Author Archives: Rebekah Wilson

About Rebekah Wilson

English and American Literatures major at Middlebury College, Class of 2014

Why you should apply to be a Peer Career Ambassador

I know, it’s not really required of me to make a speech, but I had some Big Feelings about why you should apply for the PCA position, posted below.

The first time I’d been to the Center for Education in Action — or Adirondack House at all — was to interview for a job as a Peer Career Ambassador. (Spoiler alert: this job.) It was the Fall of my sophomore year. I’d never been to Drop-In hours. I’d never heard of Drop-In hours. I’d never logged into MOJO. I tried once, during J-Term of my freshman year, when everyone on my hall was freaking out like a 1920s disaster film about their summer plans (because INTERNSHIPS!) but it tried to make me answer one of those spam-prevention prompts and I was like “eh.” Plus, I felt about “career guidance” the way that many people do about therapy. I was convinced that I didn’t really need it, that it was for strugglers, those incapable of navigating life on their own. I had turned 21 within four weeks of coming to college as a freshman and held a full-time job during the two years I took “off” before school. (I paid ELECTRIC BILLS, okay? I was an ADULT. It was REAL LIFE, deep in the trenches.) I was like, “Career planning? I got this.” (Spoiler alert: I did not have “this” as much as I thought I had “this.”)

Getting this job might have been one of the better things that happened to me during my first two years at Middlebury. This might be one of the best student jobs on campus. This is a super biased claim that I can’t really back with, you know, “science,” but I do know that the people I work with are really, really nice; I get to work on some pretty great and self-directed projects; I get paid to write and research career advice. (Blog! I get paid to blog! It’s not real life). Plus, it always smells like cinnamon in this office. (Seriously, why does it? Tracy, Annie? Is this your doing?) And at the risk of sounding super dramatic, working here has changed the way I access resources on this campus and view the EIA as an ally in my “personal career journey,” and, ironically, I’ve come to treat Drop-In hours exactly like therapy. Because they kind of are. Therapeutic, I mean.

Click here to view the Peer Career Ambassador description, and to submit your application by Friday, February 22, 2013.

We’re hiring! Apply to be an EIA Peer Career Ambassador

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We’re hiring for the Peer Career Ambassador position at the EIA! Check out this job description (below) and some reasons I think you should apply in the post above.

Job Description:

Provide and create outreach opportunities to further the early engagement of Middlebury students in the Career Education process.

Serve as a Drop-Ins adviser for first-time visitors to the Center/First-Year students: demonstrate sign-up for/use of MOJO; introduce sample resume(s) and cover letters; assist with MiddNet registrations; make referrals to Career Services counselors for follow up meetings.

Actively support the Career Education programs and initiatives at the Center for Education in Action
Collaborate with other Peer Career Ambassadors (PCAs) and staff to effectively strategize and publicize overall Career Services events and programs.
Develop and deliver peer-to-peer workshops and focus groups for first-years and sophomores in the Commons residences
Market Career Services/EIA services and events, capitalizing on the Commons residential system
Contribute to blogs and/or newsletters that outline essential goals and internship/ career timelines that are relevant to the FY and Sophomore experience
Provide administrative support to Career Education programs as needed
Assist the Associate Director as required with new career education initiatives
Perform outreach to targeted campus organization(s) and attend or lead Career Services outreach events when needed, including some nights and weekends
Assist Career Services staff with various in and out-of-office tasks as necessary

The ideal candidate will demonstrate enthusiasm for the goal of engaging Middlebury students early in the process of career education and bring excellent interpersonal skills, writing ability, organizational talent, and the capacity to work independently to the position.

Juniors or Super Seniors (’13.5) familiar with Career Services resources and in good academic standing to work 6-8 hours/week while classes are in session for the spring semester and beyond.

