Public Service Weekend July 14
Join a community of future leaders, expand your network, and gain experience in the nation’s capital. Apply now for Heinz College’s Public Service Weekend, a free conference and Scopeathon for undergraduate students from July 14-16, 2023 in Washington, D.C.
Attendees will have the opportunity to:
- Participate in the Scopeathon for Social Good and gain unique professional skills
- Meet innovative and impactful thought leaders and practitioners
- Grow leadership and professional development skills through sessions with faculty and practitioners
- Learn about career and education opportunities in fields that have impact
We welcome rising college juniors and seniors from all majors and backgrounds to apply, particularly those with a commitment to working on issues involving social justice and equity. We encourage applications from students from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds.
What is Scopeathon?
While traditional hackathons involve writing code or building a technical solution, the Scopeathon requires participants to provide a more accurate scoping of civic data and tech projects so that they create actionable, adoptable solutions. During the weekend, students receive hands-on experience scoping a data project with real-world, positive social impact. They work in teams, and connect with D.C.-based nonprofits and government agencies who are interested in leveraging their data more effectively.
Key dates
Participants must be able to attend each session of the program, which will be held in person at the Heinz College campus in Washington, D.C. The conference is free to attend and will include materials and refreshments on all three days; transportation and travel is not included.
Friday, July 14, 6-8 p.m. EDT
Saturday, July 15, 9-6 p.m. EDT
Sunday, July 16, 9-1 p.m. EDT
Application information
Deadline to Apply: June 20, 2023
The application form requires interested students to answer a few basic questions and to upload the following documents:
- Current Resume
- Unofficial copy of transcript from your undergrad institution
- Personal Statement: Submit an essay that responds to the questions listed below (combined response should be no more than 1,000 words):
- What about your background/experience has inspired you to explore a career in public policy or international affairs?
- How do you envision your career path impacting the policy issues you are most interested in?
- How will attending Public Service Weekend help you achieve your career goals?
Harvard Business School Mixers: College Interns Connect with HBS
Harvard Business School will host mixers for college students this summer in Houston, San Francisco, and Chicago. Meet current MBA students and learn about how you can engage with HBS as an undergrad through HBS’s College Programs
- HOUSTON on June 8 (6:30-7:30 p.m.) at The Cannon West – Register Here
- SAN FRANCISCO on June 22 (6:30-7:30 p.m.) at Pilot.com, Inc. – Register Here
- CHICAGO on Wednesday, Jul 19 (6:30-7:30 p.m.) at Bain & Company – Register Here
Check-in will begin at 6:00 p.m. Food will be provided.
CCI Office Closure for SCCA Conference: May 22-24
CCI is thrilled to announce that we have been selected as the host for this year’s Small College Career Alliance (SCCA) conference. It’s been months of planning, and we can’t wait to meet up with our peers in person for the first time since 2019!
As we gear up for the conference, we want to inform you that our office will be closed from Monday, May 22 to Wednesday, May 24. During these days, our team will be at Basin Harbor, fully engaged in the conference activities.
But don’t worry, we’ll be back to our regular schedule on Thursday, May 25th, eager to assist you with all your career-related needs. If you have any questions or need guidance during our absence, please reach out to us via email.
If you’re looking to schedule an appointment with one of our advisors, simply hop onto Handshake, and you can easily book a time that works best for you.
Thank you for your understanding and support as we step off campus for a few days. We look forward to returning with new insights and ideas to enhance your career journey.
Wishing you the best, The CCI Team
Washington DC Mentoring Program Summer 2023
Are you interning in-person or virtually for a Washington, DC based organization? Well this program could be for you. Open to all students of any major, in any industry, not just politics or government.
Each student enrolled is assigned an alumni mentor in their chosen industry. You can learn about different skills and career paths and build relationships to help with your future. The program consists of in-person or virtual one-on-one meetings with your alumni mentor as well as in-person or virtual workshops and panel discussions. Space is limited.
