LEAP Symposium Archives: Presentations and Abstracts

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Open Access
Multidisciplinary Digital Media
(2019-04-22) Green, Roberta
Open Access
Building an Entertainment Empire in New York City
(2019-04-22) Gottshall, Elizabeth
Elizabeth’s life went to new heights as she left her small hometown in Georgia for the Big Apple this summer. She joined Emporia Entertainment, a production company that does everything from photoshoots to commercials to radio and more. Elizabeth was a video production intern with a focus in physical production, which includes cameras and lighting. She was able to gain a hands-on experience with being on video shoots for product reels, events, and their television show, Top Model Latina. Elizabeth took skills she learned at Mount Holyoke to navigate a new city and face a variety of challenges and responsibilities. Eventually, she was able to lead her own projects to create original content for the company as well as direct and film her own commercial. Elizabeth’s summer was an unforgettable experience, not only because of her immersive internship, but also because of the diverse group of people she met along the way.
Open Access
Data Entries from the African Diaspora
(2019-04-22) Fry Demetria, Ariel
When I decided I wanted to major in economics, I felt relieved. I would live a normal life and have a normal job. The path of studying economics felt stable to me. Normal would be far from anything I was ever accustomed to, but it would be a change I could come to accept. My interest in economics led me to interning at the Daraja Academy, located in the center of Kenya. I worked as a business administrative intern at a residential high school for girls. Developing an online point of sale, researching potential partner organizations, and creating data entries were all useful real-life tools and tasks I would need in order to be successful in the field of economics. Although economics led me to the Daraja Academy, the Daraja Academy led me to a place where I realized I want to do more. I want to have more and create more than just a professional life as a normal economist. In my presentation, I will speak about my experience in Kenya, how working in this field helped me discover exactly what I want to do, and led me to a path far away from economics.
Open Access
The Venetian Job: Can Productivity and Serenity Coexist?
(2019-04-22) Espinosa, Claudia
Interning for the international office of Ca’ Foscari University of Venice offered insight to the ways in which an office job in Italy differs from one in the United States. My summer experience deepened my understanding of Italian culture and caused me to question preconceived notions while challenging me to gauge what was expected of me both socially and professionally. How do you gain trust and establish credibility in a new and foreign job environment? How do you engage with a new city and get to know its hidden spots and mysteries? What is there to learn from a position unrelated to your field of interest? How dolce is the Italian work culture and is there such a thing as too many coffee breaks?
Open Access
My Summer in Washington D.C
(2019-04-22) El Karfi, Khadija
This summer, I interned at the Arab American Institute in Washington D.C. where I was also an external intern for No One Left Behind, an association that assists with the resettlement of Iraqi and Afghan interpreters who served American forces in combat. My time was spent between the Arab American Institute’s D.C office and lobbying on Capitol Hill. I was further given the opportunity to conduct research, develop writing and organizational skills, and build valuable DC contacts while observing the extensive political and policy-related happenings in the metropolitan DC area. As an important member of the team, I gained valuable exposure to the functions of a highly productive non-profit organization working on issues of national and international significance.
Open Access
Connecting Argentina to the World: Lessons on Navigating the Classrooms of Argentina
(2019-04-22) Dennis, Rachel
Language learning through an intercultural approach transforms the traditional classroom experience through its emphasis on using language to access a culture. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to be involved with this method of teaching through the work I did as a teaching and research intern for Home Intercultural Learning- a private language school in La Plata, Argentina. For two months, I spent time working in the classrooms with students on their conversational English skills, designing intercultural language activities, and conducting individual research on the effectiveness of digital storytelling methods versus traditional storytelling methods. These experiences deepened my understanding of how to create a dynamic, actively engaging and inclusive space in the classroom by encouraging self-reflection, cultural competence and cultural curiosity.
Open Access
Of Nature: Design Proposal for the Nitobe Inazo Memorial Hall
(2019-04-22) Yong, Sara-Ann
Open Access
Design to Construction: Combining the Two Worlds of Architecture
(2019-04-22) De Araujo, Nicole
My internship was divided into two parts to explore both the construction and design aspect of the architecture field. First I interned at Space4 Architecture, a firm based in New York. There I created scaled foam models, 3-D renderings and an installation piece. This expanded my skill set that I gained from my studios at Mount Holyoke. I worked on two major projects while interning there. The first was a competition piece for a contemporary art museum in Lima, Peru. The second project was a Dolce and Gabbana store in Soho, New York. This project carried over to the second part of my internship, a general contracting firm hired by Space4 Architecture. There I hired subcontractors, attended site meetings and assisted managing the worksite. Both of these firms were run by an Italian office. It was interesting to see the crossover of Italian style into an American setting.