Education and Training

Enthusiasm for and experience with the mission of career education
Knowledge of and experience using Career Services resources
Experience with marketing and promotion
Proven leadership ability
Reliability and organizational know-how
Strong written and oral communication skills
Ability to work independently and as part of a team
Willing to dress appropriately for professional office work.

Click here to submit your application with attached resume and a cover letter by Friday, February 22, 2013.

A case for giving a [summer]

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City Year alum Rebekah Wilson ’14, talks about the benefits of interning with City Year, an AmeriCorps program that employs young people in a year (or two) of full-time service in public schools. City Year New York currently offers a variety of summer internship opportunities for students in programs, operations, development, and recruitment.

(Note: summer internships offered by City Year New York differ from corps member positions, which require a full-time, ten month commitment, ideal for gap year students or recent college graduates. Summer internships are part-time, office based positions, ideal for undergraduate students. Though internships with City Year are unpaid, students are encouraged to apply for funding through EIA in the spring.)

I first found out about City Year in the fall of my senior year of high school, while researching gap year options online. It’s been five years since then and I have a hard time conceptualizing exactly what prompted me to apply in the first place, but I remember looking at the application with an overwhelming desire to do something big. Yes, something good. Yes, something interesting and challenging and altruistic that would look attractive on my resume and hopefully broaden my college prospects. But mostly I was attracted to the idea of something larger than me that would sweep me up out of the small alcove of the world I had grown up in and land me on a different a shore, a shore that would involve an understanding of social justice issues on the ground level and a sense of what could be done about them. Perhaps one of the biggest indications that I did indeed take part in something big is that, two years after graduating from City Year, I am still processing all the ways I grew and lessons I learned.

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Deadline: Intern with Department of Homeland Security

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APPLICATION DEADLINE:
SUNDAY, MARCH 4

This opportunity is provided by the Deputy Director of Homeland Security Investigations, whose wife is a Midd alum!

This is definitely not your typical intern in a government agency! Several students had this opportunity last summer, including Andrew Fong ’14.

Opportunities are available in Counter Proliferation Investigations, Office of International Affairs, and National Security Division 1. Some offices are location in Tysons Corner, in Vienna, VA, while others are in Washington DC.

Mr. Won Choe is the Presidential Management Fellow who works with the Deputy Director, and is who you should address your cover letter to. Please be as clear as possible about your interests, and which area you are most interested in working for.

Definitely more than 1 student will be accepted, could be as high as 6, so make your application good!

All positions are unpaid, however you should definitely plan to apply for funding: all details are at go/summerfunding

Apply on MOJO!

Did you miss us? First-Year Fridays Return!

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First-Years: You’re Invited!!! (Again!)

Connect with the people who can connect you with internships, jobs, and service opportunities this summer at the

Center for Education in Action

OPEN HOUSE

Friday, February 17

12:00 – 2:00 pm

(Stop by anytime)

Adirondack House

Learn about internship and service opportunities and funding
Meet our professional advisors and Peer Career Ambassadors
Discover how to log in to MOJO and search for internships
Enjoy tasty refreshments
Enter a raffle to win a $10 Grille gift card

We look forward to meeting you!

Intern profile: Rachel Sider ’14 interns with J Street in Washington, D.C.

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This past summer our very own Rachel Sider, a Peer Career Ambassador here at the Center for Education in Action (read her blog posts below!), interned with J Street, a pro-Israel, pro-Peace organization that advocates for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Washington DC. Read Rachel’s interview below to find out more about her experience.

Tell us about your internship:
This past summer I was a Political and Development Intern at J Street. Working in the political department, I spent a lot of time working for the J Street PAC in writing candidate bios for the congressman J Street was endorsing for the 2012 election cycle. At the same time, I did a lot of researching donors and assisting with events for the development team. I got to sit in and participate in all of the staff meetings, and often had brown-bag lunches with senior staff and J Street’s other summer interns.

