UVM Career Services Blog

Internship of the Month: ECHO Lakeside Aquarium and Science Center

Posted on January 19, 2012 with No Comments

Intern: Kyle Pestlin
Class Year: 2012
Major: Biology
Employer: ECHO Lakeside Aquarium and Science Center
Internship Title: Animal Care Intern
Website: www.echovermont.org
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/kyle-pestlin/21/945/963

Briefly tell us about the organization you were with:

ECHO is an aquarium and science center located on the Burlington Waterfront. Their goal is to provide a fun and interactive environment for kids to learn about the local history, culture, and ecosystems. ECHO houses 70+ species of fish, amphibians, invertebrates, and reptiles and provides various internship opportunities including a variety of education/teaching internships.

How would you describe the various projects you did in for your organization someone who is unfamiliar with your field?

I worked in the Animal Care department which strictly deals with the animals. My job consisted of cleaning tanks, feeding, designing and building exhibit habitats, medicating animals, and learning about ECHO’s water system. All the techniques I’ve learned in animal care are transferable to other zoos and aquariums across the country to the standards of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

What did you like best about this internship? What was most challenging?

What I enjoyed most about this internship was to learn about all the different aspects of animal husbandry. Working at ECHO has really improved my ability to create animal specific habitats that I now apply to my lizard tanks at home.

The most challenging aspect of working at ECHO was to remember all the different diets for each of the animals. For example, some fish get fish food that we make, while some eat fish, some eat earth worms, others eat blood worms, and that’s just the fish. Frogs, reptiles, turtles, and crustaceans all have specific diets as well.

How did you gain credit for this internship?

I met with Mary Beth Barritt at Career Services. She informed me of a course she was teaching that provides credit for internships (EDSS 239). The work for the course consisted of reading inspiring and thought-provoking articles and then writing responses to these articles while including relevant internship experience. This course helped facilitate the learning process in my internship by requiring critical thinking on aspects of the internship that otherwise would have gone without acknowledgement or appreciation.

What impact did this internship have on your career direction?

This internship really opened my eyes to what I truly enjoy doing. Just knowing that I am improving the lives of these animals by giving them care and attention makes it all worth it. This internship has also confirmed the importance of knowing you are contributing and making a difference in society.

What advice do you have for students searching for internships?

When looking for an internship you have to stay persistent and look for a job in a field you are truly interested in.

Why should students do an internship?

I feel having an internship is really helpful no matter what. Even if you hate your internship you then know that you may be in the wrong field. You may learn you enjoy certain aspects of your internship more than others, and it may not even be what you had expected. This helps narrow your overall career path to the job that will ultimately be best for you.

Doing Good, Doing Well: Now for Something Different

Posted on December 15, 2011 with No Comments

Time for a well deserved break!  Rest the mind, rejuvenate the spirit, and, well, maybe wonder a bit about the year to come and what you may want to create…

Need some inspiration?  Here are movies with stories about life purpose and direction. So, take a break from the books and enjoy some entertainment that may lead to clues on where you want to put your energy – once you have recovered from the busy semester.

• Pay It Forward
• Local Hero
• Whale Rider
• Freedom Writers
• Lemonade
• Greenfingers
• Billy Elliot
• Danny Deckchair
• Bend it like Beckham
• 180 Degrees South

~Holly

Internship of the Month: Federal Public Defenders Office

Posted on December 8, 2011 with No Comments

Intern: Chris Minott
Class Year: 2012
Major: Economics
Employer: Federal Public Defenders Office
Position: Investigator Assistant
LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/pub/christopher-minott/3b/567/95

How would you describe the various projects you did in for your organization someone who is unfamiliar with your field?

As an Investigative Assistant at the Federal Public Defender’s Office, my role was to help investigate the clients that the Federal Public Defenders represent. Investigating our clients required requesting information related to medical and criminal histories from various hospitals, substance abuse centers, courts, and summarizing client information and key findings. This information was used to decide what the best way to serve our clients might be. I also assisted clients during their supervised release period, a post-incarceration period when clients must adhere to conditions, including a permanent residence, drug counseling (if the crime was drug related), and informing a parole officer on any changes in location. I would help research potential residences where clients could stay, substance abuse centers where clients could do their counseling, and exact requirements for what a client had to report to a parole officer. Some of the work I did was more mundane and included data entry, filing, and copying. To balance out these activities, I was allowed to observe various criminal proceedings in the federal courthouse and sit in on client interviews.

What did you like best about this internship? What was most challenging?

What I liked best was a conference the Federal Public Defenders hosted to discuss legal defense strategies for child pornography and human trafficking cases. Through this one conference I was able to learn a lot about criminal law and the thinking behind many of the motions and appeals I had been reading throughout my time at the office.

