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A Word from EPA's Executive Director |
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As I write this comment for the latest edition of our newsletter, the media are full of the problems facing the World’s financial markets and what this means for the economy of every country.
It is only natural that the thoughts of students and their families should dwell on the effect all of this might have on career patterns in the future. All I can say is that the solid, professional experience on the résumé of a student, gained by undertaking an overseas internship, is one of the best safeguards against any problems that might arise in this respect. Time after time we have been told by past participants in our programs that when they went for that crucial job interview or application for graduate school, the main topic at the interview was the EPA internship. This is understandable because so few students have undertaken such an experience that it gives the interviewers something different to discuss with applicants, and it can reveal so much about how well a student can integrate with an existing team of people, work under pressure and deal with a strange environment. Even if you do not follow the exact path that the internship indicated, the time spent on it is never wasted, and looking back you will see what a part it played in your development and how it helped to reshape your outlook on life. I do hope that what you read in the pages of this newsletter will help you decide to ‘go for it,’ and we really look forward to seeing you on one of the future programs. Terence Foster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Internship Continues to Influence 1 Year Later
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It has been nearly a year since I returned from Edinburgh, Scotland. Arriving back in the United States was a quick wake-up call to reality. The 3 months I spent in Scotland is an experience I will never forget.
Coming back to the States, I found a great appreciation for different cultures. I wanted to learn more about Scottish presence within the U.S. The summer after returning from the trip, my University hosted the Scottish Highland games. It felt the closest to being back in Edinburgh that I had felt in a while. I find myself missing the small things in the city that I loved so much: Iron-Bru, the Scotts Monument, Edinburgh Castle, etc. All the every day things that one might take for granted. I always do a double-take when I see St. Andrew’s Cross on a bumper sticker or poster. Scotland has become a place that I can identify and feel a connection. The most difficult question one asks after the experience is: what do I do now? I was fortunate enough to be able to intern in the Scottish Parliament with the Deputy Minister of Enterprise and Lifelong Learning, Allan Wilson. This internship provided experience in politics, business and research techniques that have been very helpful back in the States. I am now half way through my senior year at Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Next year I will pursue a job in social policy on a State level. This spring I was given the opportunity to participate in an internship at the Greenville Chamber of Commerce in the Communications and Public Policy divisions. It was very easy to apply the same work disciplines and skills that I learned in Edinburgh to my University life. EPA provides the kind of experience that would be very difficult to find any other place: the full package of a Study Abroad learning and life experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. Lindsay May, Furman University, Edinburgh 2005 |
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Madrid Leaves Lasting Impression |
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I’ve wanted to study abroad since I was about 10, and this was the most amazing fulfillment of that goal!
I spent my semester in Madrid, translating internal documents such as the company magazine and various marketing survey responses, among other things, for a company called Research International. I had never really considered being a translator in my future, but this internship has totally opened up that possibility for me. The people I worked with were young and excited about their roles in the company and being able to practice the English they knew with me. It was therefore exciting for me to go to work every day. I never knew what would be in store for me. I was never bored and always looked forward to the opportunity to learn new vocabulary. My supervisor had an amazing command of both the English and Spanish languages and the corrections she made to my work were enlightening. - I was able to see how phrases were really structured, not how you are taught to structure them in a grammar class. I liked that I was able to learn the everyday usage of what I had spent 8 years studying. 
Although the internship was a large part of what made my experience so enjoyable, nothing in the US can compare to the opportunity I had at the university we attended to take an art class held in the Prado Museum. I lived with a family and was able to do a lot of weekend/day trips around Spain. The country and the experiences I had there have made a huge impression on me and I would love to be able to return after graduation!
Susan Barnish University of Rochester, Madrid 2006. |
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Internship Influences Career Choice
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I found my experience in the Internships in Europe program in London to be extremely beneficial as it helped shape what kind of career I want to pursue after college. I first chose the program because I not only wanted an internship abroad which is difficult to come by, but also because EPA offered internships in the museum field which appealed to me as an art history major.
While at first I was a bit nervous because I didn't receive my internship placement until I reached the UK, in the end I was extremely satisfied with my placement at the National Portrait Gallery. I worked in the publications department where I mainly did research for upcoming books and exhibits. I also conducted market research at bookstores and constructed historical timelines, artist and sitter biographies, spreadsheets, image files, and object labels. All the various people I worked with were always helpful and provided a comfortable and productive environment to work in. I would say my internship certainly helped in determining what I want to do for my career. I had such a successful experience at the National Portrait Gallery that I'm seeking jobs that are similar to the tasks I did while in my internship, avenues that I hadn't considered prior to last summer. While my first choice is still to work in a museum upon graduating, I also gained an interest in publishing and what role it has to play in a museum and in the art world in general. Beyond museums I am now looking at art publications as well. The internship at the National Portrait Gallery definitely showed me other career opportunities I wouldn't have been exposed to if I hadn't done the program, and I'm thankful for that. Living in London, despite being very expensive, was easy to get accustomed to and the flats that EPA arranged for us were comfortable and in great neighborhoods in central London. Since there were always things going on, it was easy to meet up with other students in the program on the weekends or right after work. I really enjoyed living and working in London over the past summer and encourage those who are interested to look into the Internships in Europe program. Alissa Minot, Connecticut College, London 2006 |
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Internship Inspired Choreography
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I interned in Edinburgh, Scotland May 31-June 24, 2005. During my time in Scotland I was given the opportunity to work with persons in Special Needs Dance classes; ranging from ages two to ninety-six and having a variety of physical and mental abilities. Upon returning to the United States I have a greater sense of who I am. In addition, I realized that my ultimate goal of becoming a Dance/Movement Therapist was the correct path for me and in working with the people in Scotland I had no doubt that I would be able to work with persons with mental and physical disabilities in my future career. Along with my new sense of self I discovered my self-confidence.
