Wofford students participate in variety of summer internships

SPARTANBURG, SC – Jonathan Franklin’s experiences in his first three years as a student at Wofford College – from being a Bonner Scholar to participating in internships to writing for the college’s student newspaper – have all been about meeting his career goals. While that’s true of most Wofford students, Franklin and others actively pursue opportunities to widen their horizons to their fullest by participating in summer internships.

Franklin, a senior from Columbia, S.C., and two other Wofford students were awarded prestigious internships at the world-renowned Aspen Institute in Colorado, where they are working with staff to produce a variety of seminars, conferences and festivals attended by leaders from around the globe.

“The Aspen Institute will help me meet my career goals by allowing me to gain exposure to global issues that are happening in our world while making a difference,” Franklin says. “My plan is to become a journalist, and by participating in the Aspen Institute Program I will expand my horizons on issues that impact us daily, surround myself with people who are already working together in making a difference, and develop both my professional and networking skills for future opportunities before graduating from Wofford.”

Franklin, an English and humanities major, is working in the information technology services department at the Aspen Institute, while Katherine Buchanan, a senior from Greenville, S.C., is in the office services area cataloging the Aspen Institute’s art collection and helping with events and summits. Lindsay Uhlinger, a senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., is serving as the developing events intern, communicating with donors and planning events for the institute’s benefactors. Buchanan is majoring in French and religion while Uhlinger is a government major.

Uhlinger sees internships as a way to put her “theoretical liberal arts education to the test. I love taking government classes, but I would not have realized that I wanted to live in Washington, D.C., and work at a policy research organization had I not done a summer internship there last year,” she says.

Buchanan plans a career in interfaith work or international relations and sees her experience in Aspen as an “opportunity to meet highly successful leaders in these types of careers as they come together for global problem solving and discussion at the Aspen Institute. It is the chance of a lifetime to learn from such incredible modern leaders and to work on behalf of an organization that promotes their collaboration.”

Kirkland Dickson, a junior biology and environmental studies major from Olanta, S.C., is interning at the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge in Norwalk, Conn., enhancing her desire to join the Peace Corps and later work in the conservation and protection fields.

“This internship definitely helps me know and focus on what I want my future to be,” she says, adding that she will use the experience to help her choose classes at Wofford and perhaps start or join campus organizations that will feed her love of nature.

As an Island Keeper intern, Dickson lives on Sheffield Island in the Long Island Sound, where she gives interpretive tours to visitors, emphasizing such things as invasive species, the refuge itself, the effects of storms such as Hurricane Sandy and the animals and plants the refuge works to protect. “My partners and I also do bird surveys at sunrise once a week around the island to keep track of the birds and any nests we may find. Invasive species management and island patrols also take up quite a large portion of our time.” Following a stint in the Peace Corps, she hopes to teach in a bilingual school in Honduras before embarking on her career in conservation.

Abbas Dalal, a junior finance major from Spartanburg, S.C.;Caroline Winn, a senior business economics, Spanish and art history major from Carlisle, Pa.; Mary Hurston Zuelke, a junior humanities major form Tuscumbia, Ala., and Brandon Berardo, a junior Chinese and business major from Lake Wylie, S.C., are interning this summer with The Manipal Group, a conglomerate of industrial and educational companies located in Manipal, India.

“This internship will help me have a better understanding of what it is like to work for a large organization,” Dalal says. “I can get real-world experience, which can orient me and help me decide what I want to do in the future.” He will be working in the financial sector of the firm, honing skills in analyzing financial statements.

Winn says she hopes to work abroad following graduation from Wofford, so the India internship is an “invaluable experience and a great step toward my post-graduate goals. I’m certain this summer will test my flexibility and require new levels of collaboration and communications.”

Both the Aspen Institute internships and those with The Manipal Group were arranged through The Space in the Mungo Center at Wofford. While the appointments are unpaid positions, all expenses, including travel, accommodations, meals and incidentals, are paid for. The Aspen internship expenses are covered through the generous support of Wofford alumnus Mike Brown, Class of 1976.

