Past Internships

Mayagüez

SLIDES-PR

Teddy Parkinson (Middlebury College)

The two most important accomplishments to me from the experience were the skills I developed in the ArcGIS program and the experiences I had working in the field with my team.

During this semester, I worked on an ArcGIS project every week. I had taken a GIS class last semester, but only had experience with QGIS and ArcGIS Pro, similar programs, but with some different details. Throughout the academic semester, I learned how to use ArcGIS (or ArcMap) to generate maps of the geology of the watersheds upstream of each point where we went to collect data in the field. My final project put all the data together with the maps, creating a single document with the important information about each watershed.

Through field work, I learned how to collect hydrological and geological data in isolated areas. At each point, we collected data on water chemistry (pH and alkalinity), discharge and flow velocity, sediment size, Schmidt hammer measurements, and sediment and water samples. In addition to giving me scientific experience, the trips we took were an opportunity to get to know the center of the island. I loved exploring the forest and rivers, particularly with a team of fun and capable colleagues.

But besides that, my internship with SLIDES-PR was my first time working in a scientific team conducting real geology research. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet and work with other geologists and I am proud of the work we accomplished in these last months.

San Juan

El CEPI (Centro para las Experiencias Profesionales e Internacionales), Universidad del Sagrado Corazón

Nick Paneto (Middlebury College)

No more than a two-minute walk from my dormitory, I interned at the center for professional and international experiences of La Universidad del Sagrado Corazon, where I participated in both career and internationalization advising sessions. Although I shadowed this department while it was undergoing unprecedented position transitions, I was able to experience firsthand the magnitude of the entire department as work study and internship positions were allocated to students on a first-come first-serve basis, as well as appropriate study-abroad program advice distributed to those who took initiative on their country of interest. In my case, I participated in the publication and promotion of the international student population to humanize their experiences here in Puerto Rico, through a reflective presentation of their profile and a “day in the life vlog” in their name distributed by the Instagram and Facebook of @Sagradointernacional. In addition, I helped share international content on my private page, contributed to international posters and events, and absorbed the wealth of knowledge provided to complete my daily journals and research related to my accumulated experience at the university.  

Colección de las Artes y Música, Bibiloteca Lázaro UPRRP

Bryan Guevara (Middlebury College)

There have been countless opportunities during my experience here where I have been able to gain valuable skills that I will be able to use when I return to Middlebury and in the real world. I think the main things that I have been able to gain during my time here are more confidence, better communication skills, and better time management. That being said, I think I have gained a lot of confidence overall because I have had to express myself, listen to others, and write in a language that is not what I usually use in my daily academic and professional life. Now that I have the ability to communicate clearly in another language, I think it will only help me to do my best in the future, whether in an academic or professional setting.

Also, for the most part…almost everything I do here is done as part of a larger whole. Whether it’s taking inventory, conserving works, preparing for an exhibition, or just working on the Collection. Everything is done as a group, so communication between members is essential. Through this experience here I have been able to communicate more clearly to myself and my thoughts, which will surely come in handy wherever life takes me.

Time management has been essential during my time here and the skills I have learned will continue to guide me later in life. Time constraints for projects, jobs and exhibitions have led me to be more productive, work more efficiently and let go of distractions. Everything I have learned here at the Collection will surely be useful to me when I leave the island and will continue to empower me throughout my academic and professional life.

El Puente PR: Enlace Latino de Acción Climática (ELAC)

Rwick Sarkar (Williams College) 

The assignments, with their relationship to climate education issues and community engagement, were an important part of my professional formation through the internship. In addition, during the semester, I have learned more about the environment, what I want to work on, and the support systems I would like to have near me. I have also been thinking about the question of, “what is a job good for?” I think for anyone with an interest in using their professional practice to “make a difference” or impact social change, you have to remember that a job doesn’t have to be the place where you make all the change you want in the world. What I am trying to articulate is that one of the most important things about my experience with El Puente was the simple fact of being around other people committed to climate justice. My work with El Puente gave me the opportunity to try to do some of the things and theories that I could only learn/read about in my classes (for example, I’m thinking about the task of designing - and then actually doing - a participatory process for the Labra School). Finally, the research part contributed to my academic training. Although I have done “research projects” for my classes before, I have never had to design the methodology and collect my own data. Or at least, not in such an independent way, and I think this experience gave me the confidence to do this type of research and analysis in the future.