The Career Center’s 2021 Summer Interns
Pronouns: she/her
Class year: 2022
Major(s)/minor: Psychology and German (double)
Hometown: Leskovac, Serbia
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Supportive, Life-changing, Accepting
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?
This summer I am interning at the Federation for Social Defence (Bund für soziale Verteidigung) in Minden, Germany. As an intern, I am learning what happens behind the scenes in a nongovernment organization. I am doing research on different peace-related topics like civil conflict resolution, private militaries, origins of peace movements, and writing or editing information sheets and articles. I also assist in workshop preparations that focus on racism, equity, and peace.
How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and/or funding your internship?
The college supported me by providing tips on finding an internship and improving my resume during winter break. Additionally, through the Fowler and Levin Scholarship, the college helped me fund my two-month internship.
How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your overall career development?
My future career goals include working internationally with different organizations on improving education quality. This internship provides me with the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of organizations that I would like to collaborate with. Moreover, it gives me insight and training on topics like conflict resolution, mediation, antiracism advocacy, and more. These skills are very important in the workplace, but also in daily life. Additionally, at the Federation for Social Defence, I am getting support and materials to develop my own training in group conflict resolution that I will be implementing in the Pio Support Network (peer support program at Lewis & Clark) practicum course for our weekly group leaders.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your experience thus far?
The internship in Germany has definitely challenged me—from speaking only German to researching sensitive topics that are often connected with violence and aggression. However, this experience is also one of the most rewarding ones that I have had and I am thankful to everyone I have met and worked with.
Pronouns: she/her
Class year: 2022
Major(s)/minor: Psychology (major) and health studies (minor)
Hometown: Santa Cruz, California
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Supportive, Motivating, Unique
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?
I have been working as a medical assistant intern at Kartini Clinic, a pediatric eating disorder treatment center. My role here involves helping staff by taking patient vitals (blood pressure, body weight, specimen collection, etc.) and inputting this information into the medical records system. I also have the opportunity to shadow other positions at the clinic including intake, family therapy, and group therapy appointments. I am also responsible for completing meals with kids in order to support them in their recovery.
How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and/or funding your internship?
I received the Hu/Hsieh internship grant, which gave me the opportunity to accept an unpaid internship position. I have also been taking a career development class this summer that allows me to get academic credit for this internship. Without funding and academic credit, I would not be able to do this internship!
How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your overall career development?
I am currently very interested in pursuing a career that focuses on the biological side of psychology. This internship has helped me see both the clinical and medical side of psychological treatment. Overall, I have been exposed to a variety of roles in a psychological treatment center which has aided me in deciding to go to graduate school.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your experience thus far?
I am very grateful for the help of my professors in writing letters of recommendation for me. I love that Lewis & Clark College, being a small school, allows you to get to know your professors well.
Name (as you’d like it to appear): Maya Khavary
Pronouns: she/her
Class year: 2022
Major(s)/Minor: International Affairs
Hometown: Bamyan, Afghanistan
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Supportive, Caring, Accommodative
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?
I am interning for the communication department at the U.S Global Leadership Coalition. This department works to keep our organization’s message constant and prominent in Washington, D.C., and across the country. I assist my team with research, outreach programs, campaigns, and advocacy efforts. I am also responsible for monitoring events, maintaining communication lines with local and national news channels, as well as updating the organization’s website and social media channels.
How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and/or funding your internship?
I immigrated to the United States in 2016 from Afghanistan. I could not feasibly participate in an unpaid full or part-time position, even if it was an incredible opportunity directly related to my interests. The Stephanie Fowler and Irving Levin Summer Internship Award gave me the freedom to participate . in this unique internship and gain practical experience for my future career. I would not have been able to have this opportunity had it not been for the support I found through Lewis & Clark.
How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your overall career development?
I am currently a rising senior majoring in international affairs with a focus on national security, humanitarian intervention, and U.S foreign policy. Because of my background and personal life experiences, I am very interested in a career in foreign service with the U.S government to help promote peace and support prosperity while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad. I would not be where I am today without the support of development programs linked directly to U.S. diplomacy and foreign policy in Afghanistan. The U.S Global Leadership Coalition internship will give me a unique opportunity to acquaint myself with the field I am interested in through learning about my strengths and weaknesses. I will also learn about the process behind policy development programs and policy advocacy work, have regular leadership engagement, strengthen my communication skills, and engage with international affairs professionals.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your experience thus far?
My internship is not only helping me on my path to a future career, but has also given me the opportunity to be a part of a hardworking and caring community. It has given me the chance to meet with amazing people and assist them in their effort to make a difference in promoting a more peaceful world. None of this would have been possible without the support of Lewis & Clark.
Pronouns: she/her
Class year: 2024
Major(s)/minor: Economics major, French minor
Hometown: Milwaukee, Wisconsin
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Rewarding, Challenging, Inspiring
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?
This summer I’m doing an internship with the Illinois Innocence Project. The organization works to bring justice to innocent individuals serving time for a crime they didn’t commit. The Illinois Innocence Project engages in some of the most inspiring and important work by exposing injustices and giving voices to the unheard.
