As an intern at BuildaBridge International, an arts education organization with programs in Philadelphia and developing countries, Kate Hails '10 is learning the business side of nonprofits. Hails works as an intern for Create!Discovery, a program of the BuildaBridge organization that seeks to provide arts-integrated classes during the academic year to children in homeless shelters and transitional homes in the Philadelphia area. Classes such as dance, visual arts, drama, and drumming link the children with teaching artists to expand their artistic, academic, social, and spiritual well-being.
Hails' work is to learn how a small nonprofit runs. As the intern at Create!Discovery, she is responsible for an assessment of the program, as well as another after-school program. She reads teachers' weekly comments to compile a report, analyzing the program's successes and the areas in which it needs to improve. She is also developing assessments for the children to complete before and after their involvement in Create!Discovery, to provide another means of evaluation. By learning about writing grants, developing curricula and evaluating their progress, Hails is able to experience the administrative side of nonprofits firsthand, which she says is important to determining whether she will continue in the field.
The work she does for the nonprofit, Hails says, is significantly different from anything she has done before. This is her first summer internship, and the experience is much more independent than the academic work she does at Hamilton. At the same time, the standards are high for success. "My supervisor is not always telling me what I need to do, and I obviously don't get grades," says Hails, "but there are very high expectations of me." Since she is working for a small company, she says, the levels of trust and responsibility are that much greater.
Sitting at a desk all day can be difficult, Hails admits, particularly when she has to motivate herself to work on a project that won't be graded, but will be read and used to judge her organization. Sometimes she feels distant from the actual programs themselves, and has to remember that the reports and assessments she drafts are just as important as working directly with the children. "We need to have concrete evidence that shows that the kids are improving in specific ways so we can get grants and donations," she says. "Assessment helps show us what areas we need to improve in."
At Hamilton, Hails runs on the cross country and outdoor track teams. She also plays flute in the orchestra and is a volunteer with Project SHINE. After she graduates, she is considering graduate school in social work or psychology, followed by a possible career in public-health-based psychology, but says she also hopes to spend time abroad as a volunteer or teacher.
Thanks to alumni and parent donations, Hamilton students can apply for funding to support them while they work in a field of interest with an organization that cannot pay them. Hails received a stipend from the Summer Class of 2006 Internship Fund, a competitive grant that provides cost-of-living support for students undertaking full-time, unpaid summer internships.
Hails has one piece of advice for aspiring student interns: apply early! "It's great to start applying or figure out the requirements over winter break so you don't have to deal with it during the school year," she says.
-- by Laura Bramley
Hails' work is to learn how a small nonprofit runs. As the intern at Create!Discovery, she is responsible for an assessment of the program, as well as another after-school program. She reads teachers' weekly comments to compile a report, analyzing the program's successes and the areas in which it needs to improve. She is also developing assessments for the children to complete before and after their involvement in Create!Discovery, to provide another means of evaluation. By learning about writing grants, developing curricula and evaluating their progress, Hails is able to experience the administrative side of nonprofits firsthand, which she says is important to determining whether she will continue in the field.
The work she does for the nonprofit, Hails says, is significantly different from anything she has done before. This is her first summer internship, and the experience is much more independent than the academic work she does at Hamilton. At the same time, the standards are high for success. "My supervisor is not always telling me what I need to do, and I obviously don't get grades," says Hails, "but there are very high expectations of me." Since she is working for a small company, she says, the levels of trust and responsibility are that much greater.
Sitting at a desk all day can be difficult, Hails admits, particularly when she has to motivate herself to work on a project that won't be graded, but will be read and used to judge her organization. Sometimes she feels distant from the actual programs themselves, and has to remember that the reports and assessments she drafts are just as important as working directly with the children. "We need to have concrete evidence that shows that the kids are improving in specific ways so we can get grants and donations," she says. "Assessment helps show us what areas we need to improve in."
At Hamilton, Hails runs on the cross country and outdoor track teams. She also plays flute in the orchestra and is a volunteer with Project SHINE. After she graduates, she is considering graduate school in social work or psychology, followed by a possible career in public-health-based psychology, but says she also hopes to spend time abroad as a volunteer or teacher.
Thanks to alumni and parent donations, Hamilton students can apply for funding to support them while they work in a field of interest with an organization that cannot pay them. Hails received a stipend from the Summer Class of 2006 Internship Fund, a competitive grant that provides cost-of-living support for students undertaking full-time, unpaid summer internships.
Hails has one piece of advice for aspiring student interns: apply early! "It's great to start applying or figure out the requirements over winter break so you don't have to deal with it during the school year," she says.
-- by Laura Bramley
