Tag Archives: 2017

A Postcard From: Mariam Khoudari ’17

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dsc_0091Name: Mariam Khoudari

Year: 2017

Major: International Studies

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going! This summer, I interned for Greentree Brokerage Services, Inc, which is an investment banking firm in Philadelphia. My experience at Greentree has been very enriching, as I have developed many skills in accounting, finance, and management. Furthermore, I experienced what it is like to be in a small firm and how that affects the way one works and collaborates with one’s co-workers.

How I heard about my internship: I was interested in finance internships in the Philadelphia area. I learned about the internship at Greentree by conducting the appropriate research on various internship platforms and referrals.

Why I applied for my internship: I applied for my internship because I wanted to learn more about the world of finance, specifically that of investment banking. Interning at Greentree has allowed me to do just that, and more! The small size of the firm allows me to be a much more important participant in the everyday work of the firm, rather than just a mere observer, or being in charge of clerical work that would not teach me anything about investment banking.

A Postcard From: Priyanka Dutta ’17

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10011584_10204090355524687_2140025705120488884_oName: Priyanka Dutta

Year: 2017

Major: Psychology

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

For my last summer as a Bryn Mawr student, I got an internship conducting psychological research for Prof. Egan Brad at the University of Portland. I was lucky enough to able to administer these cross-cultural studies in my home city of Mumbai. There were two main research projects that we worked on, one was studying the differences in decision making with regard to intertemporal sequencing and the other looked at ‘Moral Licensing’, a phenomenon that suggests that the recollection of prior moral behaviors boosts one’s moral self-concept which leads them to believe that the previous good deeds offsets current bad deeds. In addition to conducting these surveys, I also got to research the literature on these topics in the hopes of finding support for our hypotheses.

After searching for a suitable research internship for an international student I was lucky to have this opportunity fall in my lap. A friend recommended me to this Professor who used to teach us at Bryn Mawr. She was very encouraging and accommodating and even made it possible for me to work from home, in India.

I was particularly interested in a cross-cultural research opportunity as I am going to be a senior psychology major and will be writing my thesis in the same area. While I am still trying to figure out which field of psychology I wish to take up in the very near future, I knew that in order to keep a doctorate in psychology a viable option, getting more experience in research was crucial. This research in particular was unique in that it let me get my hands dirty and be a part of the research process from the very start. It has given me a lot insight into what this field is all about and has positively influenced my decisions about the future.

A Postcard From: Indu Upadhyay ’17

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pic2Name: Indu Upadhyay

Year: 2017

Major: Anthropology

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

I had a great time working for ‘The Global Fund for Children’ this summer. It is a non-profit organization operating around the world with its headquarters in Washington D.C. I found this internship through LanternLink. GFC has a special relationship with Bryn Mawr, as their founder was an alum and they take mawrters as interns every summer. They usually take one Bryn Mawr intern but this year they made an exception and took two. All the more fun for me, as I got to live and work with a close friend. That made the learning experience just double. I have always been interested in international development and GFC’s grant making as well as capacity building work was just what I wanted to be involved in. I not only learnt about operating a new database management software called GIFTS but also participated in all general programs team meetings to get hands on knowledge of the organization’s administration. I was assigned to two very well structured projects and given significant responsibility to work independently. I honed my basic data analysis skills and also understood the complexities of investing in social entrepreneurship in developing countries. More than anything the thought provoking nature of the job satisfied my thirst for critical thinking and the eventual direct benefit of our decisions going to people who need it back in countries like my own, was very emotionally fulfilling.

Work was not everything that made my summer awesome. D.C has become my favorite city in the U.S. now. I made so many friends through my Bryn Mawr contacts there and went out every weekend. I did kayaking on the Georgetown waterfront, went hiking on the Appalachian trail in Virginia and ate out at a dozen amazing restaurants each month. On the whole, I couldn’t have asked for a better summer experience and I am so thankful for getting this opportunity.

Celebrating a colleague’s birthday over lunch near the White House.

Celebrating a colleague’s birthday over lunch near the White House.

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City Hopping with new D.C. buddies.

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A Postcard From: Ariane Marchis-Mouren ’17

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10406755_10152932193659330_3090793059518439749_nName: Ariane Marchis-Mouren

Year: 2017

Major: Economics, Minor: International Studies

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

This summer I am interning at the Multilateral Development Banks/International Affairs office of the U.S. Department of the Treasury in Washington, D.C. The Department of the Treasury is an executive agency of the United States’ federal government and is one of the largest financial institutions in the world; its main mission is to promote economic prosperity and ensure the financial security of the country. Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) provide financial support to developing countries in order to support their economic growth. The Treasury’s role with MDBs is to engage the United States in the global development agenda, and ensure the effectiveness of MDBs’ interventions by pressuring these institutions and suggesting policies. My job here is to help and assist my coworkers with their projects and assignments, such as loan review and memorandum drafting for project proposals or loan disbursements. I have also been learning about the international development infrastructure and how the U.S, through the Treasury, funds, monitors and manages the substantial U.S. equity position in MDBs.

