Muhlenberg athletes are spending the summer of 2019 enjoying fantastic experiences on campus, in their hometowns and even around the world.
Ariella Lerner, women’s lacrosse - played for Team Israel at World Championship
Lerner played for Team Israel at the U19 World Championship in Peterborough, Ontario.
The leading scorer for Israel and the 11th-leading scorer among all players in the tournament, Lerner was also involved in a tremendous act of generosity by her team towards the players from Kenya.
“While the wins, losses and goals may be forgotten one day, the players I met, the people I bonded with and the hugs from the girls from Kenya will never be forgotten,” she wrote.
Jordan Leopold, men’s track & field (media & communication major) - New Jersey Jackals intern/NBA project employee
“This summer I am working as a broadcast intern for the New Jersey Jackals professional baseball team. Some of my responsibilities for the Jackals have included operating the scoreboard, jumbotron, stadium music and cameras from multiple angles, assisting in the live streaming of games, writing game recaps and keeping statistics.
“In addition to this, I have gained valuable experience on air both as a play-by-play voice and a color commentator for the Jackals.
“One of the cool aspects of the internship is the ability to move around and help out in different areas. I am never doing the same thing on consecutive nights, and when I’m not shuffling around the press box, I can be helping out in other areas at Yogi Berra Stadium. Whether it’s grilling hamburgers or pulling tarp on the field, I have learned so much about the day-to-day operations of a professional baseball team, both in the press box and outside of it.
“While I have always enjoyed playing and watching baseball, this internship has immersed me in the game I love in an entirely new way.
“When the Jackals are on the road, I spend my weekdays as a project employee at the National Basketball Association in Secaucus, New Jersey. Working closely with the accounts receivable team, I have learned a great deal about the business of basketball and how to understand various transactions.
“While the classes at Muhlenberg are great, nothing can replace going out in the world and seeing how these principles are applied in a real environment. The NBA opportunity is allowing me to understand concepts in finance that were once foreign to me and is helping me learn the business side of the sport industry.”
Austin Sherman, wrestling (psychology major) - wrestling training/KidsPeace aide
“This summer I traveled to Stillwater, Oklahoma, to work as a counselor at Oklahoma State’s wrestling camp for two weeks. Out there I got to practice with the OSU roster and RTC (Regional Training Center) athletes, including multiple Division I NCAA All-Americans and national champions.
“Most notably, I got to spend time with OSU’s head wrestling coach, two-time NCAA, two-time Olympic and six-time world champ John Smith.
“I also worked full-time at the residential-living facility KidsPeace in Orefield, Pennsylvania, as a summer unit aide for kids with both cognitive and behavioral struggles.
“My job duties included helping run therapy groups, making sure the unit maintained a safe environment for staff and clients, as well as spending time with the kids to try and help make an impact on their future success. Throughout the summer I built relationships with kids who were dealt a difficult hand in their lives but ultimately wanted to succeed.
“It was an eye-opening experience and gave me a different perspective on what is truly important as I enter my final year of school.”
Alison Stouffer, women’s track & field (environmental science major) - microbial biomass research
“As a student interested in pursuing marine research, it is hard to find opportunities to gain field experience both in my home state of Colorado and at Muhlenberg, two landlocked locations. Fortunately, this summer I had the opportunity to spend 10 weeks on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia, as an REU student.
“The REU (Research Experiences for Undergraduates) program is funded by the National Science Foundation and allows students like me to gain experience in various research fields. The program I am a part of focuses on an overall theme of climate change and sea level rise, which, as an environmental science major, is one of the reasons it appealed to me.
“The research that I worked on this summer looks at microbial biomass and ATP. Current methods of estimating microbial biomass in the ocean are inefficient and inaccurate. The objective of my research is to examine how we might be able to use ATP, the energy currency for all living things, as an indicator of biomass.
“This would be useful in streamlining the current methodology, as well as open the door for more in-depth studies on how climate change might alter microbial communities.
“This research has been really influential in helping me decide what I want to pursue after graduation. While I am still trying to figure out what overarching topic or field I want to explore, I am certain that I want to continue with scientific research.
“I have had so much fun this summer learning about my research and getting a glimpse into the scientific process, and I can’t wait to come back to Berg and share it!”
Sarah Schubert, softball (mathematics major) - GlaxoSmithKline data consulting intern
“This summer I have been interning as a data consultant at GlaxoSmithKline, a leading pharmaceutical company.
“I’ve gotten to work with multiple teams within the Data Strategy and Delivery department, including the Data Planning and Test Management teams. These teams fall under the umbrella of Research and Development IT. This basically means they assist in the development of tools and systems for R&D scientists’ research, which ultimately helps numerous patients worldwide.
“For the first half of the summer, I worked closely with the Data Planning team. I worked to document features and requirements of several software applications that are used within GSK R&D.
“It is a lot more fun than it sounds. I got to collaborate with people stationed all over the world – from Dallas to India, and even Canada and the UK!
“The rest of the summer, I have been working with the Test Management team, where I take the documentation that the Data Planning team writes and test it for accuracy and performance. This is where I’m able to put the mathematical and computer skills I’ve learned at Muhlenberg to good use!
