Tag Archives: Career Exploration

Internship Highlight: Megan Job ’21, Assistant Researcher at William Montague Cobb Research Laboratory

Megan Job is on the far left.

Major: Neuroscience

Assistant Researcher at the William Montague Cobb Research Laboratory

“I think it is very important to introduce diversity in the various databases on the human genome. Many of the original genome projects centered on European-descended populations and this project is one of the first steps to unlocking questions like “Why are Black women 243% more likely to die in childbirth (compared to White women”? Or “Why are African Americans prone to hypertension, diabetes, etc.?”

How did you find your internship? Dr. Jeremy Ward.

What was your work like? One of the main projects I worked on was Petrous Bone Extraction of the bones in the William Cobb Collection. William Montague Cobb was the first African American to get an MD/PhD and went on to found a lab. He studied over 100 African Americans who died between the 1930s and 1960s and conducted autopsies on each of the individuals. My research included extracting over 200 petrous bones–a dense region on the side of the skull next to the ear canal–in order to sequence the DNA of the individuals who passed. After extracting the petrous bone, we found susceptibility genes for the diseases the individuals died from. Among the diseases were tuberculosis, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, and more. A lot of the diseases are still the main cause of death of Blacks today. After the DNA is sequenced, we cross matched their genes with the susceptibility genes to see if there were matches. In the future, we will be able to address the weaknesses that may or may not have to do with our genetic codes. Ideally, we will be able to have prenatal testing where we identify these genes and advocate a healthy lifestyle that will suppress the likelihood of these diseases manifesting and taking the lives of our people.

How did CCI help you find this opportunity? Funding, advising, moral support, EVERYTHING!

What advice do you have for Middlebury students looking for an internship? Think outside the box! Don’t think that the organized programs are the only internships you have available to you…there are countless others you can make up or find anywhere.

What was the most rewarding aspect of your work? Being surrounded by black scholars.

And to add to this question from Megan’s interview in the Cobb’s Corner News: Seeing people in positions of power in STEM that are Black is what I will cherish the most. Carter [Clinton, Assistant Curator] is a great example as well, with both of us being from Brooklyn. I’m reading a book by Elaine Welteroth called More Than Enough: Claiming Space for Who You Are (No Matter What They Say) where she mentions that it is “important to leave signposts along the journey of success for those that come behind you.” I believe there will be another young girl like me who is obsessed with science like me but needs a role model to show her that women and people of color can succeed. I really want to be that guiding light just like this experience has illuminated my journey.

Did you have a mentor that helped you get to where you are today? If so, who? Jeremy Ward, Susan DeSimone, and much much much more.

You can read more about Megan’s internship in the Middlebury Newsroom and this WUSA9 news story.

Interested in getting help with summer internships? Come meet with one of the Peer Career Advisors (go/pcas) to learn more about how to search for internships, and how to apply for funding.

Are YOU interested in being in the Internship Highlights? Tell us about your internship experience here.

SENIORS–Looking for a Job that Aligns with Your Values? Join Our Boot Camp 1/16

This is a great opportunity during J-term to use the added help and motivation to get you on track for exploring the opportunities out there.

  • Are you looking for greater clarity and confidence about your interests, purpose and what matters most to you in finding and doing purposeful work?
  • Are you unsure how to structure a strategic job search to maximize your time and energy?
  • Are you clearly communicating your skills, assets and talents in a clear and succinct personal story?

If any of this resonates with you and where you are, join me with a group of like-minded peers for a 1.5 hour workshop to get you started. We’ll share techniques and tools to get you over the hump and on your way to learning how to activate our Middlebury network, identifying meaningful opportunities using targeted resources and learn how to translate your college experiences to tell the relevant stories to organizations and companies you’d LOVE to work for.

To attend the workshop

on Thursday, Jan. 16th at 4:30PM in Hillcrest

RSVP HERE.

Design Your Midd: Using Design Thinking Strategies for Midd and Beyond

Join us for a 1 ½ hour workshop based on the NYT-bestselling book, Designing Your Life: How to Build a Joyful, Well-Lived Life. We will introduce you to design thinking tools that will help you creatively bring balance and focus to big life decisions (i.e summer internships, majors, career exploration, study abroad, etc). Leave with a personal strategy for planning out your time at Middlebury, and beginning to envision a meaningful life beyond.

Sustainability in Practice: Field Trip to Bee’s Wrap

RSVP to Visit Bee’s Wrap and Co-Op Team 
Date: Thursday, November 14th from 3:00-5:00 p.m. (meet at the ADK at 2:50 p.m. for transportation)
The Innovation Hub’s Vermont Ventures Trip program and the Sustainability Solutions Lab invite you to an afternoon dedicated to learning more about local enterprises dedicated to sustainability. We will first visit the Bee’s Wrap factory in town, meet the team and learn about their eco-friendly food storage product and their growth as a B-Corp company. We will end our trip at the Middlebury Co-Op where we will talk to representatives over some yummy Co-Op snacks provided by us. Transportation will be provided. RSVP here. If you have any questions, please contact Meron Benti at mbenti[at]middlebury,edu.