Apply here!
10 Steps to a Successful Summer Internship
Congratulations! You found an internship. Here comes the fun part.
Internships are a great way to practice being an adult: you get to manage your life in the way you choose, decide what career areas to explore, and work alongside professionals in your chosen field. However, this newfound flexibility can be an adjustment, and navigating it for the first or second time can be a challenge. Here, I give ten easy-to-follow tips in order to ensure you have a successful summer internship.
- Set Goals
Goal setting is a tool that you will take with you throughout your life. At the beginning of your internship, it is important to establish some guidelines and specific goals that you hope to accomplish over the summer. Having concrete goals in mind will increase the likelihood they will be completed and will improve your overall satisfaction with your internship experience. Write your goals down and be sure to revisit them periodically over the summer to see if you are on target or if your goals change based on what you are learning.
- Say “Yes”
During your summer, there will be moments when you can take on more responsibility. Take the initiative and say “yes.” Even though summer is a time to relax and wind down from the hectic school year, challenging yourself in a work setting is important when learning about yourself outside of a school setting. The more you say “yes,” the more experience you will have in the field. With that said, do not take on more work than you are able, but try your best to challenge yourself without sacrificing your emotional or physical well-being.
- Communicate with your Supervisor
Last summer, the CCI funded my friend’s internship. After starting, she was placed on a project that was very different than her expectations for the internship. With her advisor, she discussed alternative projects that she could work on, and her advisor accommodated her.
In this case, my friend’s internship was flexible and she was able to pivot projects. This may not necessarily be the case with everyone’s role, so it’s important to “read the room,” and assess how/if you can change things up if your experience is not meeting your expectations. The key takeaway here is to communicate with your supervisor – about what you want to learn, if you want more responsibility, when things are challenging for you, or if you need help.
- Manage your time wisely
There may be a point in your internship where you feel like you have too much on your plate. Communicate with your supervisor and ask how to best prioritize your time and follow their advice. Try making a schedule and keep yourself accountable for sticking to it.
- Be a sponge.
As a college student, there is so much you can learn outside of the classroom; after all, that’s why internships exist! Different roles have different levels of responsibility, but no matter the context, try to soak everything up. Be a sponge. Go to every meeting you are invited to and if your supervisor doesn’t think to invite you, ask if there are certain meetings you could attend, so you can learn more. Take in the environment and the way the coworkers interact with each other. Eventually, you will want to ask yourself: is this the kind of environment I aspire to work in? Am I motivated by this work?
- Bring your unique experiences and perspectives to the table.
Everyone has something unique to bring to the table – whether that is a special aptitude or skill, a unique perspective, or an ability to communicate with ease. When possible, try to bring your strengths and perspectives to the table. This will allow you to feel confident in your contributions to the internship and will leave a lasting impression.
- Keep track of your projects.
Summer is a hectic time when so many things are going on. Try to take some time to reflect and note all of the progress you have made on all of your work. This will allow you to remember all of the progress you made this summer and will make it easier to talk about it when it comes to future interviews.
- Talk to everyone.
Networking: How frightening! In practice, networking does not have to seem as daunting as you may initially think. It is important to maintain good relationships with those with whom you work – may that be coworkers, advisors, or even people working in other divisions of the organization. Internships are a fantastic opportunity to meet people and make long-lasting business connections.
Ask your supervisor or other contacts for a quick 10-15 minute conversation about their paths. While it is possible they may not respond or have time, many people love passing on their wisdom and enjoy speaking about themselves.
- Say “Thank You”.
A lot of work and time went into mentoring you and preparing for your internship. Once your work is winding down, make sure you give proper thanks to those who helped you most. This could mean something as simple as a thank you note, or even buying them a small gift to express your gratitude.
- Keep in touch!
Keep in touch with your supervisor, your coworkers, and other employees to follow along on the progress of your project. This will allow you to speak about it more concretely in interviews and you can see the lasting impacts of your work.