The Space also arranges for internships in Brazil. This year Emily Batista, a junior Spanish major from Greensboro, N.C., and Leanna Herbert, a senior English and Spanish major from Columbia, S.C., are interning at Terra Comum, a non-profit organization based in Rio de Janeiro.

Dozens more students are interning in various locations around the country, getting a taste of the real world.

Here are other internships in which Wofford students are participating this summer:

Heather Allen, class of 2016, majoring in biology and English, from Alpharetta, Ga., and Savanah Atkins, class of 2016, majoring in psychology, from Sumter, S.C. Internship with Healthy Eating Decisions program at Wofford College under the direction of program coordinator Sharyn Pittman, class of 1992, developing a nutrition education resource for elementary schools that integrates South Carolina educational standard to become a natural part of the classroom learning process. Also providing nutrition education lessons to local day camps as part of an outreach component of the project.

Kalen Alverson, class of 2016, majoring in finance with a minor in accounting, from Chesnee, S.C. Advance America internship in finance.

Elizabeth Berwaldt, class of 2016, majoring in biology with a concentration in neuroscience, from Lexington, S.C.; Kassie Franck, class of 2018, majoring in biology and psychology, from Florence, S.C.; Taylor Hall, class of 2016, majoring in psychology, from Burlington, N.C.; and Logan Shelnutt, class of 2016, majoring in biology with a concentration in medical humanities, from Carrolton, Ga. Internship in the laboratory of Dr. Dave Pittman, class of 1992, at Wofford College conducting research to identify the circuits in the brain that increase and decrease the palatability of food, using advanced surgical tecnhiques and microinjections into specific brain areas paired with Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drug (DREADD) techniques to isolate specific neural contributions to the changes in taste preferences that we experience.

Victoria Biggers, class of 2017, majoring in economics, from Clover, S.C. Dellfrio internship in sales and marketing.

Rebekah Bowie, class of 2017, majoring in biology and psychology with a concentration in neuroscience, from LaGrange, Ga. STAR program, Georgia Regents University research internship.

Nicole Carpenter, class of 2016, majoring in business economics and sociology, from Marietta, Ga. Denny’s internship in human resources.

Drake Cassidy, class of 2018, major undecided, from Hartsville, S.C. Internship with McLeod Regional Health, Florence, S.C., with maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Lawrence Chewning, Wofford class of 1971.

Kaitlyn Cockcroft, class of 2015, majoring in accounting, Chinese and government, from Moncks Corner, S.C. Corporate tax internship with Pacific Gas & Electric, then will seek a master’s degree in accounting from Clemson University.

Henry Cornelson, class of 2018, major undecided, from Greenville, S.C.; Adelaide Dunn, class of 2018, major undecided, from Birmingham, Ala,; Drake McCormick, class of 2018, major undecided, from Sumter, S.C.; and Ellie Varn, class of 2017, majoring in psychology, from Spartanburg, S.C. Internship with the Admission Office, Wofford College.

Jillian Cothran, class of 2015, majoring in environmental studies, from Irmo, S.C. Full-time internship with Reformed University Fellowship, Charlotte, N.C.

Adam Crain, class of 2015, majoring in government and minoring in history with a concentration in American politics, from Rock Hill, S.C. Fellow/internshp at John Jay Institute in Philadelphia, Pa.

Michael Daly, class of 2015, majoring in Chinese and history, from Gaffney, S.C. Teaching assistant at Xi’an Jiaotong University.

John Dam, class of 2016, majoring in finance and minoring in economics, from Greenville, S.C. Dellfrio internship in sales and marketing.

Angela Ditolla, class of 2016, majoring in religion, from West Columbia, S.C. Internship with Edventure Children’s Museum, Columbia, S.C.

Nancy Ford, class of 2016, majoring in intercultural studies and finance with a minor in government and a concentration in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, from Sylva, N.C. NGO Red Misericordia, Dominican Republic independent research study titled “Effects of the Christian Gospel Message on Red Misericordia’s Relationships with Societal Actors,”using a $2,000 grant from the John Rampey Fund.

