"Watch out for the mountain lions," Megan Herman '09 (Orchard Park, N.Y.) heard from her co-workers at as she left for her first morning run at her summer job. Although Herman didn't take the warning seriously, it wasn't intended as a joke: the rising senior is far from home this summer, working in Fraser, Colo. at Crooked Creek Ranch summer camp, and when she returned from running, the other interns were upset that she hadn't taken a running buddy along. Herman is using her EMT training and organizational skills to work as a summer EMT intern at the camp, which is run by Young Life, a non-denominational Christian organization that focuses on reaching out to adolescents through youth groups and camps.
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. Herman received a stipend from the Summer Internship Support Fund supported by John Rice '78, a competitive grant which is awarded every year to provide cost of living assistance to students who might have insufficient resources to fully support undertaking a summer internship.
Aside from adjusting to the native wildlife, Herman has had to learn about the camp's organization quickly, since she fills several roles at Crooked Creek. Her basic work as an EMT involves taking care of the infirmary, distributing medicine to campers, and helping with minor injuries. With 55 campers every week and around 120 other people at the camp, the work adds up quickly. "It's a lot of paperwork, cuts, and Band-Aids," she says.
The internship, however, also involves an administrative, organizational side. In addition to her EMT duties, she helps coordinate the work crew, made up of high school volunteers, and the college-age summer staff. Herman has helped to organize events such as a summer carnival, a volleyball tournament and a square-dancing night. "I love the flexibility of it," she says. "We are given guidelines, but those guidelines give us lots of freedom." The camp administrators also seek out the interns' suggestions on activities and logistics, and Herman enjoys the chance to help out on the organizational level.
Although she works mainly as an EMT and organizer, Herman says that her job often involves providing support and guidance to the campers. She is considering counseling as a possible career, and this internship, she says, has been helpful in discovering what that career might involve. There are no real emergencies at Crooked Creek, so often being an EMT is about understanding the campers' needs as much as it is about cleaning cuts.
Herman, a double major in psychology and religious studies, trained for her EMT-certification during her sophomore spring at Hamilton. She has served with the Hamilton College Emergency Medical Service since the beginning of her junior year, and plans to continue as an EMT this fall. She also worked as a head resident assistant and a tour guide coordinator, played on the women's rugby team, was a member of the HAVOC executive board, and led a Bible study group for the Hamilton Christian Fellowship.
As a former Young Life camper herself, Herman is very familiar with the organization. She became involved with Young Life in high school, and has attended camp in New York State, both as a student and as a junior leader. Last summer, the director of Young Life in her area asked her to lead a group to camp for a week, and her experience on that trip inspired her to apply for an internship with a Young Life camp this summer. Herman had never been to Crooked Creek before, and for her, the location is one of the best aspects of her job. "The coolest thing is to wake up and see the Rocky Mountains," she says. Just as long as she watches out for the mountain lions.
-- by Laura Bramley
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. Herman received a stipend from the Summer Internship Support Fund supported by John Rice '78, a competitive grant which is awarded every year to provide cost of living assistance to students who might have insufficient resources to fully support undertaking a summer internship.
Aside from adjusting to the native wildlife, Herman has had to learn about the camp's organization quickly, since she fills several roles at Crooked Creek. Her basic work as an EMT involves taking care of the infirmary, distributing medicine to campers, and helping with minor injuries. With 55 campers every week and around 120 other people at the camp, the work adds up quickly. "It's a lot of paperwork, cuts, and Band-Aids," she says.
The internship, however, also involves an administrative, organizational side. In addition to her EMT duties, she helps coordinate the work crew, made up of high school volunteers, and the college-age summer staff. Herman has helped to organize events such as a summer carnival, a volleyball tournament and a square-dancing night. "I love the flexibility of it," she says. "We are given guidelines, but those guidelines give us lots of freedom." The camp administrators also seek out the interns' suggestions on activities and logistics, and Herman enjoys the chance to help out on the organizational level.
Although she works mainly as an EMT and organizer, Herman says that her job often involves providing support and guidance to the campers. She is considering counseling as a possible career, and this internship, she says, has been helpful in discovering what that career might involve. There are no real emergencies at Crooked Creek, so often being an EMT is about understanding the campers' needs as much as it is about cleaning cuts.
Herman, a double major in psychology and religious studies, trained for her EMT-certification during her sophomore spring at Hamilton. She has served with the Hamilton College Emergency Medical Service since the beginning of her junior year, and plans to continue as an EMT this fall. She also worked as a head resident assistant and a tour guide coordinator, played on the women's rugby team, was a member of the HAVOC executive board, and led a Bible study group for the Hamilton Christian Fellowship.
As a former Young Life camper herself, Herman is very familiar with the organization. She became involved with Young Life in high school, and has attended camp in New York State, both as a student and as a junior leader. Last summer, the director of Young Life in her area asked her to lead a group to camp for a week, and her experience on that trip inspired her to apply for an internship with a Young Life camp this summer. Herman had never been to Crooked Creek before, and for her, the location is one of the best aspects of her job. "The coolest thing is to wake up and see the Rocky Mountains," she says. Just as long as she watches out for the mountain lions.
-- by Laura Bramley