The most challenging part of working for the Federal Public Defenders was learning about the hardships some of our clients have suffered. All of our clients are indigent, so they face some degree of financial hardship, but beyond financial hardship, some of our clients have come from abusive households and other suffer crippling addictions. To see that some of our clients have suffered so much and continue to face great hardship was tough to handle.

How did you gain credit for this internship?

I got credit for my internship through a service-learning course (EDSS 239). The course met periodically throughout the semester and required essays designed to integrate internships with supplemental readings. Credit is based on how many hours you work and how many essays you are contract to write.

What impact did this internship have on your career direction?

My internship had a large impact on my career direction. Before my time with the Federal Public Defender’s Office I was struggling with whether or not I wanted to go to law school. After completing my internship, I know I want to go to law school. Seeing how the criminal justice system works and seeing how I could impact the world I live in with a legal education has made me realize that a career in law is what I am interested in pursuing.

What advice do you have for students searching for internships?

Look for an internship where you will be doing things that push you out of your comfort zone. I didn’t necessarily want to be in a position where I had to interact with clients and their family members (both of whom who were going through a very hard time) but now that I have, I am grateful for the experience and can appreciate how ‘eye opening’ is was.

Why should students do an internship?

Internships are a great way to see if a career path you are interested in is actually what you want to do. Also, if a student’s internship turns out to be in the field where that student wants to pursue a career, an internship also offers valuable contacts. Finally, internships offer a nice transition from school to the working world where one can learn how to act in an office setting and get used to the 9-5 grind.

Doing Good, Doing Well: Make Money Doing What You Love

Posted on November 10, 2011 with No Comments

Meaning making & making money?

Are they mutually exclusive or is it possible to do both?  Yes!

Here are the steps:

• Define what matters to you
• Explore opportunities
• Learn from others
• Take a stand, take a step – get involved!

Find out what is possible:

Considering a Non-Profit Career

Learn from the experts:

Idealist.org

Get in the conversation:

Join LinkedIn & their non-profit groups, including:

Non Profit & Philanthropic Job Board
Non Profit Network
Non Profit Professionals
UVM Career Connections: Non Profit & Social Services

Clarify your Mission:

Friday, Nov. 11, 1:30 pm: Creating a Personal Mission Statement & Action Plan,
Career Services L/L E 166.

Get Involved:

UVM is a great place to start

Do a year of service:

Non-Profit Fellowships

~Holly

Internship of the Month: Travellers Worldwide

Posted on November 3, 2011 with No Comments

Intern: Caroline Graff
Class Year: 2013
Major: Psychology
Internship Title: Volunteer at Wildlife Park/Teacher’s assistant to Refugee children learning English
Company: Travellers Worldwide
Website: http://www.travellersworldwide.com/

Briefly tell us about the organization you were with:

Travellers Worldwide is an organization that sends volunteers around the world to work in a variety of different projects. During the time spent abroad volunteers are immersed in different culture where they get the chance to experience life in another country. All programs are at least six weeks long but can be extended to a full semester.

How would you describe the various projects you did in for your organization to someone who is unfamiliar with your field? I worked in two different projects. One was at a wildlife park where I was able to meet the locals as well as travelers visiting the park from around the country and even around the world! I got to experience working with various animals, mainly marsupials and birds. The second project I worked on was at as a Teacher’s Assistant in an Intensive English Center for refugee children.

What did you like best about this internship? What was most challenging?

I particularly enjoyed working with the children at the school I was with. It gave me an opportunity I had never had before. I got to learn about their culture and meet kids from all around the world who came to Australia to make a new life. I gained a great deal from the experience–it opened my eyes to how important it is to have institutions that allow for immigrants to assimilate to their new culture. The hardest part was having to come back home!

How did you gain credit for this internship?

I took the service learning class, EDSS 239, at UVM where I did various readings and wrote papers connecting them to my experience.

What impact did this internship have on your career direction?

As a psychology major, working with the children allowed me to realize I have a love for kids, and it got me thinking about doing something in the psychology field where I would be able to work with kids. Working with refugees was also particularly interesting and I would enjoy doing something like that as well.

What advice do you have for students searching for internships?

Trying an internship in something you’ve never done before or that doesn’t have to do with your major can also be a good thing where you’ll learn a lot and it may introduce you to something you’ll be interested in.

Why should students do an internship?

Internships allow you to gain a different experience than you do in the classroom. Particularly if you usually take large lecture classes, internships allow you to gain hands on experience. I found the internship work to be a relief from some of the classroom stresses of having to take exams. You get the opportunity to work on something you choose to explore more deeply and it can be an eye opening experience.