My summer in San Francisco was one of the most incredible and inspiring times in my life and it was because of the SGA Stipend that I was able to experience it. After just returning from my semester in Italy, money was extremely tight. However, I was invited to be an intern at the De Young Fine Art Museum and was desperate to find a way of affording this opportunity. I am extremely grateful and lucky to have received financial aid which allowed me to move to San Francisco to experience working in a distinguished art museum for the summer. At the de Young, I was able to teach inner city high school students about the permanent African Art Collection as well as a visiting exhibition, in which they relayed the information to the public and community when visitors came to tour the galleries or invited the students to give presentations throughout San Francisco. This allowed me to combine two of my passions, teaching and art history, in to one position and location, five days a week. Not only was I exposed to the realities of teaching and running a classroom environment, but also to the field of art education, one in which I hope to enter in to post Wheaton. This experience has heavily impacted my career path and I am eternally grateful for receiving this stipend which made this dream become a reality.

This summer, I interned at the Lowell National Historical Park in Lowell, Massachusetts. While I performed general tasks for the Park such as answering phones, completing inventory, working on assorted filing projects, giving Park tours to visitors, etc., the main component of my internship was to research and write a walking tour on African American History in Lowell to present to Park visitors. As a History major at Wheaton, this task met many of my academic interests in that it gave me the opportunity to investigate a topic of American History that I am very interested in, as well as the opportunity to learn about American History on a state and local scale. With this internship, I was also able to experience the creativity and importance of historical interpretation. I learned not only how to research and grasp the history for myself, but how to successfully interpret and teach history to the visitors. That knowledge will undoubtedly be of use to me in the future.
This internship gave me the chance to see firsthand the kind of profession one can have as a History major, and for that I am quite grateful in that I plan on applying to be a National Park Ranger for next summer. I would like to whole heartedly thank the Student Government Association for having these invaluable stipends available to Wheaton students. I know that without mine, I probably would not have been able to carry out this incredibly rewarding internship.

My experience working on the new Wheaton apple orchard was a very educational and enlightening experience. Originally, I expected to learn about the basic upkeep and environmental needs of the newly planted trees, but as the summer went on I found that I would have to use extensive problem solving in identifying and dealing with pests, diseases and the unique meteorological patterns of this summer.
Early on my research was largely based on fertilization as well as pest and disease prevention. The month of June proved to be quite easy as few stresses presented themselves in the orchard and I was able to implement light fertilizing and pesticide programs. The orchard was also outfitted with trees mats made from recycled tires to preserve moisture in the ground around their roots.
While all of these proved to be effective through June, the month of July brought about a new host of problems. While June was filled with rain, July brought fewer showers and higher temperatures. In order to prevent the roots from cooking under our recycled rubber mats they had to be removed and thus the watering schedule had to be significantly increased until they were replaced. July also brought unfortunate pests, most notably Japanese beetles. At first it was difficult to identify the slow browning and deterioration of several leaves but soon we were able to identify several of these beetles in the folds of the taller leaves. Traps were put in place by the end of July and new leaf growth is again visible.

For this summer, I received an SGA summer stipend to support my research work for a non-profit out of Chelmsford, Massachusetts. During the month of August, I served as the research and writing intern for the Slow Growth Initiative (SGI), a non-profit devoted to the support and promotion of economic, developmental, and environmental sustainability. Through policy initiatives and political lobbying, SGI seeks to promote slower, sustainable growth as opposed to unsustainable growth that will inevitably lead to higher taxes, more expensive housing, and environmental degradation. As an intern for SGI, it was my responsibility to gather information beneficial to our cause. In addition to improving basic researching skills, I gained experience talking to experts in the field of sustainability as business practice. I prepared talking points and objectives to relay to organizations and corporations aligned with sustainability, trying to organize a networking database with which to push our agenda. It was a valuable and insightful experience into the inner workings of Massachusetts state politics. I discovered what it means to petition a cause through hands-on experience and tactful planning.

This past summer I volunteered at Hebrew Rehabilitation Center in Roslindale, MA . I helped staff members, physicians, and other volunteers in a program, Adult Day Health Care Program, which consisted of a diverse group of elderly people who lived by themselves, had lifelong mental health issues, or were disabled. Every morning a group of elderly people would come to the center and spend the day playing, baking, eating, laughing, attending field trips, attending concerts, meeting with physicians, and socializing with each other. It was also a good place for them to stay connected to their community, receive support from others, and show their wonderful talents to everyone. For example there were a few people that were artists and would draw pictures which were always hung around the center. Also there were a few people that knew how to sew who would bring quilts and blankets that they made to show everyone. It was amazing to see how talented many of them were.
As a volunteer I would also prepare and distribute breakfast to each elderly person that attended the program every morning. After they ate breakfast I would assist in organizing different activities for them to engage in. Some of the activities included baking, volley ball, card games, and puzzles.
Volunteering at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center was a great opportunity and experience for me. I was able to help those who needed support, act as a mentor to others, enhance my leadership skills, and help provide a great day for the wonderful group of seniors that came on a daily basis. One thing that I definitely miss is seeing smiles on the faces of the elderly people every morning. An important thing that I learned is that life is very memorable so you have to enjoy moment of it. This was definitely a fulfilling summer experience that I will never forget.