By Noel Ermer
Noel Ermer ‘23 is a senior at Middlebury College studying Biochemistry and Spanish. During her time at Middlebury, she has received two summer funding grants and has worked for the CCI since May 2020. After graduating, Noel will be moving to the DC area to work as a management consultant analyst at Accenture Federal Services.
Interested in a Technology Career? Need a Place to Start?
For those of you interested in finding resources helpful to preparing for and finding roles in software engineering and/or other tech roles, e.g., product management, data science, UX/UI design, check out the Top Resources tab of this newsletter. New resource content has been provided by alumni members of the Technology Middlebury Professional Network.
Also, watch the new videos on the Stories from the Field tab. We hope to add new stories each week.
Featured Employers with Opportunities Expiring Soon!
There are several hundred SWE, Data Analyst, Data Scientist, Project Manager, and Product Manager opportunities in the tech field available on Handshake (internships and full-time). Take a look and apply! A few examples expiring soon, include:
Technical Interview Prep Program – Summer ’23
The Technology Middlebury Professional Network (MPN) and CCI are again sponsoring this summer’s Technical Interview Prep Program for students interested in pursuing internships and full-time positions as software engineers and data engineers. The program provides 2023 rising sophomore, junior, and senior student participants with practice technical interviews, a critical component of the interview and hiring processes for most data science, software development and engineer roles.
Selected students will be matched with a Middlebury alumnus/na to work together over the summer of 2023. During this time, an alumnus/na will schedule and conduct a minimum of three practice technical interviews with you over the course of the summer (plan for 60 to 90 minutes for each session). During the practice interview you will be given a technical problem to solve (demonstrating your algorithm, data structure and live coding skills), receive critical feedback, suggestions for further work you can do to prepare for the next session, and discuss some of the alum’s insights regarding how best to position yourself for getting a desirable internship or full-time position upon graduation Apply for the program in Handshake
Technical Solutions Engineer at Epic
As a Technical Solutions Engineer at Epic, you’ll work on software that impacts the lives of more than 250 million patients around the world, alongside coworkers from top schools across the country. Test the limits of your brain for the most innovative health systems on the planet. Work in your own office, eat delicious food, and travel the world. Live affordably in a city known for its rising tech talent.
Read more about this opportunity and apply in Handshake
Academy Solutions Engineer at NetApp
We are a global cloud-led, data-centric software company that gives organizations everywhere the freedom to put data to work in the applications that elevate their business. The Sales, Support and Services (S3) Academy is a 2-year global development program for Early-In Career talent, focusing on helping top talent reach their full potential by providing an initial 90-day training program. The training immerses participants in the software, systems and cloud technologies that are helping shape the world today and tomorrow.
In this position, your overall focus areas will be in supporting and developing processes and systems for quick and thorough responses to customer RFP’s, provide systems configuration recommendations, and apply your background and experience to deliver solutions to technical problems . You will work directly with the NetApp Sales team to support customers in pre-sales and post-sales situations, and to work effectively across functions with other NetApp employees in Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, and Development areas. Read more about it and apply on Handshake
One Tree Planted – MiddWorks for Vermont Summer Internship
A versatile position at a non-profit that wants to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Together we can restore forests, create habitat for biodiversity, and make a positive social impact around the world. Are you looking for practical applications for your love of the environment and your academic studies? Do you want to make a tangible difference in a few months with an organization that prioritizes getting good stuff done? One Tree Planted is looking for you! One Tree Planted is looking for a dynamic individual to add value to our Projects team and help support our project and monitoring work. We have many needs for a talented student who is looking to apply their interest, passion, knowledge, and skills to advance our global conservation and restoration agenda. Read More About It and Apply on Handshake
Team4Tech – Middlebury 2023: EdTech Internship in Uganda
This summer, Team4Tech is offering a unique internship opportunity to a cohort of Middlebury students to work with two of our nonprofit partners in Uganda. Students interested in conflict transformation, education, technology, and/or international development who want to gain real world skills in helping to devise and deliver solutions to educational NGOs will find the internship valuable. Previous examples of university students’ internship work with Team4Tech can be found here.