The primary goal of the internship is to become more educated on the main causes of wrongful conviction, including false confessions, eyewitness misidentifications, official misconduct, false or faulty forensics, jailhouse informants, and ineffective assistance of counsel. As an intern, I am assigned to evaluate case files for claims of actual innocence. Most of the cases interns work on are still in the evaluation phase, meaning they are not yet official clients of the Innocence Project. In the evaluation phase, interns are looking at the validity of the applicant’s claim of innocence, and whether our organization has the resources to help them. The official clients of the Innocence Project have a lawyer working on the case, along with assigned interns and occasionally a professional investigator. I am currently assigned to two cases that are still in the evaluation phase and one that is an official client.
Whether working with a client or a newer applicant, the case work’s main focus generally includes reviewing trial transcripts, police reports, correspondence, and appellate documents, along with any other materials in the file. We also work to create or write evidence charts, trial summaries, and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests in anticipation that cases may be assigned to an Illinois Innocence Project attorney.
How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and/or funding your internship?
I am so grateful that Lewis & Clark was able to support me financially in the completion of this internship. Because I am completing an unpaid internship, Lewis & Clark generously offered me a scholarship through the Stephanie Fowler and Irving Levin Summer Internship Award. Without this award, I would not have been able to invest as much time or energy into the work I am doing due to financial burdens.
How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your overall career development?
Since being a “lawyer” on my high school state-winning mock trial team, I’ve been interested in the real-life work of lawyers in our country. I find the criminal justice system, but more specifically criminal defense law, incredibly interesting. After college, I am hoping to pursue a career in public interest law, specifically helping those who are treated unfairly in our criminal justice system. Working with the Illinois Innocence Project would help me further understand the intricacies of a system that I hope to work for in the future.
Additionally, the internship is helpful for learning about the criminal justice system from an economic perspective, which is important for me as an economics major. At its core, economics is the study of weighing costs and benefits, and understanding how and why people make certain choices. The internship furthers my understanding of economics by working with people of different socioeconomic backgrounds, as well as studying seemingly impossible and sometimes confusing choices made by our clients, such as guilty pleas or false confessions.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your experience thus far?
This internship has already been life changing both in gaining insight into the criminal justice system, and perhaps society more broadly, as well as building legal skills and knowledge. I have spent years learning about the criminal justice system from the outside by reading books and articles about the way it functions. This internship allows me to experience and work within our criminal justice first hand. Although almost all of my internship work is done virtually, I will be meeting one of our clients in prison at the beginning of August. I’m incredibly excited to meet this person, and put a face to a case that I care so deeply about.
Pronouns: she/her
Class year: 2022
Major(s)/minor: Biology
Hometown: Alameda, California
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Beautiful, Engaging, Close-knit
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?
This summer I am interning as a research assistant in the Brainard lab at the UCSF Weill Institute for Neuroscience. My role consists of assisting with animal care, experimental design, programming, data collection, and observing surgeries. My project focuses on electrically stimulating different areas of the Bengalese finch brain to learn more about the neural mechanisms and behavioral repercussions in songbirds.
How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and/or funding your internship?
I was fortunate enough to be awarded the Stephanie Fowler and Irving Levin Summer Internship Award. The Lewis & Clark Career Center was instrumental in my securing this funding. They took the time to answer all my questions and meet with me to finalize my application. Associate Professor of Biology Tamily Weissman-Unni, my advisor and mentor, supported me by serving as a reference for my laboratory skills and encouraging me to take this opportunity.
How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your overall career development?
After graduating, I want to pursue a career as a physician-scientist. Working at a major research institution has helped refine and expand upon my data collection and analysis skills that I developed at Lewis & Clark. Overall, this internship has served as great professional experience while I transition into applying for graduate school.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your experience thus far?
My experience has been terrific so far! I am continually blown away with the opportunity to intern at the second ranked neuroscience university in the United States. Being on the cutting edge of the field, I have been able to learn from so many intelligent individuals with some of the best resources available.
Pronouns: she/her
Class Year: 2022
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Hometown: Waikoloa, Hawai‘i
What three words would you use to describe Lewis & Clark?
Intentional, Inspiring, Rewarding
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?
I am a research assistant for Dandi Day, a conscious beauty firm dedicated to promoting educational content about sustainability and clean beauty. My basic duties include comparative research across beauty brands, sustainable ingredient highlights, and engaging with clients through social media. Additionally, I am gaining lab experience for cosmetic chemistry at Cosmetic Development Labs in Torrance, California.
How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and/or funding your internship?
Lewis & Clark has given me the opportunity to live in Los Angeles for the summer to work for Dandi Day. I am also very fortunate to have met Amanda Wheaton and Nina Olken from the Career Center because they were able to provide me with networking tools and confidence to secure this internship.
How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your overall career development?
I could not have asked for a better internship because Dandi Day challenges me to look at all sectors of the beauty industry, from marketing to sourcing eco-conscious raw materials. It allows me to network with industry experts and hear their experiences in working for the beauty industry. While I am particularly interested in product formulation and development, I continue to learn about what it takes to become successful in the industry. Hayley, CEO of Dandi Day, who has over 20 years of experience in the industry, has become one of my biggest mentors. This internship is continuously helping me become a confident individual and I cannot wait to see where this takes me.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about your experience thus far?
I was fortunate enough to receive the Stephanie Fowler and Irving Levin Summer Internship Award, which gave me a chance to be physically in Los Angeles and meet incredible people in the industry. I am incredibly grateful to have this opportunity.