In the fall of 2005 I choreographed a dance for an Aids benefit which Northern Dance Theatre (at Northern Illinois University) puts on each year. Originally I was choreographing the piece using the people I had worked with in Scotland as inspiration, but my dance piece was missing something. For that reason, I decided to go out into the community of DeKalb and find people for my piece. I recruited four individuals in wheelchairs; all with various levels of mobility, two break dancers, and four girls from my dance department. I entitled the piece Defying Limits because every person I had on stage was demonstrating a unique way of moving; yet all the extremes of movement were present and able to be combined into one choreographed dance piece. It was my proudest choreographic moment and I never would have thought about seeking out and working with persons confined to wheelchairs for my choreography if it had not been for this internship. Upon graduating in May 2006 I was excited to find out that I had been accepted into the graduate program at Columbia College Chicago where for the next two and half years I will be pursuing one of my dreams; to study Dance/Movement Therapy. Alexandria Callahan, Northern Illinois Univeristy, Edinburgh 2005 |
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EU Parliament Internship: Exciting, Rewarding, and Enlightening |
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The four months that I spent in Brussels, Belgium studying and working in the European Parliament were the most exciting, rewarding and enlightening experiences of my life. I interned for Mr. Richard Ashworth, Member of the Parliament for South East England, and was given the opportunity to learn hands on about how the EU functions, how MEPs are able to satisfy their constituents and how an institution of several languages and cultures is able to work together under one political system and succeed.
My responsibilities in the office were to read all the constituent letters and determine whether it was a request, complaint, compliment or question. Then from there I had to do the proper research to construct an answer and then reply to the constituent. I also attended several committee meetings, took notes on them and reported the important information and points back to Mr. Ashworth. I spent a lot of my time researching two important issues that affected the EU and the UK. From my research I constructed a research packet that helped to express and communicate all of the information I had found back to the office. Although I had specific responsibilities that I was to attend to on a daily basis, there was always something new to do depending on what was happening in the Parliament that week. Through EPA I was also given the opportunity to travel to Strasbourg, France where the second European Parliament is. I continued my internship duties on this excursion but was also able to tour the city and see how business as usual in the Parliament picks up so quickly in another country. 
Brussels is an incredible city, when I think about my time there and how unforgettable it was I actually get chills on the back of my neck! The culture, the different languages, the architecture, the people, the restaurants, the beer, the chocolate, the friends I made and left behind, the moments I created, the information I learned and the experiences I went through will be with me forever and I know that EPA gave me the best four months of my life!
Revay Wilson, University of Rochester, London 2006 |
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NYU Classes Now Offered in London |
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EPA is now offering students a broad liberal arts based curriculum at New York University in London.
The program's primary emphasis is to offer academically rigorous courses, and it is structured to utilize the resources of London, its history, and vibrant culture to enhance teaching and learning. Field work and site visits are a regular part of many classes that take students out of the classroom and into the cosmopolitan center of London. A wide array of courses are available in various disciplines, including business, fine arts, theatre, histor, politics, economics, journalism, math, psychology and literature. |
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New Staff Members Dr. David James has accepted the position of Deputy Executive Director. David is a graduate of SUNY and gained his Ph. D. at Harvard in Clinical Psychology and Public Practice. Based now in London, he brings to EPA a wealth of experience gained teaching university courses in the USA and UK, administering graduate programs overseas for American universities, working professionally in the British National Health Service and in US Government depts. In addition he has wide experience in setting up and administering internship programs, and we are delighted to welcome him to EPA. Carolyn Collignon is the new Program Director in Brussels. Carolyn graduated in psychology at Wellesley College and followed this with a Masters in clinical psychology from the Universite Libre de Bruxelles. Carolyn will bring to the position experience gained from both working and interning herself in Brussels. Lisa Frauens joined EPA in 2006 as the US Program Coordinator and acts as a liaison between the students and schools in the US and the Program Directors in Europe. Lisa lived in Heidelberg, Germany from 2000-2003 and studied in France and England as a college student. In addition to this international experience, she also has extensive skills developing and coordinating programs for non-profit organizations. |
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European Internships with EPA: 2007 - 2008 Program Dates
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Internships in Europe – EPA UR/Lattimore 206 PO Box 270375 Rochester NY 14627-0375 Tel: 585 275 8850 Fax: 585 276 2167 usoffice@epa-internships.org http://www.epa-internships.org | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