Open Access
Learn, then Experience Architecture
(2019-04-22) Wondimu, Ruth
For the past summer, I interned at Breeze consultancy, an architectural and engineering firm in Ethiopia. In the first couple of weeks, I learned the digital softwares AutoCAD and Revit. Although I had taken a digital design class at Mount Holyoke, I hadn’t realized how the need to use each kind of software changes based on the customer base and geographical settings. During most of my internship, I completed the plans and 3D models for multiple construction projects. Once I was well-equipped with the technical part of the job, I participated in the research aspect of the projects. I came up with design concepts for a church. I later finished the details of the presentation including material choices and plans. I found this part very exciting and enlightening because I learned very much. Furthermore, I learned skills outside of design such as communication and negotiation with clients.
Open Access
Promoting Democracy: My Summer in Washington DC
(2019-04-22) Tauseef, Minahil
This summer, I interned for the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, a Washington, DC-based international, non-profit organization that provides assistance and support for elections in new and emerging democracies. I worked specifically in the Gender and Elections department, and my work was related to increasing the political participation of women all over the world. I provided project management support for global gender programs. This was mostly in the form of conducting research related to gender and elections and women's political participation. I provided logistical and administrative support to the Gender and Elections team and managed the IFES Gender twitter account. I also attended and reported on events related to gender issues in the DC area at various organizations such as the US Institute of Peace, the National Democratic Institute and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. My internship experience helped further my interest in the international development sector.
Open Access
Talent Management: The Hollywood Perspective on Media Production/Coverage
(2019-04-22) Simon, Esther
As an intern at a talent management company, Esther was able to get an inside look at how film and television is cast, pitched, and produced. She worked for Silver Lining Entertainment, a relatively new company formed by several seasoned managers and a few new faces in the business. Over the course of her internship, Esther got to practice skills from many different sides of the film industry. She learned how to write coverage of scripts, edit clients’ audition tapes, and compile casting workbooks from databases. Esther told the managers that her ultimate goal was to find a career in screenwriting, and they were happy to find her extra tasks which related to that. Over the course of her time at the company, Esther was able to read many different scripts and witness firsthand how a film goes from a screenplay to a fully cast and produced film.
Open Access
Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations
(2019-04-22) Shah, Habiba
This summer, I had the privilege of representing my country, Pakistan, as a Junior Adviser at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City under the supervision of Deputy Permanent Representative Nabeel Munir and Ms. Saima Syed. As a government organization, the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations in accordance with the UN Charter, actively works with the international community to promote and maintain international peace and security, both as a member of the Security Council and through its contribution to UN Peacekeeping. During my internship, I participated in discussions and negotiations at the United Nations on a host of issues including human rights, peace building, anti-terrorism, development, climate change, and international law. My internship provided a unique insight to my International Relations major as I understood the motivations and interests that guide every state in global policy.
Open Access
Researching Restoration and Researching Research: What My Summer Internship Taught Me
(2019-04-22) Seguin, Marge
Understanding the impacts of wetland restoration is an important part of informing this practice. In order to figure out which methods will best improve the ecosystem functions of wetlands, different restoration efforts need to be examined. This summer I helped contribute to this effort as a research assistant for the MHC Restoration Ecology Program. In my internship I worked both in the field and in the lab, learning a myriad of new skills from establishing experimental plots to measuring gas emissions in soil samples. I also assisted with the Restoration Ecology Summer Scholars Program, a summer program that introduces high school girls to the field of environmental science. Working with the students, and doing research, helped me gain a better understanding of what a career in environmental research would be like: one that requires a great deal of energy and devotion, but which also proves challenging and rewarding at the same time.
Open Access
Timing Is Key: Exploring Magnitude and Valence Effects
(2019-04-22) Rose, Suzanne
This summer I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Bert Hodges and Jeein Kang of the psychology department at Gordon College. We explored two timing effects that appear in time perception research: magnitude and valence effects. Our studies are being run this fall, and we’re hoping to find significant differences in magnitude effects for positive and negative valence contexts. Through reviewing the literature, programming a study (in SuperLab), analyzing data, and working collaboratively in a team, I learned many new skills. I was able to work with two great mentors, who helped me gain confidence and develop as a researcher.