“I’ve met a lot of great people during my time here, and I’ve learned a lot about the process of documenting and testing software. This has been a great way to explore my interest and to challenge myself in this field. I’m looking forward finishing out the rest of the summer here and gaining more real-world experience!”
Gabrielle Neuman, volleyball (finance and accounting double major) - Wells Fargo summer analyst
Last year, Neuman appeared in Summer Check-In for her internship at Wells Fargo. She went back to the Charlotte, North Carolina, office this summer, and she will be going back again after she graduates: At the end of the summer, Wells Fargo offered her a full-time role.
Neuman was featured on muhlenberg.edu in an article titled Leveraging Her Position. In addition to her duties in the leveraged finance department, she made a point to network with other Wells Fargo employees.
“I knew the opportunities I would have after being in this group for two years would be basically endless,” she said.
Ryan Hebert, baseball (computer science major) - VerQu software development intern
“This summer I completed a 10-week internship as a software developer at VerQu, a technology company in Raritan, New Jersey.
“In simple terms, VerQu is a data migration, security and analytical company. Our clients include Credit Suisse, Bank of America, Northwell Health, Bojangles and more. As a software engineer, my tasks included writing programs for a few add-on tools for our product Hive, a security and analytics web-based tool for law firms to safely manage their employees and documents.
“It was very cool building something that will, within the next month or so, be sold to legal corporations across the country.
“On my first day, I was assigned my first project to be coded in the language C#, which I had never touched before. It was a very cool experience learning both how to write the specific language and how to apply the logic I had been learning from class on the fly while writing code that will actually be sold to customers in the near future.
“Aside from the actual coding, I learned a lot about how developing in the business world differs from developing in the classroom. It was expected that my projects be completed quickly, they run efficiently and the code was clean and readable for others to make updates while I am back at school.
“When I was not programming for the release of Hive, I also worked as a systems engineer and assisted in large data migration projects. This aspect of the job required a comfortable knowledge of Database systems, structured query languages (SQL) and remote connection services.
“A lot of times I’d spend weekends and late nights during the week helping out the engineers with our migrations and daily running database reports at 6 a.m. so they were ready when our engineers got into the office. Between this after-hour work and my in-office hours as a developer, I typically worked 45-50 hours a week.
“This job really didn't feel like an internship – there was no getting coffee, filing papers or any busy work. There was a standard that, although young, I was to do the same work as the senior developers around me and I am thankful for that pressure and experience.
“I had a great experience at VerQu and look forward to potentially joining the team again next summer.”
Matthew Athanas-Linden, men’s soccer (economics major) - Save the Children intern
“This summer I had the opportunity to intern at Save the Children US in Washington, D.C., for their New Business Development team. Save the Children is an international non-profit that focuses on the safety, health and education of children in 120 countries worldwide.
“My work at Save the Children focused on analyzing and creating budgets for the various projects that they perform. I had many different projects that I worked on, but the one that I focused on the most on was creating a database to more effectively respond to their donors’ demands. This has been a really interesting project and has led me to improve my ability to excel.
“I am also working on fine-tuning training programs for budgeting, so that each division can create a budget faster and therefore get more proposals and help more impoverished children.
“Another great benefit of this internship is the career development that recruiters at Save the Children provide the interns. Those tips and tricks that they have taught me is something that will benefit me throughout my career.
“This internship has helped shape my career goals and meet people that will help me achieve those goals.”
Carly Shaffer, women’s soccer (biology major) - LVHN research scholar
“This summer I had the opportunity to do research for the Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) working with Dr. Marcelo Gareca, in the division of Infectious Diseases. I worked on a project called, ‘Tuberculosis: A Retrospective Review of Cases Treated in Allentown from 2014-July 2019.’
“Our project’s focus was on tuberculosis (TB), which is an ancient highly contagious bacterial disease caused by the bacterium
M. tuberculosis. When active, the bacteria typically attack the lungs but can attack any part of the body including the brain, spine and kidney.
“The purpose of our study was to review TB disease cases to learn new knowledge that could apply to our Lehigh Valley practitioners to improve early detection of TB. Paper and electronic charts were reviewed and analyzed in six phases for each case including epidemiologic data, presentation, diagnosis, treatment, patient contacts and an estimated cost for TB disease.
“Based on the results, we concluded that TB disease is still active in Allentown, and TB management remains very costly and resource-demanding. The average estimated cost of treatment for TB disease per patient was calculated to be approximately $91,793 based on Health Network Labs (HNL)/Lehigh Valley Physicians Group (LVPG)/Medicare charges.
“We also concluded that TB epidemiology and presentation are changing towards non-U.S. born patients (88% of patients were non-U.S. born). With this data, we would like to improve the early diagnosis and treatment of TB disease and latent TB infection (LTBI) to help reduce the cost of TB management.
“Throughout the program, I had the opportunity to observe infectious disease specialists, involving patients with different infections such as LTBI, HIV/AIDS, STDs, etc. I also observed microbiologists working with TB in a microbiology lab and learned the protocols for different procedures for TB testing.
“Additionally, I observed a neurosurgeon perform a brain tumor removal and I observed an orthopedic surgeon operate on a fractured ankle! Being involved in research with LVHN was an incredible experience!”
