>> Calendar of Events >> Academic Calendar >> Media Inquiries >> Faculty Experts >> Barnard Facts >> News Archive >> Barnard Bulletin >> WBAR: Barnard College Radio >> Columbia Spectator >> Columbia Record

Students funded by Alumnae & Donor Sponsored Internship Grant Program share their internship experiences with college 09.17.09 Striving to get a taste of a possible career, many Barnard students are spending their summers not sunbathing or babysitting, but interning. Most internships offer experience in a competitive industry in exchange for free labor, so the College helps make the opportunities of an unpaid internship possible for students who seek them. The Barnard College Alumnae & Donor Sponsored Internship Grant Program provides funding to students who participate in unpaid internships. On September 11, 2009, the students who received funding over the summer gathered in LeFrak Gymnasium to present posters detailing their work at host organizations and how this work connects to their career interests and future plans. Click image to view photos full size and read captions Will Simpkins, the Community & Diversity Initiatives Program director in the Office of Career Development, expressed his satisfaction with the event, "While Barnard has been fortunate for many years to be able to offer students funding in support of unpaid internships, Career Development has been creating new initiatives so that our funded interns can give back to the College community. The internship program poster reception was one of those mechanisms where previously funded interns are given a forum to share their insights into the intern experience with other students. Over 150 people--mostly students--attended Friday's reception to view the posters from more than 50 summer interns." Student interns assisted in medical research, worked at a fashion house, and learned the ropes at a nonprofit group. Many would probably not have been able to complete their internships without the support of Barnard supporters, some of whom attended the reception. "We were thrilled that donors such as Jan Vinokour '72, Carol Krongold Silberstein '69, and the Tow family were able to join us to celebrate the indelible impact of their named internship grant funds on Barnard students," enthused Simpkins. "And we look forward to including more of our donors, students, and the students' supervisors in future events." Are you planning on interning this Fall? Internship Grants are still available for this semester – apply by September 22, 2009 Share your Barnard story ideas. Contact webeditor[at]barnard.edu