the program in 2013 with funding from the Nancy Lyon Porter ’43 Community Service Fellowship program, the Blakely Fetridge Bundy ’66 Work and Learning Fellowship, and the Talanian Family Work and Learning Fellowship. Here’s a glimpse of some of the student experiences.

Kyle Diangkinay ’17

• Internship: Sports information department at Baruch College, Manhattan, N.Y.
• Award: Nancy Lyon Porter ’43 Community Service Fellowship
• Major: Business and management

“I have worked in the athletics department at Wheaton as a sports information intern for three semesters. This internship at Baruch College gave me more experience working with new media applied in the sports information realm. On game days, I assisted in preparing game programs; provided in-game entertainment by playing music during timeouts and intermission; updated live scoring for the D3hoops.com website; wrote game recaps for women’s basketball matches; and occasionally recorded the contests in their entirety for the coaching staff to develop strategies based on the video. Some of my duties also included updating athlete bios, making additions to upcoming season schedules, posting advertisements for upcoming sporting events and organizing paperwork.”

Braden Marstaller ’18

• Internship: Keller Williams Realty, Portland, Maine
• Award: Talanian Family Work and Learning Fellowship
• Major: Undeclared

“My future aspiration is to acquire a real estate sales license and own a real estate firm. This particular internship helped me gain confidence in the marketing components of real estate. My duties included helping rebrand a team of two realtors, as well as creating from scratch and publishing marketing materials. I also merged, organized and re-created new files for clients in preparation for the new name change. This internship fits nicely within my educational experience at Wheaton. After taking a course on business management and responsibility with Assistant Professor Nancy Scott last semester, I realized the importance of marketing and communication within a business and how advertising can really increase companies’ overall bottom line. This was also helpful as I prepare to take a marketing course my junior year.”

Emma Garcelon ’18

• Internship: Arthur Fink Photography, Portland, Maine
• Award: Talanian Family Work and Learning Fellowship
• Major: Studio art

“I chose to intern at Arthur Fink Photography because I wanted to work one-on-one with a local photographer who practices fine art photography. I was looking for an out-of-the-classroom experience where I would learn directly from the artist. I found that I connected with Mr. Fink’s work and could understand his artistic vision. He immediately asked me to look critically at his work, which was a little scary at first, but it fostered great conversations. I felt honored that Mr. Fink trusted me with the important and personal task of sorting through his photo archive, and in the process, I learned a great deal from him. The most valuable thing I learned was how to look at another’s work with a critical eye, which is extremely important for me as an art major. I began developing my critical, artistic eye during the critiques and conversations with peers and professors I have had so far in my art classes at Wheaton. This internship helped me identify photographs that show the subject through the artist’s eyes. It has also helped me see the difference between images of art and ones that would work better as commercial photographs.”

Claire Crawbuck ’16

• Internship: San Juan Island National Historical Park, San Juan Island, Wash.
• Award: Blakely Fetridge Bundy ’66 Work and Learning Fellowship
• Major: Environmental science

“During my internship, I mapped out water issues that occur on the trails within the parks. This involved hours of hiking and required the ability to determine the severity and cause for the water issues that were seen on the trails. I also helped to map out interactive educational trails that will be used by guests as part of the celebration of the park’s centennial. I sought out an internship at the national historical park because I would like to pursue a career in land conservation—specifically conservation ecology and restoration ecology. The National Park Service has many parks in the Pacific Northwest, and the mission is to conserve land for the greater good, which is right up my alley. I am currently applying to many positions with the park service and hope that this internship experience will demonstrate my sincerity for a career with them.”

Allison Meyette ’18

• Internship: Old Slater Mill, Pawtucket, R.I.
• Award: Nancy Lyon Porter ’43 Fellowship
• Majors: History, art history

“Old Slater Mill is America’s first cotton mill and the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution in this country. Throughout the years, I have taken many tours of the site; I thought it would be a good place to learn about American history. From January to March is the museum’s off-season, so there weren’t a lot of tours that went through. I did many small but important maintenance tasks, like cleaning the 18th century machinery. I also helped with the mill’s eighth annual Knitting Weekend, which is a convention for knitters. I learned about collections management, disaster management and the inner workings of programming for a nonprofit museum institution. I also learned some interesting trivia about the museum itself and possibly had a paranormal experience in the Sylvanus Brown House (I’m convinced there were ghosts; my co-worker Josh says otherwise).”

Nykia Leach ’17

• Internship: Youth and Family Services of Haddam-Killingsworth, Higganum, Conn.
• Award: Nancy Lyon Porter ’43 Fellowship
• Major: Public health

“I created activities in order to facilitate two weekly after-school club meetings for selected middle school students—GIVE, a club devoted to community service work, and INSPIRE, an all-girls club devoted to female empowerment. I created a new Facebook page for the organization and completed a variety of office duties as requested. I also provided one-on-one marijuana prevention counseling for a high school student who had been seen by the Juvenile Review Board, a disciplinary board that acts as a community alternative to the juvenile justice system for youths who are experiencing conflict at home or in school, or have broken the law. As a public health major at Wheaton, with a concentration in health education and advocacy, I plan to continue my education in pursuit of a master’s degree in public health. Having interned with Planned Parenthood, a large nonprofit, last summer, I was glad to diversify my public health experience working with a smaller, community-level organization this winter.”

Rebecca Olivieri ’18

• Internship: Physical Therapy of Norton
• Award: Talanian Family Work and Learning Fellowship
• Major: Biology

“A big part of my internship was observation and reflection. I also participated in the workings of the practice. The physical therapist would instruct me to work with patients by preparing their ice or heat for their injuries. I helped demonstrate movements and exercises with different equipment based on a prescribed program. During the internship, I saw various patients and observed appointments that involved evaluations, re-evaluations and releases. This internship was unique, as it allowed me to see firsthand the work of a physical therapist in her small clinic. Throughout the internship, the physical therapists talked about all different muscles and body parts that I am only slightly familiar with. By asking questions and talking about the injuries of patients, I was able to learn more about the body. I am excited to be able to grow in my knowledge.”