Featured Internship: CLIMB in Denver–with tips from a Midd Kid who did it!

February 22, 2010

Last summer Jeff Garofano '10.5 interned through the CLIMB Program (Colorado Leaders, Interns and Mentors in Business) in Denver, Colorado at the Center for Work Education and Employment. This non-profit focuses on job-finding and job-training skills. He recently sat down for an interview at the CSO to share his experience.

CSO: Denver, Colorado is not the first place Middlebury students think to go for summer internships. What brought you there?

Jeff: No, it isn't, but the founders of CLIMB were residents of Denver who wanted to expose students form Middlebury and a handful of other schools to the benefits of this lesser-known city. It's a beautiful city with a view of the Rockies on all sides, and we lived right in downtown Denver where we could walk to shops, restaurants and even Coors Field. We were lucky enough to take trips up to the mountains and enjoy the outdoors as well.

CSO: You mentioned that you lived downtown; what sort of accommodations were there and who were you living with?

Jeff: My favorite aspect of the program was that I got to live with the other program participants, many of whom I am still friends with. There were about 20 of us-all very interesting people-and each of us worked at a different organization in Denver. This made the experience far more enjoyable for me than if I had just been living alone in an apartment in New York or Washington D.C. In addition, the accommodations were amazing-like Atwater Suites but nicer and with singles!

CSO: Of course, the main reason you were there was to do an internship. Where did you intern and what were you doing?

Jeff: My internship was with the Center for Work Education and Employment. It's a non-profit that focuses on job-training skills. They help people learn business skills, study for GED's, and learn other skills necessary to enter the workforce. I basically helped out with whatever they needed done, from talking to clients to paperwork in the office.

CSO: Besides living together, did you do any activities as a group?

Jeff: Yes, we did lots of things together on the nights and weekends. There were educational activities such as the Wednesday night speaker series where some of the local alums would talk about their businesses and careers. In fact, I managed to get an internship for this coming summer from talking to one of these alums. We also did lots of fun things as well, like going to a baseball game and to the mountains.

CSO: Any advice for Midd Kids who are thinking of applying this year?

Jeff: Do it! It was truly one of the best experiences of my life and the people I met there, both students and alums, were amazing. Since we were all living together, we spent many long nights talking about politics and about life: it was great!

Note: You can find the internships available and apply to them directly through MOJO by searching under the keyword: CLIMB. Also, learn more at the program's Web site: www.climbtherockies.org