Major: Community & International Development

Minor: Political Science

Internship:  Legislative Intern at Office of Vermont Lieutenant Governor

Tasks: Communicating with Lt. Governor’s Chief of Staff to complete tasks, attending meetings for the Lt. Governor (such as the Social Equity Caucus meetings), and assisting with other official duties. Drafting remarks for the Lt. Governor’s public appearances, creating social media posts, coordinating an event surrounding the unveiling of portraits to honor the three former woman Lt. Governors.

Highlights: "My favorite parts of my internship have been the opportunities to engage directly with the Lt. Governor [who] is a natural leader and a genuinely great public servant. She is quite busy with her role, and I deeply admire her commitments to the State of Vermont. Working with her has been the highlight of my professional experiences thus far!" 

How did Alaura find this internship? Handshake

Major: Community & International Development

Minor: Public Communication

Internship: Ronald McDonald House Charities in Burlington, VT

Tasks: I interned for the volunteer coordinator at the Ronald McDonald House Charities. I got to work along side some of the most hardworking women I've ever met. I've learned about non-profit organizations and what's it like to be a part of my own community, a place I've grown up in. 

Highlights: Getting to provide for the families that stay at the RMHC is heartwarming and my greatest honor. I'm lucky to have received the opportunity to intern at an organization that believes in the community and its people.

Major: Community & International Development

Minor: French

Internship: U.S Senate Office - Senator Bernie Sanders in Burlington, VT

Tasks: Greeting visitors, answering phone calls from constituents, submitting legislative comments,  transcribing calls and voicemails, writing congratulatory letters and information referrals, and other various tasks as assigned such as picking up the mail, printing and scanning.

Highlights: The bulk of this internship revolved around legislative affairs and policy matters. While several topics in CDAE touch upon these issues, my internship was not centered around economic and social development the way the majority of my CDAE classes are. This internship gave me the real-world experience I was looking for in terms of working in an office with other colleagues, being on a schedule, and sitting behind a desk. While I am not certain I will one day return to work in a government office, this experience provided me with invaluable professional development skills I will carry with me wherever I end up working in the future. The best part about this internship was getting to know the people around the office as well as seeing everything they do for people all over Vermont. This is a wonderful experience for anyone looking for legislative experience and that may want to work for the government one day.

How did Antonio find this internship? The CDAE Weekly Internship email that is sent to all CDAE majors.

Major: Community and International Development

Internship: Manomet U360

Tasks: Manomet U360 is a nonprofit whose mission is to use science to engage people to create a more sustainable world. They are based in Massachusetts and the U360 program is for college students-- my program is made up of UVM & UNH students. Everyone is split into teams and you interview small businesses about sustainability. It is a two semester internship. At the end you choose a business to do a case study on; we look into the business's governance, environmental, social practices. I have weekly meetings. We just finished the stage where we research all the businesses. There is a lot of back and forth through email contacting the businesses. Then you zoom with your group and discuss what went well. After that I choose the business I want to focus on.

Highlights:  The actual interviews are my favorite part; you get to learn a lot about businesses. Many of mine are local Vermont businesses from where I grew up. Some businesses have really cool sustainable practices that you wouldn’t know from the consumer side.

How did Autumn find this internship? Someone came in to talk to my class about the internship.

Major: Community Entrepreneurship

Minor: Applied Design

Internship: JAM Creative in Burlington, VT

Tasks: Ben’s responsibilities at JAM Creative included aiding in pre-production process, retouching large quantities of production images, portraits, and wedding photos.

Highlights: The biggest highlight for Ben was being able to have the opportunity to go to actual weddings and events and participate in photo shoots like he would in an actual job, “Being able to have the hands-on experience that you do not usually gain in a normal class in college was the biggest thing I took away from my internship.”

How did Ben find this internship? His Academic Advisor

Major: Public Communication

Internship: University of Vermont Athletics, External Relations & Communications

Tasks: Brianna is responsible for live-tweeting the action during sports games, generating graphics to post while the games are being played, and post key statistics. She also does three hours of office hours a week where she works in the communications department at Patrick Gym. Sometimes it is to write press releases, athlete biographies, season prospectus, photo ID-ing and editing, graphic development, website management, game-day programs, and more.

