Summer Internship Snapshot
This summer Middlebury’s Center for Careers and Internships allocated nearly $1 million in summer internship support, enabling hundreds of students to participate in experiential learning opportunities in Vermont and around the globe. We checked in with a few of them to see what they were working on.
What in the world were you doing this summer?
What in the world were you doing this summer?
diiVe, Capetown, South Africa
Ha Doan ’26 (center) landed an internship with the global learning and consulting organization diiVe, of which Middlebury is a partner. Her seven-week program included a monthlong internship in South Africa, where she worked with a team on addressing the pressing issue of gender-based violence within a university context.
“Working collaboratively in teams with various businesses allowed me to understand the dynamics of effective teamwork and problem solving. Being immersed in a different culture and interacting with the local people provided me with invaluable insights and a deeper appreciation for cultural diversity.”
Above: Ha Doan and her fellow interns (and mentor, far left) at their coworking space in Capetown, South Africa.
Anna Notaro ’24, a joint environmental studies and anthropology major, interned with the Kibale Chimpanzee Project (KCP) this summer.
“A typical workday for me included waking up at dawn to start following chimps from the moment they woke up to the moment they went to sleep; during that time the chimps could be eating, grooming, sleeping, or socializing with the other chimps. When I was not in the field, I had the opportunity to meet many other students, researchers, and locals at the field site, making very special friends as well as important networking connections. One of my favorite moments outside of work was playing in a soccer game involving all of the staff at KCP—the entire community even came to watch and cheer us on!
“The summer’s internship gave me firsthand experience doing field work as a research assistant for a Middlebury alum, who is on track to get their PhD at the University of New Mexico.”
Prashanth Babu ’26 completed a marketing and communications internship with Opportunities Credit Union, Vermont’s only regulated financial institution dedicated to serving the emerging markets of low-wealth individuals.
“During my internship I worked with my team to conduct an in-depth analysis of Google analytics data of the credit union’s website to formulate a marketing strategy. We also redesigned their landing page and created a comprehensive list of depositor databases. This internship was a very challenging yet fun experience, and I learned a lot.”
Oakley Martin ’25, who is majoring in neuroscience with a minor in computer science, pursued an internship with the Bellevue Hospital Emergency Department through a New York University program aimed at identifying the delivery of early intervention and treatment services to patients who screen positive for substance use, as well as those who are at risk of developing a substance use disorder.
“As a research associate, my primary focus was screening patients for alcohol and drug use. When I identified an individual endorsing risky substance use, I distributed safety tools, referred them to my research coordinators for enrollment in the clinical study, and connected them to a team of addiction specialists for treatment resources. I found my work to be incredibly meaningful, both in the connections I got to make with patients and in all that I learned from my team. Also, I couldn’t be more grateful for having worked alongside my wonderfully fun and insightful coworkers!”
Above: Oakley Martin, left, and fellow interns, show some of the harm reduction and safety tools they share with patients.
Changchang Ma ’26, a joint major in environmental studies and anthropology, worked this summer in the Water Management Office of Lucheng District, Wenzhou, in China’s Zhejiang province.
“What I learned through my internship complemented my views on river water quality treatment in China—both coinciding with and challenging my academic knowledge in anthropology and environmental studies. Overall, I was able to learn about the technologies and administrative process for urban river treatment—and the current situations of multiple rivers in my district—in addition to Chinese office etiquette and the difficulties the office itself faces with funding constraints and labor shortages. (Also, knowing all the names of the important rivers in my district is a really great skill to have!)”
Charley Moore ’23.5, a history major, completed an internship with Mutiny Radio, a collective-run nonprofit in San Francisco’s Mission District.
“This summer I organized and promoted the Mutiny Radio Comedy Festival, running open mics, performing comedy, and helping to produce comedy shows. I learned organizational and leadership skills through managing the desires of all involved parties in each show and putting on events that cater to differing tastes.”
Angie Como Mosconi ’25, a biology major, interned at the Santa Fe Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic and also had the opportunity to shadow a physician at Holy Cross Hospital in Taos, New Mexico.
“During my internship, I shadowed physicians and nurses and learned about the skills they practice daily. Some of the most notable experiences included observing a surgery at Holy Cross Hospital, learning to do telehealth eye exams at the VA clinic, and calling patients to remind them of their appointments. Additionally, I learned to read electrocardiograms (EKGs), administer foot exams for diabetic patients, and take vitals, including blood pressures, EKGs, and running O2 stats. The most meaningful part of this experience certainly was the patients I got to interact with, learning their stories and how their time in the military led to their health now.”
Above: Angie Como Mosconi at the VA clinic with one of her patients, who served as a nurse during the Vietnam War.