Vol. 6, No. 8, November 7, 2008
 

 
 
 

The CEL E-Newsletter is published each Friday to inform students of events and opportunities available through the Center for Experiential Learning and its four programs: Career Connections, Internships, Civic Engagement, and Entrepreneurship. It is published online at http://www.stolaf.edu/services/cel/ and sent by email to the CEL_Yourself alias.

INTERNSHIPS


Koch Internship Program / Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation
Located in Washington D.C., this program was established to help develop liberty-minded leaders and entrepreneuers.  Interns gain hands-on experience in the non-profit sector in the fields of marketing, communications, policy research, grassroots education, and donor relations.  Internships are available for spring and summer. For more information, visit the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation Web site.

 

Family School Assistant / Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)
Application Deadline, Wednesday, December 31— Interested in early childhood development? Literacy? In Northfield, this literacy based program works with parents and preschool children whose first language is not English.  Three afternoons per week, the primarily Latino and Ukranian families attend parenting classes, early childhood programs and English classes. As an intern, you will assist with the early childhood classroom, working with the teacher and other educational assistants to set up, clean up, and work on shared tasks. Contact Mary Loven for more information.

 

ECFE Early Childhood Assistant / Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE)
Application Deadline, Wednesday, December 31— This spring internship requires a student interested in early childhood development, parent education, literacy, and experiences to enhance cultural competence.  Responsibilities include caring for children from birth to kindergarten age, work as a team with an early childhood teacher, and provide literacy and other educational experiences for children. Questions? Contact Mary Loven.


For further details on internships and careers, visit OleRecruiting.  

CAREER


Data Entry Specialist / St. Olaf College
Application Deadline: Friday, November 14— Do you have excellent computer and typing skills? This position with the CEL involves entering student participation from classroom presentations, workshops, and events into an online tracking system.  Work with OleRecruiting, posting jobs and internships into the database. You must be on campus during interim and semester II and available 5-10 hours per week. Contact Andrea via e-mail or by dialing x3268 for details.


What to do with a Job Offer
Raschel Rask, career advisor at the CEL, has a few words of wisdom to share regarding what you should do when you are offered a job. She talks about things you should keep in mind while evaluating a job, how to accept a job offer and how to decline a job offer. Check it out here.



Band Director / Jones College Prep
Application Deadline: Wednesday, December 31— William R. Harper High School in Chicago is seeking a band director. Applicants must have a degree in music with an education certificate, marching band knowledge, ability to teach A.P. music theory and the ability to train a drum major. Auxiliary knowledge in flags, rifles, dancers, and twirling is also recommended. For more information, contact Margaret Pinaglia.


For further details on internships and careers, visit OleRecruiting. 

WORKSHOPS

Identifying Vocational Interests (Part 1)
Tuesday, November 11, 3:45-5:00, BC 143— Understand how your VISA (values, interests, skills and abilities) relate to specific career options. Workshop will introduce two assessment inventories.

 

Identifying and Searching for Careers in Social Service and Nonprofit Organizations
Wednesday, November 12, 4:00-5:00, BC 142— Interested in working for the greater good? Learn the tools and resources to discern your fit in the nonprofit and social service fields.

 

Choosing a Major
Thursday, November 13, 11:30-12:30, BC 143— Exploring majors? Learn strategies and discover resources for an effective decision-making process.

 

Internship Orientation
Thursday, November 13, 11:30-12:30, BC 142— Learn important tips and advice to make the most of your internship, including how to present a professional image, networking skills, and how to leave a lasting positive impression on the organization you work with.

 

Finstad Grant Information Session
Thursday, November 13, 6:00-7:00, BC 143— The Finstad Grant program awards grants up to $3,000 to St. Olaf students or teams that develop the best business plan for an entrepreneurial venture.

 

To view CEL video workshops online visit
http://www.stolaf.edu/services/cel/students/video_workshop.html

EVENTS



OASIS Event: Social Entrepreneur Speaker
Monday, November 10, 7:00-8:00, BC 142— Social entrepreneur, Sara Meslow, will describe the innovative and resourceful approaches she is using to change the lives of children with heart disease. Also learn how you can be involved with OASIS projects and internships. The OASIS mission is to build and strengthen the capacity of individuals to develop innovative solutions to social problems for a more just, sustainable world.  For more information about OASIS, contact Kris Estenson.



Graduate Programs in Public Affairs Information Session
Wednesday, November 12, 6:00-7:00, BC 142— Indiana University's School of  Public Affairs and Environmental Affairs, University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, University of Michigan's Ford School of Public Policy, University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs will be hosting a graduate program information session.  Admissions directors and recruiters will be at this session to provide useful information about academics and admissions at each institution. If you have any questions, please contact Korey Garibaldi or (612) 624-2909.

SCHOLARSHIPS


Davis Projects for Peace
Application Deadline: Friday, January 16— This scholarship is an initiative for students to design their own creative and innovative grassroots project for peace, to be implemented in the summer of 2009 with a $10,000 budget.   Projects can be domestic or worldwide in scope.  To apply, a two page written statement describing your projects’ expected prospects, outcomes, and future impact and a one-page budget should be submitted to Nate Jacobi in the CEL. Visit Davis Projects for Peace link on the CEL’s Web site for more information.