Jill Lissner, Jason Richwall, Lindsay Press, cross country/track & field (biology majors) - research on deer mice
“This summer we are research students in the
Biology Department on campus under Dr. Meier. We study the ability of different species and subspecies of deer mice to climb.
“To study this, we have been analyzing their foot pads and other anatomical features that differ between the subspecies. In addition, we have a climbing apparatus where we test, record and analyze the climbing abilities of live mice.
“We are also working to distinguish the subspecies. We trap deer mice in their natural habitat in order to better understand their environments and the differences between the subspecies. Additionally, we have worked to obtain a sample of saliva from the mice specimen prior to dissection and run a gel electrophoresis test using these samples which will reveal what subspecies each specimen belongs to.
“It has been a great experience to work together. It is interesting because we have come together for the summer to work on this project, but on the track team we all are in different events varying from distance to throwing to jumping. Our future plans also vary from medical school to physical therapy school to graduate school.
“We look forward to seeing what we can accomplish next in this lab and we know this hard work and collaboration will help us in both the classroom and on the track.”
Caroline Hogg, women’s basketball (media & communication major) - Madison Square Garden summer associate
Hogg was featured on muhlenberg.edu for her work as a summer student associate at Madison Square Garden.
Hogg learned about the position on The Career Center's Career Road Trip to New York last September. While there she met former Mule baseball captain Dan Asip ’08, and the two stayed in touch.
Hogg is working in the group sales office. Last summer, she was featured in Summer Check-In as a group sales intern for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
“Working in midtown Manhattan has been nothing short of a dream,” she said. “I’m walking under the Empire State Building every day. I would never have had this opportunity without Muhlenberg.”
Libby Juliano, women’s soccer (media & communication and film studies double major) - Main Line Today marketing intern
“My internship for the summer of 2019 was spent at
Main Line Today magazine in their marketing department.
“
Main Line Today is a regional magazine focusing on Philadelphia’s fabled Main Line and western suburbs.
MLT devotes itself to the communities, traditions and lifestyles of the area, providing insight into its people, history, culture and more.
“My role as an intern in the marketing department involved assisting with event planning; maintaining event databases and making external contacts; and writing/editing marketing materials. My favorite part was planning the live events for each month!
“I had the opportunity to help plan for our largest event, called Best of the Main Line, in July. It was an event that brought together winners from the Main Line in all different categories to display what they are known for. This year we had over 1,000 guests and over 90 vendors attend our event. It was the biggest event
Main Line Today has had!
“Being able to work every day on creating an event that is for celebrating the success of others and then watching it all come together at the end of the night was absolutely the most rewarding thing I’ve been a part of.
“Overall, my internship was a very beneficial experience. I’ve learned so much that I look forward to utilizing in my future careers.”
Victor Jacobs, men’s soccer (media & communication major) - travel to China
“This summer has been great so far. I enjoy being back home in The Netherlands and seeing my family and friends. And I just got back from traveling China.
“Together with my family, I was in China for 16 days. We started in Hong Kong and then visited Yangshuo, Xian, Beijing and Shanghai.
“Fall semester sophomore year I took the course Modern China, so it was useful having some knowledge about China’s history before I visited the Chinese landmarks.
“One of many impressive things I saw were the Karst Mountains of Yangshuo. They were probably the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen.
“The Great Wall of China was also spectacular; the part I visited was located on top of a mountain, so the view was great. Hiking the Great Wall was pretty intense because it was steep with a lot of stairs.
“We then traveled to Xian, where we saw the Terracotta army, which the first emperor of China (Qin Shi Huang) created in 210 BCE with the purpose to protect him in his afterlife. The Army held more than 8,000 soldiers.
“Something that surprised me were the amount of Mao Zedong portraits I spotted, especially in small villages. I didn’t expect him to be admired so much. He was important for the rise of the country, but he is also seen as a villain for killing a lot of people, and the launch of the Cultural Revolution was not in everybody’s interest.
“The Chinese infrastructure was simply impressive and superior. Tremendous highways and large railway stations. Traveling 700 miles between Beijing and Shanghai took us only 4 hours with a high-speed train.
“For the rest of the summer, I am going to continue training for the soccer season in Holland. I can’t wait for preseason to start and get after it.”
Kat Hodges, women’s golf (biochemistry major) - research on swear words
“This summer I was fortunate enough to be selected to present my research at
CogSci 2019, an international psychology conference that looks at different psychology research conducted at various institutions.
“My research is a part of Dr. Alexandra Frazer's lab. We conducted a psycholinguistic study on how people prepare swear words compared to non-swear words; i.e, how the swear words ‘fuck, shit, damn, crap and piss’ are prepared compared to non-swear words with the same phonological onset (so the /f/, /sh/, /d/, /p/, /k/ sounds).
“While I am a biochemistry major, I was really drawn to Dr. Frazer’s research because personally, I swear like a sailor and thought her research lab was interesting. I am so excited to work in a lab that is completely different from what I am expected to do as a biochem major. It really has helped me figure out my passion in psychopharmacology, which combines my interests in biochemistry and psychology.
“I went to Montreal, Canada, not only present my research but also to explore different presentations and workshops. I went to a few workshops that talked about how to further expand my knowledge in psychology research, and I also went to different poster sessions and paper presentations to see what other research was being conducted.
