For Stephanie Holstein ’18 of Leawood, Kansas, interning at a New York City record label expanded on her work as editor of WKCO’s music blog and furthered her desire to work in the music industry. As an intern at Brooklyn-based Ba Da Bing Records, the English major gained valuable experience writing and editing press releases to promote album releases and tour dates. She also wrote music reviews and posts for a music blog, “The Wild Honey Pie,” and indulged her art history minor by visiting New York City’s many museums in her free time.
Holstein’s experience might not have been possible without Kenyon’s Summer Internship Stipend Fund, which provides financial assistance to students who otherwise would be unable to accept unpaid internships. She is just one of many Kenyon students who used their summer breaks to work, intern and travel, doing everything from interning for Vice President Joe Biden to covering financial news for a Wall Street blog.
Jacob Adams ’19 of Oakland, California, crossed the bay to intern at the San Francisco-based non-profit One Degree, which helps low-income families access local resources and social services. As a community growth and marketing intern, he collected community stories and led social media strategy. Adams also grew his professional network and had the opportunity to line dance with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, pediatrician Priscilla Chan. “I am grateful for all that One Degree has done for me, and for what they do for the people within the communities I grew up in,” he said.
Psychology and Spanish major Lauren Melville ’17 of Atlanta returned to the Pediatric Psychology Lab at the University of Georgia for a second summer working as a research assistant. One highlight of her experience was assisting with a study at a camp for children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome. “It’s moments like these that remind me what the research is all about,” said Melville, who also had an article co-published in Child Psychiatry & Human Development, an international journal. “This amazing experience has undoubtedly influenced my desires for a future career in clinical psychology,” Melville said.
Catalina Odio ’18, a political science major from Columbus, Ohio, interned in the office of Vice President Joe Biden, where she worked on the economic and domestic policy team. The research and writing skills Odio developed at Kenyon helped her write memos that ended up in front of staffers and even Biden himself. Plus, Odio and the other interns had the opportunity to hear from senior White House officials as part of a speaker series that included Chief of Staff Dennis McDonough and President and Mrs. Obama. “It was a transformative experience, both personally and professionally,” Odio said.
Another political science major, Nathaniel Shahan ’17 of Tully, New York, spent his summer on Wall Street as an intern for The Deal, a subsidiary of the financial news and services website TheStreet. Shahan, the executive editor of the Kenyon Collegian, was able to put his skills as a reporter to use as he covered stories involving corporate bankruptcy and private equity deals. “They put you to work as a full-time journalist,” said Shahan, who secured the internship with help from Adam Leverone ’08, formerly of TheStreet and now with Getty Images. While in New York, he also gained insight into future career opportunities by attending a series of “Workforce Wednesday” panels hosted by the New York City alumni regional association.
Here is a sampling of how other Kenyon students took advantage of their summer vacations.