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I have really enjoyed the opportunities available to me outside the office. The Treasury has organized many events, guided tours, informational meetings and training courses for interns; I was able to go through basic Haver and Bloomberg trainings, to learn more about different offices and opportunities at the Treasury for graduating students, and to attend very informative ‘Brexit’ talks organized in the wake of the U.K. referendum.

As an Economics major and International Studies minor, choosing between a career in the public sector or in the private sector is something that has come up very often during my job searches. I have previously worked in two different commercial banks and have been exposed to the private sector, but I wanted to know more about the different opportunities for economists in the public sector. The Treasury seemed like the perfect fit for getting to know the financial aspect of public service.

Washington, D.C. is an amazing city that has so much to offer: from Sunday brunch at the Harbour to free-admission Smithsonian museums and art galleries, my time outside of the office has been well spent! I was actually born in Georgetown, but my family moved to France when I was four years old, so I am gladly rediscovering the city with a newfound appreciation of its historical and cultural gems. Aside from the fascinating assignments I am fortunate to be working on, I have to admit that my favorite part of this internship is being able to walk through the White House entrance every morning, after showing my I.D. to the U.S. Secret Service in front of the herd of tourists on Pennsylvania Avenue. There is really nothing like being nodded on by the Secret Service.

P.S.: I haven’t had the opportunity of taking a selfie with POTUS or FLOTUS (or even Sunny and Bo) yet, but I have three weeks left and I still have my hopes up!

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Q&A with Secretary of the Treasury Jacob J. Lew.

A Postcard From: Hydiya Abubakar ’17

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Hydiya AbubakarName: Hydiya Abubakar

Year: 2017

Major: Biology

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

My internship is at Esperanza Health Center. I have been working in the administrative office which has a lot of the behind the scenes work that helps make the health center function smoothly. I have worked on some projects such as updating patients insurances on Esperanza’s new software system that is less than a year old and checking/updating records to make sure that patients 18 or younger have had their most recent well child checks (physical exams) yearly (if not, then alerts would be sent out to remind them). The internship is going very well. The staff are very welcoming and I am learning so much about how much detail and persistence goes into handling medical information.

How I heard about my internship:

I heard about this internship through Intervarsity Christian Fellowship on campus. IVCF was running a program where students could explore how faith can be applied when working in one’s vocation and how faith can be applied in working to try to reduce injustices in the communities that one may work with. Esperanza Health Center was one of the places offered to me.

Why I applied for my internship:

I applied for this internship because I am interested in the health field and Esperanza takes a holistic approach that really tries to help cater to patients’ needs and health. For example, Esperanza offers prayer if patients feel that they need spiritual uplifting, majority of the staff are required to be bilingual (Spanish and English), and Esperanza offers behavioral counseling, nutrition classes, and fitness classes all conveniently located at the health center. I was very excited to have an opportunity to learn and work in this environment.

A Postcard From: Jingling Li ’17

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myxj_20160509114547_fastName: Jingling Li

Year: 2017

Major: Computer Science

Internship Placement: I will be working on a theoretical research at the University of Maryland this summer. It is a research to help me gain the experience of designing and improving algorithms. I really hope I could have solid exploration this summer.

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

It is coming to an end of my summer research and so far, I think it is the best research experience I have ever had during my college life, which also opens a good end to the independent research I will be working on for my senior thesis.

Reading the paper

Reading the paper

I worked in a group of 4 people on scheduling problems such as concurrent open shop and coflow scheduling. This REU group has 16 students in total and 14 of us live in the same building, which provides us with many great opportunities to know about each other and do fun stuff together. There are two things that really surprised me this summer. One is that I happen to share a room with Teddy whom I have been a friend on Facebook and Renren (Chineses facebook) for around 4 years but never met or talked in person before, and the other is that these friends even prepared a cat birthday cake for my 21 birthday and I felt really moved. Beyond great personal communications, they are also very professional as research teammates and again I felt in love with teamwork.

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Though it is time to say goodbye to my summer, I really enjoy everything happened this summer and best wishes to my roommate Teddy (will come to visit you at NYC)!

A Postcard From: Emma Wells ’17

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img_1383Name: Emma Wells

Year: 2017

Major: English

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

I am spending my summer interning with Team Sunshine Performance Corporation, a Philadelphia-based theater company that makes original, ensemble-created work. This internship has been immensely encouraging to me, both because of the people I’ve been lucky to work with and because of the exciting, innovative nature of Team Sunshine’s work.

Because theater doesn’t run on the typical 9-5, Monday-Friday schedule, I’ve been enjoying an unpredictable workweek. The only part of my schedule that stands still is a weekly four-hour administrative meeting, which has come to be my favorite part of the week. At these meetings with the three company co-founders, I get to see how the gears of the company work together, and I feel empowered to one day start a company of my own.