“There were so many schools represented at this conference; it was overwhelming to see that Muhlenberg was presenting with University of Oxford and Harvard students. It also was so much fun to present my research to different people at the conference. I really was excited to talk to people about what I am interested in and on top of that, I ran into a few Muhlenberg alums presenting! I felt such a sense of community and was so thrilled that people were just as interested in my research as I was presenting it to them.
“This experience was eye-opening because I got to practice presenting work that I love and on top of that got to network. Unfortunately, Dr. Frazer was not able to come with me to present, so I relied on meeting other people and had to explore a new city by myself. I made a lot of connections at the conference and was able to tour the beautiful city of Montreal after presentations were over with the people I met at the conference!
“Overall I hope to be able to do another conference like this again. This was a ‘f---ing’ good trip and I am so glad I got to ‘f---ing’ share with you!”
Kendall Applegate, volleyball (media & communication major) - Fenway Ambassador
“This summer, I have been working for the Red Sox Organization in their Fan Services Department. My official title is ‘Fenway Ambassador.’
“As a Fenway Ambassador, my time is completely dedicated to serving our loyal fans. I answer calls, provide answers to those asking questions on live-chat, respond to fans’ letters, and thank them for being loyal fans. I also send care packages and fan packs to certain
special fans.
“In addition to my office duties, I also work long hours on game days. As a Fenway Ambassador, I am considered a top resource for fans seeking help and guidance around the ballpark.
"The Fan Services Department has provided me with loads of memorable experiences.
“On numerous occasions, I have had the opportunity to travel with the World Series trophies to various events in the greater Boston area. Being in the presence of these 30-pound priceless trophies, which represent such amazing accomplishments, has been an honor.
“One of the most enjoyable moments so far was overseeing a marriage proposal during the game on the big video board. The event is scripted and typically goes well as long as she says YES!
“Working for the reigning World Champion Boston Red Sox has been an incredible experience. My time in the Fan Services Department has really been invaluable and has taught me a lot in terms of how to manage and deal with people. Problem solving is something that I have been confronted with constantly during my time at Fenway.
“The Fan Services staff works tirelessly to ensure that every fan has a memorable experience at every game and between games and seasons. It is easy to see why the Red Sox have such a dedicated fan base and why fans come back again and again.”
Alex Franchino, Hannah Merlo, Isabel Schwartz, Emily Sigillo, Kayla Klarides, women’s soccer (English, psychology, business administration and biology majors) - study abroad in Italy
“Earlier this summer, we participated in a three-week study abroad program based in Florence, Italy. We were students at Florence University of the Arts and were enrolled in classes like Secret Gardens of Italy, Introduction to Watercolor and Social Psychology.
“With the help of the very accommodating SAI program, we were able to get an authentic Italian experience through organic local wine tastings, pizza-making classes, tours of the city, aperitivo events and many other exciting opportunities that they offered.
“We spent many wonderful days in Florence, taking in the magnificent scenery, exploring landmarks like Il Ponte Vecchio, La Galleria degli Uffizi, Il Duomo di Firenze, Il Palazzo Pitti and various other sites around the city. We ate delicious food like gnocchi, pear ravioli, florentine steak, margherita pizza and mouth-watering gelato from our favorite place: Eduardo’s.
“As much as we loved Florence, we took advantage of the ability to travel to other locations around the country, taking in as much culture as we could in the short three-week span. We traveled to Venice, Rome, Sorrento, Positano, Capri, Pompeii, San Gimignano and Siena. We really tried to make good use of our short time in Italy and expose ourselves to as much culture, history and art as we possibly could.
“In our respective classes, we each were given a unique learning experience. In Secret Gardens of Italy, Alex, Hannah and Emily learned about the culture of Florence and the many marks left by the Medici family across the city in the form of buildings, gardens and monuments, along with learning about the architecture specific to the Tuscany area.
“In Introduction to Watercolor, Izzy learned to blend colors together to capture her desired images, as well as how to incorporate her surrounding landscapes throughout Florence into her artwork. In Social Psychology, Kayla learned about how people’s thoughts and behaviors are impacted by the environment they are in, and even analyzed Italian cultural behaviors in comparison to American ones.
“We’ve been given this unbelievable opportunity of gaining a cultural experience of this beautiful country, and are so thankful for our ability to have had access to a trip like this. We are blessed to have these memories for the rest of our lives.”
Emilie Benton, women’s basketball (economics major) - New York State Office of Comptroller intern
“This summer I am interning at the New York State Office of the Comptroller.
“The Office of the Comptroller handles the state’s money and has offices in Albany and New York City. I’m in the Albany office and am working in the retirement systems doing actuarial science. This department uses data and lots of math to calculate risk and help the Comptroller make informed decisions regarding many things, including retirement plans.
“During my time here I have learned how to use SQL and create queries that can find and sort through years of data in our systems. I never thought I would be involved in a field that uses coding on a daily basis but I’m so glad that I’m learning it, as it is a very useful tool to have.
“My days consist of working on my project about correction officers and their mortality rates after retirement. I'm then comparing these rates to the mortality rates of police and firefighters. I am looking at different variables that could appear to influence the mortality rate, such as: location, security level and gender of inmates in the facilities.
“On my last day, I will be presenting my findings to the bureau and creating a report for the department to use in the future.
