Seven Clark University undergraduates are working as interns in the non-profit sector this summer with support from the Larry Franks ’73, Ellen Berelson and the Theodore H. Barth Foundation.
Tara J. Barnes ’15 received funding so that she can serve as an intern at Year Up, a nonprofit organization in Providence, R.I., that provide urban young adults with the skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education. Barnes will serve as an admissions intern and will be responsible for the many aspects of the admissions process including interviewing and assessing prospective students for the program; advertising the program through mailings, social media, and outreach visits; managing the admissions calendar and database; and attending weekly debriefing sessions with advisors and students from the program. Barnes majors in political science.
Tatiana E. Chunis ’14 will intern at The Esperanza Project in the Dominican Republic. As a camp counselor in the rural village of Cabrera in the Dominican Republic, Chunis will be planning and leading daily sports activities and lessons for a group of children throughout the summer. The Esperanza Project works to provide consistent and quality education to the children in Cabrera that will help them be successful in their village and have the opportunities to travel and work in other communities as well. Chunis is a psychology major.
Deborah Ibonwa ’14 will intern in Congresswoman Chellie Pingree’s Office, and work with constituents, elected officials, business and community leaders, and state and federal agencies to address and alleviate the problems of residents of the First District through managing constituent mail, emails, and phone calls. She will write letters ranging from notes of congratulations to well-researched responses to constituent concerns. Ibonwa will also be responsible for various tasks including processing tour and flag requests, performing general office duties, learning a complex Congressional data base, and working on projects as assigned by legislative and constituent staff specializing in specific topic areas. Ibonwa majors in political science.
John J. Preston ’14 will intern at COIN: Centro de Orientación e Investigación Integral, a non-profit public health organization that works with the vulnerable and marginalized groups in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, to prevent HIV infection and to raise awareness about and provide access to personal health solutions. Preston will be working as the Translation and Public Relations intern for two projects within the COIN organization: COTRAVETD, which serves the trans sex workers in the city, and actitUD, which serves injection drug users. He will be translating email, documents and any relevant articles from journalistic and academic publications which would serve the purposes of COIN. He will also translate the website and COIN’s web-based materials into English so that they can expand their network and create an international image. Preston majors in comparative literature.
Lillian B. Schley ’15 will intern at the Apollinaire Theatre Company, in Chelsea, Mass. In her position as an administrative intern, she will be assisting the stage manager with organizational tasks for their summer production of “The Caucasian Chalk Circle.” Schley will help with research and dramaturgy for the play and will be involved in marketing and outreach; she will also serve as an usher during the play performances. Schley majors in theater.
Rachel A. Spera ’14 received funds to support her internship at Cure Violence, in Washington, D.C. There she will be creating projects, setting up meetings, and putting programs in place for offices to use as a means to find a cure of violence in Latin American communities. She will be involved in all aspects of the organization and its day-to-day operation and work closely with the head of the branch to get this one-year-old branch of Cure Violence in motion. Working on projects in Latin America will allow Spera to develop and refine her Spanish. Spera is a psychology major.
Matthew F. Thompson ’14 will intern at the Center for Comparative NeuroImaging (CCNI), UMass. Thompson will conduct independent research to further investigate the complex interaction between addiction and ADHD in the brain. Studies conducted by the CCNI have demonstrated that adolescent smokers with ADHD tend to be more addicted to cigarettes and crave them more than adolescents without the disorder. He will further evaluate this connection in relations to brain functioning, cognition, and behavior in both rats and human models. Thompson majors in biology and psychology.