I’m serving as Assistant Director on The Sincerity Project (2016), which will be part of the curated portion of the 2016 Philadelphia Fringe Festival in September. The Sincerity Project is a 24-year iterative performance project in which the same seven performers reconvene every two years to create a new installment. The show I’m working on is the second iteration, so I am having the unusual experience of seeing how an ensemble evolves previous work into something new. Working in the rehearsal room has been really inspiring and informative, as I learn how a professional company can prolifically create new work.

I’ve been enjoying spending my time in Philadelphia and getting to know South Philly better in particular. I can now officially call myself a disgruntled Septa commuter, although I’ve been getting lots of reading done on my two-hour commute from the suburbs.

A Postcard From: Emma Porter ’17

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12931261_10207431004385926_303622464008508928_nName: Emma Porter

Year: 2017

Major: Political Science

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

This summer I have been teaching English to students in Pingxiang, China with the non-profit organization “Learning Journey in China”. I have never been this far from home, nor have I ever had a full-time teaching position, so this opportunity comes with a lot of new experiences and challenges. We just completed our first session of teaching, and I can observe a boost in confidence in each student’s English communication. We play games and put on performances for each other, all the while they get the opportunity to practice English. My students have been the most creative, thoughtful, talented, and ambitious children I have ever met and have taught me so much, too. They are eager to learn and to share their home with me. One of the students’ favorite activities is KTV (Karaoke), and we often sing American pop songs and dance together during our breaks. Not only am I able to experience a new country, but I have also been able to develop many friendships amongst the other teachers. This shared experience helped each of us grow close in a short amount of time, and we each value the opportunity to explore a new environment and take on new challenges, (of which there has been many). Learning Journey in China has pushed me outside my comfort zone in a way that has strengthened me and has given me new perspectives that I will take with me when I return to Bryn Mawr in the fall and beyond.

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My (very silly) intermediate class.

The view from my classroom.

The view from my classroom.

A Postcard From: Kanai Gandhi ’17

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Name: Kanai Gandhi

Year: 2017

Major: Psychology

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going.

I am an intern at the Pre-School Mental Health Program conducted by the Central Behavioral Health organization. I am very thankful that I got an opportunity that gives me the ability to combine my major in Psychology and minor in Education in order to work with children between the ages of 3-5. I really enjoy working thee because these children create a whole different environment than the one we find at Bryn Mawr. Through this internship I have been learning different kinds of therapeutic approaches and mediums through which one can communicate with a child who is experiencing a learning delay. I have also met some wonderful people and ventured out to new places in Philly that I never knew even existed!

How I heard about my internship?

I actually heard it through a friend of mine who is also a psychology major. For most of my other internships LanternLink was the best and the most convenient options, but if that doesn’t work, make sure to ask as many people as you can!

Why I applied for my internship:

I applied because I wanted to experience what working with children that have learning delays was like. I had always studied it or observed it from afar, but through this internship I actually got to experience being one of the trusted advisors in the facility and taking the responsibility of a handful of kids.

A Postcard From: Sydney Maves ’17

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13285713_10209167647326730_145702128_nName: Sydney Maves

Year: 2017

Major: Growth and Structure of Cities, Minor: Environmental Studies

Internship: Mayor’s Intern in the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (MIP Program)

What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!

So far, this summer has been great. Because the internship is in downtown Philadelphia, I decided to sublet a place in University City. I couldn’t have asked for a better location. Instead of taking the subway every morning, I decided to try out Philadelphia’s new biike share program – Indego. There’s a station right outside my apartment and right next to my office building. Through this internship, I’ve been learning about how Philadelphia’s residents are able to get involved and voice their opinions in the planning process. I’ve also been able to work a fair amount with Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in order to visually represent recommendations that Philadelphia City Planning Commission has determined to be high, medium, and low priorities to change or implement. I’ve also been learning about Philadelphia’s zoning code which went through major changes recently after not being modified for over 40 years.

As a part of Philadelphia’s Mayor’s Internship Program, on Fridays all of the Mayor’s interns come together for panel discussions with individuals in all different departments and levels of city government. We’ve also gone on a number of fieldtrips, including one to the Navy Yard. As someone who is interested in urban planning it was very interesting to see how the Navy Yard is being redeveloped after years of very little use.

How I heard about my internship:

I interned at the Salt Lake City Mayor’s Office last summer, so this year, I wondered if Philadelphia offered a similar program. I applied through the Mayor’s Internship Program (MIP) and was then interviewed to learn about my interests. Then, I was interviewed again with specific departments including the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC).

Why I applied for my internship:

This summer, I wanted to learn how a city determines what changes need to be made to the urban form in order to improve living standards. I also was interested in being part of the Mayor’s Internship Program so that I would better understand how departments in government work together. With PCPC, I’ve been able to attend meetings in order to learn about all aspects of the planning process from learning how maps are made, to talking to community members, to learning about the necessary interactions between stakeholders.