Highlights: “The most memorable part of my internship during my time with the communications department was when the Men’s basketball team won the America East Conference title last March. Major games like that are always an all-hands on deck situation, and I was assigned a media pass to run around the entire event taking pictures and videos to post to our social media. Overall, I've loved seeing all the behind the scenes work that goes into athletics."

Major: Community & International Development

Minor: Food Systems

Internship: Population Media Center in S. Burlington, VT

Tasks: Population Media Center is an international nonprofit that uses mass entertainment in the form of serial radio dramas and television shows to facilitate social behavioral change and shift cultural norms towards a healthier, more equitable future for humans and the environment. I have been able to explore the nonprofit world through engaging in independent foundation research, assisting with the construction of primers to simplify the proposal writing process and have helped with plotting storyline information for a drama to be aired in Ethiopia. I have spent most of my time researching foundations that invest in climate change, social behavioral change and media entertainment projects and organizations. I have also helped research major funders of international development projects to help with a possible project in Niger and have more recently been constructing a primer for project proposal development.

Highlights: "It was extremely exciting to present my independent research to the President and Vice President of the organization. I have also really enjoyed working on the proposal primer as I know it will be useful for many creators for long after my internship ends."

How did Caroline find this internship? I found this internship through my roommate, who interned for a different PMC department this past Spring.

Major: Community and International Development

Minor: Food Systems

Internship: NOFA-VT and VT-FEED. NOFA-VT is located in Richmond, Vermont, while VT-FEED is located at Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, Vermont. I split my time evenly between both organizations, working in-person at both locations as well as remotely depending on my activities for the week. 

Tasks: This internship entailed a variety of activities. I reported to two separate supervisors, and at the beginning of each week, I communicated with each supervisor to determine what activities I would be completing and when. There were a few overarching projects that I spent considerable time on, including helping to organize Farm to School Awareness Day at the State House, coordinating speakers at the budget hearings held across the state in February, and organizing the Social Action Zone held at the NOFA-VT Winter Conference. Additionally, I consistently monitored legislative activity on bills that each organization was advocating for and spent considerable time observing hearings in the State House. Finally, I was available to assist with other various organization and communication tasks as needed to assist my supervisors.

Highlights: The highlight of this internship was the exposure that it granted me into the field that I am interested in. This was a fantastic opportunity for me to network, as I was able to make connections with individuals in organizations that I hope to work with or for in the future. This was my first time working in food policy, so I really enjoyed learning more about the legislative process from a food systems perspective and what continuing to work in agriculture policy would look like. Additionally, this was a great exposure for me to the non-profit world. 

How did you hear about these internship opportunities? I originally heard about the internship through one of the supervisors as I had previously interviewed with her for a different position that took place this past fall. While I was not chosen for that position originally, she reached out to me soon after to see if I would be interested in this position and was granted an interview with her and my other supervisor.

Major: Public Communication

Minor: Nutrition & Food Sciences

Internship: Polished Pig Media in New York, NY

Tasks: Polished Pig Media is a public relations firm in NYC with offices in Charleston, Nashville, D.C, Atlanta and Birmingham. This is my second summer interning with them as I really enjoyed my time working for them last summer. I mostly help people in the New York office but also assist anyone throughout the company. I do things like build media lists, do social media audits and social media calendars, and do lots of research for clients.

Highlights: I have been learning so much about PR and I really enjoy it!

How did you find this internship? Through an alum of my sorority who was also a PCOM major at UVM.

Major: Public Communication

Internship: Commando LLC in South Burlington, VT

Tasks: Assisted with online merchandising for various products, participated in social media management through the creation of new content, organized and put together packages for influencers to help promote various Commando products, aided in the release of new product photos with each new launch, collaborated in project management and execution, and helped support the marketing team to achieve project deadlines.

Highlights: "The highlight of interning at Commando is definitely gaining experience in the fashion industry. I have always loved fashion and wanted to pursue a career combining my interests with my Public Communication degree. When I discovered this opportunity, I was so excited to gain experience with a Vermont-based company that has presence in New York Fashion Week and among celebrities and stylists."