“So far I am really enjoying this experience. The work is interesting and the people here are great! I ❤ New York!”
Andrew Natko, men’s tennis (finance and economics double major) - Prudential recruitment and marketing intern
“This summer, I am interning at Prudential Financial as a recruitment and marketing intern at the East Brunswick, New Jersey, office. Prudential is one of the top insurance companies in the world and was recognized as the No. 1 company in the Life and Health Insurance category for the fourth consecutive year by Fortune Magazine.
“When I arrived at the office on my first day, I was immediately immersed in the office’s activities. I could tell that I was going to learn a great deal in this summer position. I was expecting to focus primarily on recruiting inexperienced and experienced advisors but, as the internship evolved, I took on greater responsibilities.
“One of my most significant projects this summer was to create folders for each advisor that would help them expand their target markets by putting together a calendar of networking events and a detailed listing of professional associations and organizations throughout New Jersey for them to join - depending on their interests, helping them evolve and grow their practices. In addition, I used online databases to find small business owners in the local geographic to create a ‘leads’ list to distribute among the advisors in East Brunswick and Brick, New Jersey.
“Once these folders were completed, my manager distributed them to each advisor and kicked off a WebEx conference call with two other offices included in the project. I was recognized and praised for the work I did on this project; I’m proud to have been able to educate the advisors on how to better their practices.
“Over the course of the internship, Prudential corporate offers a ‘Summer Intern Challenge’ for all interns around the country to participate in. I am a part of the Northeast Team with 11 other interns in positions similar to mine. As the teams formed, I was chosen as the co-leader of the Nor’easters (our team name).
“I work closely with my fellow co-leader in from the Warwick, Rhode Island, office and a highly regarded talent acquisition manager from the Buffalo, New York, office. I am responsible for developing and analyzing the team’s ideas, finding a commonality within them, and creating a business plan and prototype for our final assignment and presentation.
“All in all, my experience at Prudential has been incredibly rewarding and I have met so many amazing people.”
Rebecca Shear, volleyball (neuroscience major) - neuroscience research at Rutgers
“I am very fortunate to be a part of Rutgers’ NeuroSURP (summer undergraduate research program). Under the guidance of Dr. Huaye Zhang, our research is focused on understanding the molecular mechanisms behind synaptic dysfunction.
“I was looking for opportunities to do research in the summer and found a number of programs that facilitate lab work for undergraduates with established researchers in an organized fashion. I applied to NeuroSURP and was one of 12 to be accepted from universities across the country.
“Every day I am in the lab, I am learning about learning. Our research is interesting to me because our growth as human beings is dependent on our ability to change and adapt, which is rooted in our ability to learn. The work we do is applicable to learning disabilities like autism, and being able to contribute to that pool of knowledge is rewarding.
“Being a part of this program has given me insight into the process of developing a name for oneself in the world of science. I now see the vast number of options I have as well as the challenges and benefits that come along with each option. I am more set on going to graduate school to earn my PhD in neuroscience knowing that there are so many ways in which I can apply my degree.
“I am very thankful to work with a principal investigator and graduate students that truly care about my growth as a scientist. The program’s directors and the collaboration and friendship of the other students in the program have made my experience worthwhile.”
Marlee Siegel, field hockey (biology and Spanish double major) - Planned Parenthood intern
“This summer, through Muhlenberg’s
community internship program, I am interning with Planned Parenthood Keystone, a non-profit organization based around providing access to healthcare and health education for everyone. I actually have two positions, one as the Health Center Advocacy Program intern as well as the development intern.
“The majority of my time is spent as the Health Center Advocacy Program intern, where I speak to patients at the Allentown health center. My goal is to educate patients about current social issues as well as gain supporters in the process. Based on collected data, we have found that Planned Parenthood is largely supported by donors and not patients, so our supporter base could grow exponentially by gaining these patient supporters.
“In light of defunding and threats to Planned Parenthood’s services, it is super important that we have a strong supporter base so that we can stand together and fight these attacks against accessible healthcare.
“As the development intern, I have been working on a new social media campaign called ‘Did you know?’, which explores sexual health and education. After speaking to patients and even my own peers, I have found that there are so many misconceptions when it comes to health, especially regarding these controversial topics.
“As a biology and Spanish double major with plans to pursue a career in healthcare, this opportunity has combined my interests by allowing me to work in a clinical setting and speak directly with patients (many of whom are native Spanish speakers) as well as research topics regarding sexual health and creatively inform the public via multiple social media platforms.
“My time at Planned Parenthood Keystone has really opened my eyes to the reality of healthcare. I have heard stories from people that come from all walks of life and simply want and need affordable, accessible healthcare. In the future, I hope to continue to fight for healthcare rights!”
Michael Rainone, men’s track & field (public health major) - NYU Winthrop Hospital intern
“I’m interning with NYU Winthrop Hospital in Mineola, New York. NYU Winthrop Hospital, an affiliate of NYU Langone Health, provides inpatient and outpatient pediatric, adult and geriatric medical care through an extensive network of Long Island healthcare facilities.
“I work under the Department of Surgical Services and the Department of Medical Staff Services. The Department of Surgical Services aspires to soundly and efficiently operate TCV, urology, ophthalmology and ENT services. The Department of Medical Staff Services is responsible for credentialing physicians and other healthcare professionals (often referred to as privileges), resolving issues and complaints, ensuring healthcare providers adhere to quality regulations and policies and maintaining credentials.