Open Access
That Which Lurks Beneath: Submerged Aquatic Vegetation
(2019-04-22) Rivers, Haley
For nearly two months, I spent close to twenty hours a week canoeing through scenic coves, following the directions of a Garmin GPS to close to 1,500 sampling points predetermined using GIS technology. I was in Lyme, Connecticut continuing a twenty-year-old study on the composition, distribution and abundance of different submerged plant species within the bounds of the Connecticut River estuary. I worked closely with the Roger Tory Peterson Estuary Center, a newly-formed regional center of the Connecticut Audubon Society, and had the opportunity to meet and work with a variety of individuals working in environmental science. I mostly performed data collection and research, but I also did a lot of education for the center for both children and adults, and felt honored to be sharing my work with others who were just as passionate as I am.
Open Access
Farm Wisdom: How Going Back Helped Move a Novel Forward
(2019-04-22) Ring, Carlin
Sometimes life doesn’t lead to an internship. Carlin spent her summer working on the first draft and a revision of a novel in verse. Using habits and skills learned from poetry courses and a course on children’s literature at Mount Holyoke, Carlin wrote narrative poetry, telling the story of two fifteen-year-old girls from Iowa searching for their places in the sea. The settings, mainly small-town Iowa and San Francisco, became characters unto themselves, so in writing about the landscape, it was important for Carlin to be surrounded by it while she wrote. This was possible for Iowa, but for San Francisco, she had to find residents willing to talk about their perspectives as well as do research into the city’s set up. This panel will focus on how setting influenced Carlin’s writing, and the tools she used to make what was unreachable to her feel tangible on the page.
Open Access
The Privatization of Education in Ghana: the Case of Omega School Franchise
(2019-04-22) Rahman, Kaussar
During my internship, I worked with the Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC), a network of civil society organizations that invest in promoting quality basic education for all students. During my time at GNECC, I learned how the privatization of education influences the quality, affordability, and access of basic education for all students. Within a few years, the privatization of education in Ghana has increased rapidly. Private companies worldwide are coming into Ghana, establishing private schools in rural areas and prompting parents to pay low school fees. This is a good initiative; however, the ways in which these companies operate the schools is poor. In addition, the intentions of these companies are to make profit from improvised communities who can’t afford governmental-based school fees. In my presentation, I will focus on the Omega School Franchise, which is a private company that promised to invest in building quality and affordable schools in rural areas. However, their main motive is to make profit from impoverished communities. Are these private companies doing more harm than good? While at GNECC, I learned how to navigate my voice and opinions in a large crowd and with that I have developed better leadership skills that I will carry on outside the gates of Mount Holyoke College.
Open Access
The Examined Life: Modeling Continuities in Care from Pediatric to Geriatric Health
(2019-04-22) Rahman, Aniqa
In a healthcare system that is as diverse as it is continuously diversifying, the need to understand our differences and the contexts in which the individual is formed and forming is more important than ever. From the conversation we have with a child on why he has been having trouble getting along with his classmates to perceiving the reason behind the violent outbursts of an elderly patient, communication, both verbal and nonverbal, play a role in piecing together the finer details of a person's history often lost in the bureaucratic operation. It is the growing need for cultural competency, health staff empowerment, and the destabilization of intellectual hegemony that presses us towards remodeling the current healthcare system in which patients face unrecognized social barriers that prevent their optimum care.
Open Access
Are We in Hot Water?: Comparing Macroinvertebrate Communities and Water Quality over Time
(2019-04-22) Cook, Shannon
Open Access
A Summer of 25 Concerts and a Great Deal of Experience Gained
(2019-04-22) Olgaard, Isabella
Aren’t you supposed to have fun in the summer? This summer I did exactly that. I worked for BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn, a summer-long music festival run by a non-profit in Brooklyn, New York, as a lighting production intern. One of my favorite parts of my day included running the follow spot during shows to light up Grammy winners and musicians from all over the world. I learned about how much work goes into putting on concerts and the amount of hard work required to make the shows look and sound incredible. I am a double major in Film Studies and Studio Art and want to work in the film industry after graduation. I used my art skills during my daily tasks and then realized that most of the work I did this summer directly relates to the technical portions of filmmaking.