How did Hannah find this internship? Research and networking.
“My biggest piece of advice for anyone looking to go into a career in fashion or marketing is to secure internships that align with your interests while you’re still in college.  Often times employers want to see that you have 1-3 years of experience for an entry level position, so having internships can really set you up for success.  Most of the internships I set up were from doing research and reaching out to the companies that aligned with my values and interests to see if they’d consider having an intern.  This is a great way to practice networking and also learn more about the companies organizations you have interest in."

Major: Public Communication 

Minor: Community Entrepreneurship

Internship: Eternity Marketing in Burlington, VT

Tasks: As the Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Intern for Eternity Marketing, Isabelle is responsible for writing blogs, running online analytics, and creating social media posts. During her time as an intern she managed SEO for 13 clients.

Highlights: “I love to learn by doing, so learning in this internship has been a true thrill since all of what I am doing really has a direct impact on both the client and the team. I feel like I truly belong and the work I do really really matters - which pushes me to create my best work."

How did Isabelle find this internship? Her boss reached out to her on LinkedIn to apply for a full time position-- she applied and didn't end up getting the job, but stayed in contact and ended up securing a full time internship for her senior spring. At the end of her internship, she was offered to stay on as a fulltime employee!

Major: Public Communication

Minor: Applied Design

Internship: The Sticky Brand in Burlington, VT

Tasks: Fulfilling orders for various businesses and vendors, using design software such as adobe photoshop, illustrator and Indesign to develop and print stickers.

Highlights: "I was able to see the stickers and banner I made at a show which is awesome. I think the reason why I found this job so enticing is the ability to constantly see your work being produced into a completed project. I am able to learn about graphic design and then have it transition into a physical product.”

After graduating from UVM, Jacob was hired as a Lead Designer by The Sticky Brand and now serves as an internship site supervisor for many of our current CDAE interns.

Major: Community Entrepreneurship

Internship: Vermont Craft Mead Company in Colchester, VT

Tasks: During Jake’s time at Vermont Craft Mead Company he was able to learn all of the different roles of a small business from head brewer, accounts manager, and head of sales/marketing. He learned about the process of brewing 900 gallon batches of mead with the Head Brewer, then tracking the fermentation process using industry specific tools, and eventually packaging the beverage in cans and then cases. He also worked with the company owner to learn about administrative duties that come along with small businesses including tracking inventory, paying taxes, and submitting invoices. He also assisted with sales and marketing by working at various events that showcased their brand and products directly to customers.

Highlights: Learning what it takes to run a small business and receiving a job offer. “As someone who is studying Community Entrepreneurship, and who hopes to one day open a small brewery, the opportunity to work with a small company in the Craft Beverage industry, and to learn from the industry leaders in Craft Mead was an incredibly valuable hands on experience. Having actually been hired on at Groennfell has been a dream come true. I am enjoying the freedom and responsibility that comes along with working at a small business. While I do not intend on attempting to open my own brewing business anytime soon, I do intend to work for Groennfell post graduation and to stay involved with the craft beverage industry in future careers."

Major: Community and International Development

Internship: Development Intern at 1% for the Planet

Tasks: Jess does research on where to get donations and funds for 1% for the Planet. She looks at grants and checks to see if 1% for the Planet is eligible for those grants. This can be challenging because 1% for the Planet has created a network that connects companies and nonprofits, and often that is not what most grants are for.

Highlights: “I’m really enjoying learning about the working of a nonprofit and seeing how small scale nonprofits work. I like seeing how social initiatives are played out and it’s cool to see all the pieces come together.” 

How did Jessica find this internship? When Jess took CDAE 166, Community Entrepreneurship, her group chose 1% for the Planet to donate their profits to. As a result of that, it was a company that she knew was in the area and was a company that she was interested in.  

Major: Community & International Development

Minor: Environmental Studies & Health and Society

Internship: Research Intern at University of Rochester Medical Center

Tasks: Conducted research on Gender Identity in Healthcare, E-cigarette use prevention in minority teens (Spanish speaking groups), and Pesticide exposure among Latino Farmworkers. Completed necessary training such as HIPAA certification and CITI training. Attended lectures and community talks.