“As a public health major, it is certainly rewarding to get a look ‘behind the scenes’ and delve into the other half of hospital functions, namely management and interpersonal communication.
“Each day is a different adventure, whether it is listening in on conference calls, learning about new software such as Alpha, Cactus or EPIC, or even speaking to clients over the phone.
“It has truly provided a fresh, fascinating perspective to the immersive field of public health.”
Zach Cimring, men’s soccer (media & communication and film studies double major) - triathlons
“This summer has been crazy so far. I’m working like crazy and training hard. During the week, I have an internship at the New York City Law Department, where I assist attorneys, and on the weekends I work as a bartender. I love both jobs.
“On top of all of this, I’m continuing to train for soccer as well as my hobby as a triathlete. Training for triathlons helps me get fit and lean for soccer, and the cross training with swimming and biking helps build my lung and mental capacity and prevent injuries. I plan on coming into preseason the fittest I’ve ever been.
“On Sunday, July 21, I raced in my first triathlon of the summer, the New Jersey State Triathlon. It was the same event I did last year, which made me more comfortable about everything. The heat was brutal but the fun and passion were the same.
“The lake water was 88 degrees, absolutely crazy. After the swim was the bike, which was very flat. The run was shortened due to the heat, which was a little disappointing but made sense. I came in 18
th in my age group. It was an amazing event.
“For the rest of the summer, now that the LSAT is over, I’m praying for results, continuing my work, training for soccer and will be racing in the Atlantic City Triathlon in early August. I’m looking forward to it and to coming into preseason ready to make the conference tournament.”
Maggie Enestvedt, volleyball (neuroscience major) - DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship intern
Enestvedt (second from right) with other interns
“This summer, I have the opportunity to intern at Penn State with DiscipleMakers, a Christian campus ministry that is on 16 campuses across Pennsylvania. I first heard about DiscipleMakers as a sophomore at Muhlenberg when I got involved with DCF on campus.
“DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship (or DCF) is a group that is primarily focused on giving students a safe space to come, ask big questions and learn about Jesus. My internship this summer is helping me to grow in my knowledge of the Bible and how to share it with other people.
“I am one of 15 interns working on Penn State’s campus engaging and welcoming new students. There are about 6,000 students on campus this summer, which is significantly bigger than Muhlenberg. It has been exciting to experience the “big campus” culture, understand how that affects the student body, and even how that changes what Christian ministry looks like on the day to day.
“Each week I study the book of John with first-year students, spend time with them outside of that Bible study and help organize a weekly meeting for anyone who wants to know about who Jesus is. Our goal is that anyone from any religious tradition or background could come and experience what Christianity is all about as we study the Bible and look at the person of Jesus.
“In my free time, I’ve been exploring State College, trying to learn how to cook, playing beach volleyball and spending as much time as possible outside. At Muhlenberg, I have really been encouraged and grown so much through the relationships I’ve built within DCF. I’m so excited to be able to come back in the fall and continue to grow this community at Muhlenberg!”
Meghan Allen, women’s soccer (neuroscience major) - certified nurse assistant/harm reduction study
“This summer I am working as a certified nurse assistant in a nursing home. A CNA provides basic patient care and assists residents with their daily activities that may have become too difficult for them.
“I have learned a lot about taking care of the elderly and about patient care in general. Everyone wants to be independent and to be able to care for themselves, but that is not always possible.
“As a CNA, I am learning to balance my role of assisting as well as promoting independence. As a neuroscience major, I learn a lot about neurodegenerative disorders, some of which are very common in long-term care facilities. A CNA position allows me to be hands-on with patients with these disorders and also helps me learn specific care techniques.
“Other than being a CNA, I am working on a project about harm reduction with psychology professor Dr. Rudski. Harm reduction is a broad term that encompasses a range of strategies to improve the health and functioning of problem drinkers and drug takers.
“Examples of harm reduction include needle exchange programs, drug testing kits and many other strategies. This study has a range of factors tested to see what causes people to support or oppose harm reduction.
“One of the factors being tested is the model of addiction. We predict that when addiction is presented as a disease, people would not support harm reduction because of the ‘incurable’ nature of the condition that harm reduction would just enable. This would be contrasted when addiction is presented as a condition that is not lifelong. When the possibility of the individual beating their addiction is presented then individuals might think it is more worth it to help them overcome it.
“I have really enjoyed the opportunities I have had this summer, but I cannot wait to be back on campus in August!”
Scott Fayan, men’s lacrosse (physics major) - DNV GL energy engineer intern
“This summer I am doing an internship with DNV GL, a Norwegian-based company that provides risk management and quality assurance to the energy industry.
“Globally, they work across all sectors of energy, like renewables, maritime, oil and gas, and power generation. Locally, in Chalfont, Pennsylvania, DNV works with PECO as part of the PECO Smart Ideas program to provide incentives to businesses that retrofit their lighting, HVAC and refrigeration products to be more energy efficient.
“As an energy engineer intern, I have worked with over 100 PECO commercial and industrial clients to verify and help save around 7 GWh of energy throughout the Philadelphia area.
