What We Did This Summer II: Students Reflect on Praxis Program Internships

In her welcoming remarks to students at the start of the semester, President Kathleen McCartney cited the college’s Praxis summer internship program as one of the essential ways Smith supports student success.

“Few can say where your journey will lead you, and this is a good thing,” McCartney said. “Welcome the surprises. Embrace the challenges. Take risks. Fail and recover.”

This summer, 328 Smith sophomores and juniors embarked on journeys through Praxis internships—76 of them in locations abroad.

The Praxis program, which is administered by the Lazarus Center for Career Development, offers one-time stipends to support students in summer internships related to their academic and career goals.

This year, students traveled to internships in locales from Augusta, Maine, to Zurich, Switzerland. They worked with nonprofits and businesses in fields ranging from art history to computer programming to magazine publishing.

Stacie Hagenbaugh, Smith’s director of career development, said the Praxis program offers students valuable experiences and training, as well as a chance to explore fields that don’t typically provide funding, such as the arts and start-up businesses.

“Every year I am deeply impressed by the incredible range of internships students pursue,” Hagenbaugh said. “They push themselves to find opportunities that will be challenging and allow them to grow their skills and knowledge.”

“The feedback we get from their supervisors confirms that students make important contributions to the organizations for which they work,” Hagenbaugh added.

To find out more about this summer’s internships, we asked a sampling of students participating in Praxis to share reflections on their experiences. Here’s what they had to say.

Mallory Durlauf ’16

Mallory Durlauf ’16 irons an Italian flag in preparation for a fundraiser to help a group of Chicago chefs attend the Milan Expo 2016—part of her summer internship at Chicago Sister Cities International.

“This summer, I worked with Chicago Sister Cities International to help manage the city of Chicago’s cultural and economic relations with its 28 sister cities around the world. As part of the internship, I had the opportunity to help with events involving citizens of Lahore, Pakistan; Shanghai, China; Milan, Italy; Galway, Ireland; Casablanca, Morocco; and Warsaw, Poland. One of the highlights of my summer was organizing an exchange between social workers in Casablanca and Chicago. We hosted a group of eight social workers from Casablanca for a weeklong conference in Chicago to exchange best practices for reaching disengaged youth. Among the issues discussed were methods for engaging youth in gang prevention efforts, and Casablanca social workers also shared ideas about how to prevent young people from joining terrorist groups. It was interesting to learn how such seemingly different problems have very similar roots, and it was encouraging to discover that solutions can be found. The primary challenge in organizing these delegations was making cultural accommodations for each group. Overall, it was incredibly rewarding to work with individuals from all over the world—and a great deal of fun. The exchanges were enormously friendly and warm, with most interactions characterized by a deep sense of appreciation and respect. This fall I will be finishing my degree in East Asian studies and economics, and will be applying for a Fulbright Fellowship to study ‘green’ consumerism in China.”

Madeleine Goldstein ’16

Madeleine Goldstein ’16 (far right) with artist Scott Royston and gallery manager Erica SittingUp at Zenith Gallery in Washington, D.C.

I worked at Zenith Gallery in Washington, D.C., on several projects, the largest of which was an American flag-themed show. The show featured around 20 artists, all of whom submitted anywhere from one to four pieces to display. It was held in two different venues: the gallery and the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. I was responsible for unpacking and repacking the artwork, hanging the art in both locations and using the gallery’s inventory system to log all of the items. I was able to experience every aspect of gallery work from the physical side of cleaning the space to the business side of talking with guests and trying to make sales. I met many wonderful artists and interesting people. The most challenging aspect was the amount of work and energy that went into the show. Still, even after working 12-hour days, I was always excited to return to the gallery. The most important thing I learned was that you have to be willing to learn. Zenith has been around for almost 40 years, largely because they have been able to adapt. When I started, I thought I wanted to go into art conservation. But now I feel as though business school might be better for me. I would love to work in a gallery again, and business school will help me get there. This fall I will be taking classes on contemporary art—the style I worked with at Zenith—and studying for the GREs.”

Anna Partridge ’16

Anna Partridge ’16 worked on a biomass conversion project at a research organization in California.

“This summer I worked with the Schatz Energy Research Center in Arcata, Calif., on a biomass conversion project to test equipment that increases the energetic and economic value of wood chips. The testing was part of the U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Agriculture’s joint Waste to Wisdom project. The larger project aims to study the feasibility of producing, storing and selling energy-dense products from residues commonly produced by forestry operations. One of the best things about the project was that the team was small enough so that I got a ton of hands-on experience operating equipment and machinery—including driving a Bobcat to move wood chips around. Our field site was at an abandoned mill in the middle of forested property. That meant our days were long and filled with a lot of driving, and it often made communications challenging between the crew at the site and the supervisors at the lab. I learned a lot about team leadership and that organization is key to the success of any research endeavor. In my senior year I will be working on an honors thesis in Smith’s engineering department. I intend to continue my research and study of bioenergy technologies at graduate school in Europe or the U.S. I’m currently applying for a Fulbright Fellowship to support my goal of studying renewable energy abroad.”

Olivia Sayah ’17

Olivia Sayah ’17 interned this summer with Connecticut Landmarks.

“This summer I was a collections intern for Connecticut Landmarks. My main responsibility was to move and rehouse the archival collection of the Butler McCook House in Hartford, Conn. I was also involved in community outreach and educational programming at the historic house and garden. The project included surveying all of the materials in the house, examining each document and recording descriptions in a computer program. Parts of the collection had not been processed since the 1970s. It was interesting to learn about the functions of an organization devoted to preserving historical sites. It was also exciting to be able to utilize the materials I had been poring over to teach and make connections with the public. As a detail-oriented person, I enjoy examining such items and discovering previously lost details about people’s lives. The most challenging aspect of the internship was learning how to prioritize tasks with limited resources. This fall, I will be interning at the Smithsonian Institution’s Archives in Washington, D.C., where I will produce a project on the history of the Smithsonian. In the spring, I will be studying French and history at the University of Geneva in Switzerland. I’m moving toward a career in archives, museums and historical sites. I’m very interested in using historic sites as a place for discussions about issues today—tracing the trails from the past and looking ahead to the future for ways to critically move forward.”

Shannon Walsh ’16

Shannon Walsh ’16 in her lab coat at the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Mass.

“I interned at The Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Mass., an independent nonprofit biomedical research organization specializing in oral health. I worked as an assistant researcher in the department of Applied Oral Sciences, assisting on a study that involved a clinical experiment where mice were infected with strains of bacteria associated with periodontal (gum) disease. Some of the mice were treated with a resolvin that we hypothesized could prevent the disease, and they were concurrently impregnated in order to study the impact of periodontal disease on birth defects. The study is in the final cycle of clinical trials, and if the data we produced is sound, the Food and Drug Administration will approve the resolvin compound for use in treating human patients. It has been a privilege to be involved in a project that has such a direct impact on public health. In order to understand the study, I had to familiarize myself with many aspects of the dental field, including anatomy, histology, embryology and pathology. I came to the institute to better understand the life and career of a clinician-scientist. My internship has given me a clearer idea of where I want my career as a dentist to take me. After my senior year at Smith, I plan to work at my family’s dental practice in my hometown of Peabody, Mass., as a surgical assistant. I hope to become a dentist in the future!”

Anna Partridge '16 did a PRAXIS internship this summer at the Schatz Energy Research Center in California.