Using Life Design Strategies for Midd & Beyond

How Many Lives Are You?

You’re in your “Odyssey Years” — these important years are where you explore who you are going to be as an emerging adult. This Studio workshop will use Stanford Life Design Lab techniques to support you to create, explore, and try out your many possible futures! We’ll teach you how to think like a designer, and build a life you love DURING and AFTER Middlebury.

In this Studio, you’ll:

  • Create thoughtful visions of your future
  • Share your visions with classmates
  • Imagine how to create prototypes of your ideas at Middlebury and beyond
  • Get feedback that helps you further clarify your plan(s)

RSVP via Handshake here.

Join us: Friday, November 15th, 3:00-4:30 p.m. in the CCE Living Room (20 Old Chapel Road)

Sign up for One-on-One Chats with Alumni at the Athletics Field Guide

Sign up for a one-to-one chat with alumni who will be on campus 11/14-11/15 for the Athletics Field Guide and will be available for one-to-one meetings on Friday, 11/15 from 9:00-noon here at CCI.

Sign up for a one-on-one chat with Christine in Handshake.

After graduating from Middlebury, Christine Bolger Bright ’07 spent 7 years in Boston working for two sports based youth development non-profit organizations, America SCORES Boston and Metrolacrosse. She also got her MBA from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

A move to Maine had her working for a feminist/activist organization called Hardy Girls Healthy Women and assistant coaching for the Colby College Womens Soccer team and trying her hand as head coach of the Waterville Girls High School soccer team.

Since her time in Maine, Christine has been working for We Coach as a National Trainer- helping new and experienced coaches incorporate youth development practices into their coaching style and showing them the importance of brain development and impact of trauma on the young people they work with. In addition, she has founded Bright Contributions, a consulting practice that helps non-profits untangle the world of measurement and evaluation. She met her husband on the Midd Track and Field team and they live in Rochester, Minnesota with their two little boys and dog.

Sign up for a one-on-one chat with Erick in Handshake.

Erick Dalton ’04 is currently a professional scout with the Philadelphia Phillies, Erick is responsible for scouting numerous professional teams at various levels. He also helps with scouting assignments at spring training, trade deadline and playoff advance. Before joining the Phillies in the fall of 2017, Erick had been with the Washington Nationals since 2007. He has worked in baseball operations with his main focus being advance scouting.

Jim has led the Global Baseball and Softball Business for Wilson since 1997. In that time, Wilson has grown into the world leader in equipment with #1 overall market share in bats and ball gloves. Jim led the purchase of Louisville Slugger, DeMarini, Evoshield and ATEC -all leading brands that are now incorporated into Wilson.

Sign up for a one-on-one chat with James in Handshake.

James “Jim” Hackett ’89 began his Wilson career as an intern while he was earning his MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management (MM ’95). Jim worked for Nike from 1990 to 1993 -managing and opening stores in various locations around the U.S., and ultimately training managers and employees in Nike’s factory outlets and Niketown stores. During Jim’s Middlebury career he played Football and Baseball -captaining each team in his senior year. Jim lives with his wife and 3 children in Glenview, Illinois.

Sign up for a one-on-one chat with Scott in Handshake.

Scott Langerman ’87 is Chief Executive Officer of Athlete Content & Entertainment, LLC (ACE Media), a wholly-owned subsidiary of the NFL Players Association (NFLPA). ACE Media was launched in September, 2015 as a groundbreaking new vehicle through which to identify and develop a range of content opportunities for professional athletes. Since its launch ACE has placed over 1000 athletes in close to 1500 different content initiatives, and its successes to date include Catching Kelce on E!, Most Valuable Performer on CBS, Ritual on Amazon Prime Video, NFL Life: Kirk Cousins on NFL Network and Behind Baker on Fox. In addition to the above, ACE has developed and produced a wide a range of digital and branded content features for a number of the world’s leading distribution platforms.

As CEO of ACE, Scott is responsible for the strategic direction of the company, and oversees its relationships with production entities, distribution platforms, brands and athletes. A 20-year veteran of the sports and entertainment industries, Scott previously held senior executive positions with Vox Media, Comcast and Turner Broadcasting, among others.

Throughout his career Scott has been involved in a range of civic and charitable activities, serving on the boards of the Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, the Military Bowl and the Chesapeake Bayhawks, co-founding an annual gala to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation currently in its 15th year, and chairing several local events and organizations in his community.

Scott holds a B.A. from Middlebury College and a J.D. from Yale Law School, and lives in Bethesda, MD with his wife Vicki and their three children.

Learn more about the Athletics Field Guide events at go/AthleticsFieldGuide.

RSVP for the Career Panel and Dinner at 5:00 PM on Thursday, 11/14 in Atwater Dining Hall.