What was a typical day like for you?
I started off my day reading J Street’s daily News Roundup that highlights top news, opinion, and analysis on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Middle East in general. This was a great way to keep updated and informed about the daily happenings in the region. I typically spent the rest of the morning working on projects for the Development department, often using the various databases J Street uses to organize its supporters, donors, and events. I’d usually go out to lunch with the other interns in the office (there were about eight of us) and then always made a trip to the post office sometime in the afternoon. Some afternoons we would have staff meetings, while others I spent planning a Young Professionals Outreach Happy Hour for the DC Metro Local Chapter of J Street with several other interns.

What was your most meaningful accomplishment or favorite moment during your internship?
In the midst of J Street’s Two-State Summer campaign, J Street brought 7 former Israeli generals and diplomats to the United States to tour five major cities and meet with government officials, community leaders and the press to stress the urgency of the two-state solution and the need for peace talks before the Palestinian bid for UN membership in September. This was an exciting event for J Street, and I had the opportunity to plan a reception welcoming the former diplomats to Washington DC. for about 80 of J Street’s local supporters. I enjoyed taking on such a large responsibility and working with the J Street staff to ensure the event’s success.

Would you recommend your internship to others?
I definitely recommend this internship to students who are passionate about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and interested in either politics or the non-profit sector. Since J Street functions as both a PAC and an Education Fund, it offers perspectives and internship opportunities in both areas. I liked that I was able to take ownership on various projects, and feel like the work I did throughout the summer was meaningful and contributed to the success and mission of the organization. J Street has summer internships in Field Programs, Government Affairs, Communications, the Education Fund, and the Political and Development dept, so there are opportunities for students with varying career interests.

How did you find your internship?
J Street had posted over a dozen summer internship positions on its website and I’d gotten an email from J Street U–the student organizing arm of J Street–reaching out to students to apply.

What advice do you have for students looking for internships?
Start early! It doesn’t hurt to start brainstorming, looking for ideas online, and checking out your options early because deadlines for some opportunities come up as early January–some even earlier! Also, I feel that it is very important to be assertive and proactive in your search. It doesn’t hurt to reach out to those who work at the organization just to demonstrate interest and show how passionate you are about working for them.

Click here to find out more about J Street.

Last Chance for First-Year Fridays!

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Hey Class of 2015! We’ve had great attendance at First-Year Fridays in the past two weeks — we enjoyed meeting all 55 of you. If you haven’t been to a First-Year Friday yet, you’ve still got one more chance to redeem yourself.

Are you still unconvinced?

Perhaps your parents are starting to harass you about your summer plans. Perhaps you do not want to spend another summer changing diapers, scanning barcodes, delivering greasy pizza to unsavory motels, or staring blankly at your town pool and blowing your whistle at kids with runny noses who do not listen to you. (Also no judgment, that’s totally fine if you do.) Perhaps you want to put that smart pair of slacks in your closet to use! Perhaps you want someone with a discerning eye to look over your resume or cover letter. Perhaps you want to learn more about volunteer opportunities here at Middlebury. Perhaps you just really want a competent adult who knows what s/he is talking about to tell you that everything is going to be okay. Perhaps you like cookies!

We can help you with all of these things, even the cookies! This is not even a marketing ploy, we are just really kindhearted people who care.

Come on over to the Center for Education in Action (Adirondack House) this Friday, the 27th, from 12-2 pm to get your internship questions answered, MOJO profile started, and your what-am-I-doing-this-summer stress hiccups cured. See you there!

Click here for more information!

Good news for aspiring interns

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President Obama recently signed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) into law, which would make it easier for students to obtain internships with the federal government. According to Call to Serve, the law contains the following provisions:

Requires federal agencies to designate an internship coordinator and post the name and contact information for that coordinator online.
Requires the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to provide links to information about all federal internship programs on a central website.
Report language accompanying the new law encourages OPM to develop a centralized database of interns so that agencies can look to this pool to fill job openings. It also suggests that agencies conduct exit interviews and surveys when interns leave so they will have data to help them improve their internship programs.