Grinnellink Summer Internships

Grinnellink interns get more than a glimpse into post-Grinnell life. They experience careers that they aspire to, see how their coursework is applied outside a college setting, and realize how capable they are in the working world.

Jordan Schellinger ’15 spent her summer at the Kaibab National Forest in Arizona with Neil Weintraub ’86, surveying and recording archaeological sites. She says the responsibilities she was given made her feel that she’s “really contributing to the organization and not just learning about what it means to be a part of such an organization.”

At the Denver Museum of Nature and Science with Steve Nash ’86,

Collin Davis-Johnson ’15 split his time between managing anthropological and archaeological collections and more independent work. “For the July Science Lounge at the Museum, I developed a presentation of select musical instruments in our collections from around the world to show to the public and gathered recordings of each instrument in order to provide the public with a holistic musical experience,” Davis-Johnson says.

On her first day, Paige Wheeler ’16 was asked to write a petition for favorable prosecutorial discretion at her internship at the Law Office of Jillian N. Kong-Sivert ’91 in Phoenix. She was given a description and an example and left to her own devices. “I learned an immense amount both about writing petitions and about how I approach unfamiliar tasks in general,” Wheeler says.

Some students are realizing how widely applicable their majors are. “This internship is providing me with some perspective on exactly how versatile an anthropology major can be outside of academia and is giving me the reassurance that I still have plenty of time to figure out exactly what it is that I want to do when I ‘grow up,’” Davis-Johnson says.

Others are realizing that even though their career goals and subjects of study don’t seem to intersect, their Grinnell experience is no less valuable. “I have spent most of my time at Grinnell in the humanities: taking philosophy, English, language, etc. However, my career interests are all in social work, so this internship has pushed me to make what I have learned and studied at Grinnell relevant to a field I haven’t undertaken in the classroom,” says Fatima Cervantes ’15, Grinnellink intern at the Center for Law and Social Policy, Washington, D.C., with Jodie Levin-Epstein ’72.

Taking part in an internship is one of the most accurate ways for students to experience the postgraduate world before it becomes their permanent home. Grinnellink internships — fully funded, highly selective internships made possible through the support of alumni and friends of the College — offer Grinnellians the chance to try life after college on for size.