“I’ve had an incredible experience so far. I wouldn’t have thought I could enjoy work with so many spreadsheets and an hour-plus commute like I do. I’ve been more than impressed with how the people here work as a team. The constant communication and effort to improve feels like the communication in a good defense on the lacrosse field.
“Sitting in on meetings with DNV GL programs around the country, I’ve gotten to see how much work goes into saving energy and searching for more methods and opportunities to save.”
Jessica Sommer, women’s tennis (biology major) - neuroscience research on bumblebees
“For the past year and this summer, I have had the pleasure of working in the
neuroscience lab of Dr. Jordanna Sprayberry. In our lab, we explore the foraging behaviors of native bumblebees in order to gain a greater understanding of what they need to succeed in an age where the threat of extinction of these essential pollinators is a reality.
“Bumblebees' importance, in my opinion, is often marginalized in mainstream culture. They may be the size of a bottle cap, but bumblebees are responsible for the pollination of many of the foods we buy on a daily basis and are able to pollinate many plant species that honeybees are unable to. But that’s enough of my ranting, let me tell you a little about our research.
“Within our lab we have as many as two colonies with between 50-200 bumblebees in each at a time. If you’re wondering what happens when a bee escapes, we actually use butterfly nets to catch the escapees. I can definitely confirm that this is an acquired skill that I’ve gotten pretty good at.
“Working in this lab has allowed me to develop a deep appreciation for the intricate behaviors that even the smallest creatures exhibit. Our lab is currently working on various projects, but all of them explore the different stages and behaviors of foraging - meaning the search and acquisition of resources for the colony.
“Many of the experiments we conduct look at perception and the resulting behavior associated with exposure to different sensory signals; for example, the shape and color of flowers as well as the odor flowers often release to attract pollinating insects. My specific project looks at the integration of visual and olfactory cues while foraging at multiple spatial scales. Simply put, I explore the interaction between the two senses throughout different stages of the foraging process.
“At a small scale, as would be equivalent to a bee feeding within a flower patch, I test various odor and visual combinations to determine if there is a dependence on one sense over the other. For a larger scale, I replicate travel from colony to patch via a wind tunnel. The bumblebees are placed on one side of the tunnel and observed to see if they can successfully find the flower on the other side. The 3D-printed flowers used vary in size, odor and color depending on the experimental procedure.
“Through this project I have been able to explore my own scientific curiosity while attempting to answer questions relevant to conservation efforts. I have also had the opportunity to be mentored by previous lab members, and now be the mentor myself as I train a new lab member onto my project. My goal is to be able to see this project to fruition by the time I graduate.”
Jordan Cimring, men’s soccer (economics and finance double major) - 25K trail run
“On top of an operations internship at Barclays, I spent my summer training for a 25K (15.5miles) trail run in Western Massachusetts.
“After long days at work, I would often take an energy gu and go for long runs at night. My training consisted of a mix of short fast runs, long runs and long tempo runs both on paved and unpaved surfaces. The course was a highly technical trail, meaning there were more roots, trees and branches than usual. The more technical the trail, the harder it is to go fast.
“Despite being exhausted after work each night, I had one goal in mind and that was to cross the finish line. After completing
two half marathons in Spain, this was going to be my first trail run and longest run in terms of distance.
“The morning of race day was absolutely gorgeous. When I arrived at the State forest, fans were cheering, I had my music playing and the atmosphere was very lively. It was nothing like I’ve seen before as we were surrounded by trees, lakes and trails. It felt like I was in the middle of a mountain and I could get lost at any minute.
“An initial mile climb was a challenging way to start the race. There were many hills; however, after completing my first loop I was able to maintain a third-place position. Running through mud from the previous night's rain, I almost rolled my ankles about four times. Unable to feel my body, especially my thighs from all the uphill climbs, I just kept pushing my limits by telling my body one more step and then one more step and so on.
“It was incredible to cross that finish line and hear them say that I was the third overall finisher. It was one of the hardest and most physically demanding moments of my life, yet I proved that my body was capable of pushing its limits. It is always rewarding to do something like this because it makes you appreciate your body and the pain it can go through.
“In the future I plan to run a full marathon, although trail runners say once you start trail running you never go back to road running. Now with a focus on soccer season, my training routine will change to more sprint type runs - more specific to soccer.”
Elise Enslin, Sydney Carey and Ariana Feliziani, softball (biology, psychology and public health majors) - sustainability trip to Costa Rica
“This summer the three of us traveled to Las Juntas, Costa Rica, for two weeks to conduct research in different aspects of
sustainability studies. We studied various topics in public health, recycling, climate change, transportation and eco-tourism. Our background research was prepared during the spring semester to establish what the main focuses of our topics would be, and the the rest was carried out over our two-week stay.
“While in Costa Rica, most of the research was conducted through observation as well as interviews with people of the local area. We interacted with gym owners, teachers, doctors, kids and the head of recycling to really gain the perspective of living sustainably in the small town of Las Juntas. This also allowed us the opportunity to really explore and immerse ourselves into a different culture while gaining a unique real-life experience as well.
“We were also able to partake in various community service projects while in Costa Rica. As a large group, we helped plant numerous trees on a farm to support a man who had lost his leg to cancer. Through our efforts, he is able to receive carbon credit and help support his family and a possible prosthetic.
