Internships build confidence
Girls Inc. serves girls ages 5-18 at more than 1,500 sites in 350 cities across the United States and Canada by focusing on the development of the whole girl, supporting, mentoring, and guiding girls to be strong, smart and bold.
Telle’s internship includes assistance with the Eureka! program, a five-year STEM focused summer program for girls who are going into 8th grade. Telle finds activities for the themed weeks of summer camp, assisting with schedule making, selecting curriculum for the personal development portion of summer camp, and assisting with inventory and supply budgeting.
Jessie Winger, Girls Inc. STEM Coordinator, says “I am so impressed with how much Telle’s enthusiasm shines through in everything. New College interns are so important to us as they provide new perspectives, assistance, and more support for our participants. We are so thankful for the donors who fund these amazing internships and the impact on our organization is bigger than could ever be imagined.”
The integration of career engagement in the New College curriculum is a priority. The goal is for 100% of students to have at least one for-credit internship during their college years.
Telle receives $2,100 for her internship as part of a fund generously created by the Isermann Family Foundation, longtime supporters of New College. Telle is grateful to donors like them who believe in the power of hands-on experience. She says, “I don’t think I would feel this confident going into graduation without the opportunity they gave me. It has given me so much purpose and inspiration as I go into the professional world.”
Telle who hails from Boulder, CO is studying Environmental Studies. Her thesis will examine gender equity in the context of coral reef and coastal degradation and the different variables in management systems, policies and gender transformative approaches. “Gender is such a key component. It’s one of the UN’s sustainable development goals,” she says.
Telle is one busy student. Recently, she became interested in Title IX and higher education law and is doing a second internship in the Title IX office at New College. She hopes to attend law school at some point. “I want to take a year and get more experience, looking at sexual assault and advocacy before I go into the legal aspects of it. I don’t know where I’ll end up but my goal is to work with marginalized communities or advocacy.”
Telle is so appreciative of New College’s flexibility with learning styles. “New College has allowed me to know that it’s ok to think differently and it has built my confidence. Also, the personalized relationships I have with my advisor, professors and faculty, has let me think outside of the box.”