Highlights: "As someone who grew up with a father who works in the healthcare industry, I have always been interested in the healthcare system. I enjoyed getting to meet and work with incredible professionals who are working to better the lives of communities that they are a part of and understanding how to conduct qualitative research with participants all over the United States and Puerto Rico." 

Major: Community & International Development

Internship: Vermont Works for Women in Winooski, VT

Tasks: Katie's internship focused on program development and implementation with the girl’s program at Vermont Works for Women. She assissted with various office tasks, outreach at conferences and events, co-facilitating activities, program development and implementation, and working with survey data to track responses of participants at events.

Highlights: Katie was able to get hands-on experience in a non-profit that focused on the intersection of gender and development, while also being able to interact with the community that she was aiming to serve, which is middle school and high school aged girls who are encouraged to explore STEM and trade careers. She was able to gain professional skills and make meaningful network connections and friendships while determining that the non-profit sector is where she wants to pursue her professional and academic career.

How did Katie find this internship? She first learned of this opportunity at the UVM job/internship fair her first year as a student, and the opportunity stuck with her ever since so she decided to follow up. "I chose this internship because the organization’s mission aligned with my interests, specifically gender equity and the empowerment of women and girls."

Major: Public Communication

Minor: Community Entrepreneurship

Internship: Thunder Road International Speedbowl in Barre, VT

Tasks: As a Communications Intern, Meghan was responsible for marketing and promotions including creating visual outreach materials, ticket sales, event day operations at the racetrack, and administrative tasks such as data input, paper filing, and pre-event preparations.

Highlights: Gaining experience in a field that she's passionate about. She gained valuable insight into marketing and promotions, event day operations, and how to run a successful business in the field of athletics. This internship has led to a career interest for her future while also gaining college credit along the way.

How did Meghan find this internship? First realizing her passion for racing, then using her network and connections to reach out to the business and ask if they had any internship opportunities. She urges anyone who is looking into doing an internship to not be afraid to ask a company they’re interested in even if they don’t have any postings.

Major: Community & International Development

Internship: Program Intern at Vermont Council on World Affairs in Burlington, VT

Tasks: I was responsible for researching and outlining relevant international and domestic policy, identifying organizations, companies, and government agencies statewide that relate to a diverse spectrum of programs, supporting the organization with developing programs and managing trip logistics, and interacting with international visitors and accompanying them to meetings and cultural activities throughout the state. This experience gave me a lot of skills that I will be able to use in any career I pursue. I learned about proposal writing, communication, public speaking, event planning, and social media marketing. These are all very relevant skills to have, especially in the international development world, and I will be able to use them in the future.

Highlights: "The best part of my internship experience was being able to accompany the international visitors. This was always the most riveting and exciting. I also loved the team work and mentality that the VCWA had."

How did you find this internship? The CDAE Weekly Internship email that is sent to all majors in the department. 

Major: Community and International Development

Minor: Spanish

Internship: Trek Relief (Remote)

Tasks: My role in this internship mainly consisted of marketing projects for Trek Relief. These were primarily focused on social media and email marketing campaigns. I also received some training in using Google Ad Words. I had weekly meetings with other team members focused on marketing as well as debriefing with different board members. Throughout my time with Trek Relief, I worked on a few different marketing projects while continuing with regular social media posts. These different projects pertained to different trips through Trek Relief. So I constructed separate marketing campaigns for the Patagonia trip, the Mongolia trip, and then finally for the Party with Purpose fundraising event. Each marketing project involved creating effective email campaigns and informative social media posts.

Highlights: My favorite part of this internship was definitely meeting my other team members. Everyone involved in Trek Relief is so unique and passionate about their pursuits. I learned a lot about what it takes to run a start-up in the ecotourism industry. I didn’t really know how small Trek Relief was before joining the team. I learned a lot of tips on what it takes to manage your own organization that I hope to utilize in the future. I was inspired to build something for myself from the ground up because I saw how successfully this team had done it. plan to work within the ecotourism industry as a career out of college, so this experience was definitely insightful for me. Through my studies at UVM, I was also able to learn how this industry could improve as whole. I plan to take this knowledge with me into the future to have the greatest positive impact on the ecotourism industry.