Alden Groves, class of 2015, majoring in English and humanities, certification in the teacher education program, from North Hills/Glenside, Pa. Two-year internship with Reformed University Fellowship at Erskine College, Due West, S.C.

Matthew Howell, biology, majoring in chemistry and mathematics with an emphasis in computational science, from Boiling Springs, S.C. Internship with European Bioinformatics Institute, Cambridge, England, bioinformatics research.

Pauline Howell, class of 2015, majoring in chemistry and English, from Hodges, S.C. Internship with Astro American Chemical Co., Fountain Inn, S.C. Entering University of Georgia chemistry graduate program in fall.

Sari Imber, class of 2015, majoring in art history and French, from San Antonio, Texas. Courtney Hill Interiors, Houston, Texas, internship in interior design.

Emily Kelleher, class of 2016, majoring in mathematics and minoring in economics, certification in the teacher education program, from Weston, Fla. Internship with the Center for Education Reform, Washington, D.C.

Megan Lacy, class of 2016, majoring in biology and finance, from Wytherville, Va. Internship with U.S. Sen. Mark Warner’s office.

John McAlhany, majoring in biology, from Edisto Island, S.C. Participating in the REU summer research program with a College of Charleston professor studying transduction pathways, in regards to the enviornmentally induced effects of pancreatitis on the biochemistry of transduction pathways in a South African fish at Fort Johnson, Charleston.

Catherine Miller, class of 2015, majoring in English and minoring in philosophy, from Greenville, S.C. and Zirconia, N.C. Year-round internship with Camp Greystone, Tuxedo, N.C.

Carol Morel, class of 2017, majoring in environmental studies and chemistry and minoring in mathematics, from Fort Mill, S.C. Interning at the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C., in the Office of Facilities Engineering and Operations.

Zach Morrow, class of 2016, majoring in mathematics with a concentration in applied mathematics, from Lancaster, S.C. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Vicksburg, Miss. nine-week internship applying differential equations and numerical methods to water flows.

Paul Nelson, class of 2016, majoring in accounting and Chinese, from Columbia, S.C. Elliot Davis Decosimo, Greenville, S.C., internship with audit group and tax team.

Tyler Nelson, class of 2016, majoring in biology with concentrations in neuroscience and medical humanities, from Forest City, N.C. Department of Psychiatry and Health Behavior, Medical College of Georgia working with Dr. Anilkumar Pillai to analyze how estrogen may be responsible for autism being more prevalent in males than females. Nelson is analyzing the brain coherence deficiencies in three different autism mouse models through implantation of microelectrodes via a complex surgical procedure, so that the brain activity of the mice can be measured while the mice undergo social interactions to better understand social dysfunction.

Nelson Reed, class of 2017, majoring in biology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine interning with Dr. William H. Gmeiner assisting with cancer research focused on the use of fluoropyrimidines as a therapeutic technique.

Mills Reigel, class of 2015, majoring in art history with a minor in studio art, from Fort Mill, S.C. Internship with New Gallery of Modern Art, Charlotte, N.C.

Lelia Smith, class of 2015, majoring in art history with a minor in history, from Mountain Brook, Ala. Internship with the Congressionally funded The Victims of Communism Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Paul Walkup, majoring in biology, from Williston, S.C. University of Georgia’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, Augusta, Ga., genetics research laboratory technician, collecting fecal samples and helping create genetic markers to determine whether the samples are from a coyote or other animal.

Devon Wasche, class of 2017, majoring in biology and chemistry, from Florence, S.C. Internship with Scripps Institute in Florida, studying the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway and its connection/correlation to aging in mice

Caity White, class of 2017, majoring in chemistry and English, from Greenwood, S.C. Internship with Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Ga.

Lauren Williamson, class of 2015, majoring in accounting and minoring in government, from Leesville, S.C. Internship with Elliot Davis Decosimo, Columbia, S.C., then entering Clemson University master’s in professional accountacy program in fall.