CCI is subsidizing the program fee for a cohort of Middlebury students to engage in this eight week opportunity and is also providing a $1500 travel grant. Read more about it and apply in Handshake
Upcoming Events
World Wide Technology Summer 2024 Internship Information Session
May 2 – get a start of finding tech internships for summer 2024. Learn about this employer and various internship opportinities. Register in Handshake
From Zero to ChatGPT Hero: Coding with AI sponsored by Tech Talent & Strategy
April 14 Virtual Session Register in Handshake
Tech Talent & Strategy (formerly Tech Talent South), is a woman-owned tech recruitment, training, and staffing company that believes everyone can be equipped to do something big.
Personal Brand 101: Putting Your Best Self Forward sponsored by Palentir Technologies
Virtual program April 13 Register in Handshake
At Palentir, we’re working to build a future in which public institutions, commercial enterprises, and non-profit organizations can use data to function as they were designed — to fulfill the mandates with which they’ve been entrusted, to deliver value to customers, and to distribute aid to those most in need. We partner with the most important institutions in the world to transform how they use data and technology. Our software has been used to stop terrorist attacks, discover new medicines, gain an edge in global financial markets, and more.
Google Presents – Owning Your Career with Jenny Wood
March 14 @ 12:00 PM PT / 2:00 PM CT / 3:00 PM ET
Identifying your professional superpowers, quantifying the impact you make with them, and successfully socializing your influence are critical skills to own and accelerate your career development. But where do you start? With that in mind, Careers OnAir is to the rescue! We invite you to join our Owning Your Strengths & Boosting Professional Confidence Series. On March 14th, we’ll be joined by Jenny Wood for a Fireside Chat with Lauren Dawson to follow on the 15th. Register in Handshake
Jenny is an executive at Google whose team drives billions of dollars of revenue a year. She is also the founder of Own Your Career, an internal program that has helped thousands of Googlers activate their personal strengths and shine. Learn more about Jenny at www.itsjennywood.com.
Explore Technology, and Data Science with CCI Director of Employer and Professional Network Development, Jeff Sawyer
Curious about a career in technology or data science? Then you are in the right place!
Meet Jeff Sawyer, Director, Employer and Professional Network Development at CCI.
Here are 5 quick ways to get started towards a career in technology and data science:
- Need help with your resume and/or cover letter? We recommend you come to Quick Question hours with our Peer Career Advisors.
- Want to schedule an advising appointment with Jeff? You can schedule via Handshake.
- Sign up to receive Jeff’s weekly newsletter. Learn about coming events, alumni guests, and top jobs in the weekly newsletter curated by Jeff. Sign up for the newsletter online.
- Learn about top resources for this career path. Review some of the best information we think is available to help you learn about this career path.
- Connect with alumni working in this career path via Midd2Midd. Peruse Midd2Midd to find alumni working in your field of interest. Grow your network. Start conversations now that can grow through the year.
Hear from Leah Bracken ‘18.5, Customer Engineer at Google about Software Engineering and Liberal Arts
Announcing CCI and Middlebury in DC‘s final episode of our MIDDVantage: Careers in Technology’s New Frontiers series!
Join us today for a special episode featuring Leah Bracken ‘18.5, customer engineer at Google, as she shares her insights on the expanding cloud solutions market. Gain valuable knowledge from her experience as a solutions engineer and learn how a liberal arts education can prepare you for success in this field. Find out what skillsets are necessary for entering this technical role. Don’t miss out!
Exploring Careers in Technology’s New Frontiers is a collaborative series developed by the Center for Careers and Internships and Middlebury in DC with content contribution from members of the Middlebury Professional Network and Middlebury students.
Watch the full series at go.middlebury.edu/MiddVantageTech.