How did you find this internship? I found out about this internship through a discussion with my professor, Rob Williams. He told me about this project he was working on with Trek Relief. Later that week, I searched for Trek Relief online and got in contact with its founder-- she seemed eager to get me on board from our first email exchange.

Major: Self-Design: Sustainable Community Design

Internship: Red House Building in Colchester, VT

Tasks: Provide estimates for projects, order and manage materials, assist with construction and woodworking, gather data on vendors and subcontractors and manage bookkeeping, payroll, invoice and billing.

Highlights: "Seeing my designs and SketchUp renderings get built for clients— it's cool to see a 3D model I made come to life. I also developed my understanding of construction and increased my confidence in the workplace. I am strong believer in small business and it was great to see how Red House operates. I hope to emulate this type of work in my future careers and endeavors."

Major: Public Communication with a concentration in Strategic Communications

Internship: Cannonball Productions in Burlington, VT

Tasks: The internship entailed a mix of both production and marketing work for events. The production side consisted mostly of vendor research and creating detailed lists of contact and pricing information. I worked on updating the website and app with specific vendor information. The marketing side of my internship consisted of running the Instagram page and occasional posts to Facebook. I uploaded daily posts and stories on Instagram. I had to create copy that had to be approved until I was told that I no longer had to do so because I had learned so much and gained more independence. I did outreach to influencers regarding social media partnerships as well as reaching out to vendors to be featured for specific posts and stories. I had the opportunity to do some graphic design as well for different Instagram campaigns. I worked with Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop. Furthermore, I worked in the platforms Eventbrite and Universe to send tickets to different vendors, patrons, and influencers. I had to create complimentary tickets and fix any ticket errors. I managed the support email as well and directed emails to the proper people to answer questions I could not answer myself.

Highlights: I learned so much from this internship. I learned that I would prefer to work at a larger company which could provide me with more mentorship and ability to network. It is just as important to learn what you may not like as well as what you do like. I am so grateful to have had this internship because I learned so much about myself and about what I would like in the professional world.

How did you find the internship? I found the Internship through a mutual friend who had previously had an internship at the same organization. She told me that there was a post in a UVM Class of 2020 Facebook Group, which I went back and found and then applied from there.

Majors: Community and International Development & Community Entrepreneurship

Minor: Public Communications

Internship: Senator Leahy of Vermont

Tasks: Assisting staff and caseworkers with any tasks or research projects, answering the office phone calls from constituents, opening and scanning mail, and responding to constituents and recording messages for the Senator.

Highlight: Participating in staff meetings with the DC and Montpelier office.

How did Sara find this internship? A suggestion from a family friend who had a similar internship in college.

Major: Public Communication with a concentration in Strategic Communication

Internship: Nectar & Root: Wedding Floral Designs in Winooski, VT

Tasks: Assist owner with marketing and outreach strategies, communicating with clients, taking photos, updating social media, event planning and management, and helping with flower arrangements.

Highlights: I loved working on-site at weddings! My supervisor took a real interest in my future and success. She helped me work on my resume, cover letter, and many introductory emails. I felt very valued by her and I think that's why I am so excited to work in the events business in the future.

How did you find this internship? The CDAE Weekly Internship email that is sent to all majors in the department.

Major: Community & International Development

Minor: Community Entrepreneurship

Internship: Intervale Food Hub in Burlington, VT

Tasks: Weekly recipe creation based on the contents of the CSA basket for that week, develop digital content for recipies including photos and videos, post content to the Intervale Food Hub Instagram and send out to customers via the weekly newsletter. Conduct outreach via flyers and phone banking.

Highlights: "The internship program at the IFH offers an amazing way to see first-hand how the local Burlington community is making incredible strides to help local farmers support themselves and integrate themselves into an urban community. I found the creative aspect of this internship to be a real highlight. I got to put my creative side to use in a way I haven’t done in a long time through the video and Instagram creation."

How did Sophie find this internship? Her academic advisor, Dan Baker, who suggested it to her after a conversation about her passion and interest in urban agriculture.