“We also split into groups for the other part of our community service, where we had a blast sorting in a recycling location, teaching English in a local school, restoring a monument and picking up trash around the Abangares River (which we may have accidentally fallen into once or twice).
“Overall, it was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and we all learned so much from it. Even though it was a quick two weeks, we were able to create relationships, make memories and most importantly learn through real-life application. We are extremely grateful for the opportunity.”
Max Krinsky, baseball (economics major) - First Access Entertainment management intern
“This summer I am interning with the management team at First Access Entertainment. To give you an overview of FAE, we have offices in NYC, LA and London. I am working out of the NYC office. Across all of these offices, management and marketing teams work to develop, grow and guide acts such as Rita Ora, Bebe Rexha, Madison Beer, Young Thug and Lion Babe.
“On the management team, my daily work changes hour to hour. I work closely with an A&R manager and A&R VP. The first two weeks I spent working on producing a few shows in California by Lion Babe, an R&B duo. So I spent time arranging and organizing various things like food, equipment, music and people.
“Some of my larger projects are spreading the music of some of our smaller artists. So I research music blogs, channels and influencers that I think will like the music of the artist and then reach out to them. Another one of my other projects is creating a community/platform for rap duo closegood’s fan base. Right now we are assembling a focus group that will test the platform first and developing content (unreleased songs, videos and art) to post within the group.
“In addition, as part of the A&R team, I spend some of my time researching musical talent that is smaller and unsigned that may be looking for management, whether it be on Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud or a random music blog. What I am looking for is someone that is unique, has a story and knows how to deliver it. It’s one of those things where once I hear it I know it’s good enough to show. I then present some of my favorite songs to the VP I work with.
“So far my time at FAE has been a lot of fun and very eye-opening. FAE threw me right into marketing and promotion campaigns, and it’s been really interesting to see the different ideas that are thrown around to grow a small act's audience and sound. There are so many different artists and styles out there that to get yours to stand out is the hardest part of managing an act.
“To be able to be a part of the process of an artist bring their vision of their music to life has truly been inspiring and incredible to watch. Overall, my time at FAE has been full of lessons, memories and hard busy days, but I have been loving every minute.”
Chloe Buergenthal, field hockey (studio art and sociology double major) - African Refugee Development Center intern in Tel Aviv
Buergenthal was featured in the Baltimore Jewish Times for her participation in Onward Israel, a national program of the Jewish Agency for Israel (JAFI) that provides young people internship experiences in Israel.
Buergenthal's internship is at the African Refugee Development Center (ARDC) in south Tel Aviv. The ARDC helps African refugees and asylum seekers in Israel through advocacy, awareness and educational opportunities. She currently works as a higher education case worker and has 82 clients. As a case worker, she is responsible for helping find and enroll African refugees in a wide variety of programs, from guitar lessons to Hebrew classes.
On her second trip to Israel (her first was in 2014), Buegenthal wanted to challenge herself, step outside her comfort zone and take risks.
“I decided that the program would be able to provide enough structure to help guide me but also give me enough room to truly design my own summer,” she said. “I was also fortunate enough to know several graduates of the Onward program who encouraged me to apply."
And she says Onward Israel has had a huge impact on her and is helping to transform her world view.
“Through my internship and the diverse area that I live in, I have learned as a global citizen that we as a global community of Jewish people have a responsibility to give other minorities and discriminated groups the respect and help that our people have been denied throughout history,” she told the Baltimore Jewish Times. “The geopolitics often seems to cloud judgment concerning Israeli issues, but the reality is that we are all people despite our religions, location and history ... no people should be valued over another.”
Madison Forrest, volleyball (public health major) - Children’s Hospital Los Angeles intern
“This summer, I'm interning at Children's Hospital Los Angeles in their Trauma Department as a Pediatric Injury Prevention Scholar (PIPS) intern.
"The number one cause of death for children ages 1-14 is unintended injuries - these include car and pedestrian crashes, accidental drownings and falls. My team works to educate the community on how to prevent these injuries and keep children safe.
“I'm a certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) and participate in car seat check events across the greater Los Angeles area. Three out of four car seats are installed improperly, so I inspect the car seat and show the parent/caregiver how it should be installed. If they come to one of our events with an expired or damaged car seat or no car seat at all, we provide a new one at no cost.
“My personal project for the summer is sports safety, which is obviously near and dear to my heart as an athlete. I have developed a curriculum to teach elementary school-aged children how to protect their bodies when they participate in sports - by getting a good warmup and cooldown in and by wearing the proper equipment. And I will be attending a tournament at the Anaheim Sports Center, which is the largest wooden court facility in the United States and the home training facility of Team USA Volleyball. There, I'm going to be running a booth that educates middle/high school-aged kids, their parents and coaches on the dangers of sports-related concussions - how to recognize concussions in themselves or someone else, and how to report them.
“The entire premise of public health is prevention; and in children, that focus needs to be on injury prevention. That takes the shape of many different forms of education and the Injury Prevention team at CHLA works to tackle as many aspects of that as possible. The department doesn't treat us like typical interns - I'm getting out in the community, leading classes and learning how to do community outreach - which I will use in any career I have with my public health major.”