 

Minnesota HIMSS Scholarship Opportunity
The Minnesota Chapter of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society is awarding a $1000 scholarship for students studying in the healthcare information or management systems field.  Scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence, communication skills, and potential for future leadership in the healthcare field. To read the guidelines and requirements for this scholarship, visit Minnesota HIMSS Web site.

 

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Reflections on the Election: A New Generation? A New Coalition?
Sunday, November 9, 7:00-8:00 pm, Regents Hall 150— Did youth participation make a difference in the 2008 election? Has a new generation jumped into electoral politics? Are we witnessing the beginning of a new generation of public life? How did these contributions affect the election? How did these experiences shape a generation? Now that the election is over, what's next? Eric Black, a political blogger ("Black Ink") and former StarTribune writer will present his analysis of the election. Students from PSCI 111 and AmCon101 will also reflect on the election and their experiences doing political work through their civic engagement projects this fall. For more information, contact Eric Fure-Slocum or Dan Hofrenning.



Transforming Privilege Retreat Chapel Talk
Thursday, November 13, Chapel Time— Come hear a chapel talk about the recent Transforming Privilege Retreat. It was a two-day opportunity during fall break at Good Earth Village  to reflect on the many faces of privilege that we encounter in our lives as students, activists, and community members, and the ways we can transform privilege into action for social change.  It was sponsored by the Center for Experiential Learning in conjunction with the Lilly Lives of Worth and Service Program.



Carter Academic Service Entrepreneur Program
Application Deadline: December 1, 2008— Minnesota Campus Compact will be awarding three $1000 CASE grants for the 2009 spring semester. Created by the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Partnership Foundation, this grant recognizes excellence in academic-service learning through financial support to campus-community partnerships. Students are encouraged to apply for this grant in conjunction with an established community partnership and will construct an academic-service learning project plan. Funds are awarded directly to the community partner and student projects are published online with recognition from former President Jimmy Carter. Recipients will be announced at the end of 2008 fall semester. Please visit www.servicebook.org to create an account and apply. If you have further questions, please contact Ryan Majerus at 651-603-5084.  Nate Jacobi, Assistant Director for Civic Engagement in the CEL is available to help you develop your project proposal.

 

  
 

PEER ADVISOR WEEKLY WORDS OF WISDOM

"Are you anxious about what you'll do after St. Olaf? If you don't find yourself eager to join Corporate America-- consider what else is out there. Howard Thurman, a minister and author said, "ask what makes you come alive and go do that... what the world needs is people who have come alive." There are plenty of options available to students who enter into service fields. Come and check out the "Identifying and Searching for Careers in Social Service and Non- Profit Organizations" on November 12th  from 4-5 pm in BC 142."

-Michaela McLaughlin '10, Peer Advisor

 

RESOURCE OF THE WEEK

ONLINE ALUMNI DIRECTORY

The Online Alumni Directory can be useful to find alums who are doing what you want to do so that you can contact them for the best advice on how to prepare for a certain occupational area. Try doing a simple search by occupation, choosing anything in the "occupation" field. From the list of alums that results, click on each one and obtain their contact information. You can then email them, call them, even meet with them to ask, "What are the best steps I can take that will lead me to this type of job?"

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

CAROLINE OSWALD

Describe your internship
I interned at Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, a public bank that served the entire province of Buenos Aires. Specifically, I interned in their Departamento de Desarrollos Humans or Human Development Department located in the city of Buenos Aires.
I specifically chose this internship because it allowed me to combine my academic interests of Environmental Studies and Policy with my study abroad experience. It allowed my to explore my academic interests in a setting where I could continue to learn the language as well as gain a better understanding of the culture both from the topic I was studying at my internship, but also by getting to work in a foreign office with fellow Argentines.
Every year the Human Development Department of the Bank researches and compiles a book about a specific topic of concern within the province of Buenos Aires as well as within the country. The book the Bank compiles about the province then gets sent to the national government, which compiles all the province's findings and compiles those into a book about the entire country on that issue. While I was abroad the issue the province was beginning to work on was Environmental Programs within the province of Buenos Aires, the country of Argentina and how their programs compared to environmental programs of other countries. Specifically, I researched and wrote summaries of environmental programs throughout the world, Argentina, and the province of Buenos Aires. Throughout my internship I also used my Spanish language skills to research, write summaries, and communicate with coworkers.

What were some of the challenges in being an intern and a foreigner?
The primary challenge of being an intern and a foreigner was the language barrier. We were expected to know the language in order to research, write summaries, and present our findings. Due to the language barrier it took me much longer to complete all of my assignments than it would have taken me in english. Also, I felt like my findings or what I was trying to communicate sometimes got lost or were not as strong due to my language skills. However, being required to do everything in spanish really improved my language skills including reading, writing, and speaking. The only other challenge I faced in my assignments was when researching it was hard to interpret and understand policies of Argentina and the province of Buenos Aires, because I was a foreigner and did not have a complete understanding of their government system and polices. However, in the process, I learned a lot about their government and policies concerning environmental issues, which for me, was extremely interesting to compare to the policies and regulations we have in the US as well as in MN.
I had to slightly adapt to working with Argentines in the office in terms of adapting to their office environment, but on a whole, everyone I worked with at the office was very welcoming and just as interested in learning about me and my experiences at home as I was about learning about them and their culture.

How did your experience in this internship affect your goals for future career or educational experiences?
Environmental Policy and Regulation is definitely an academic as well as career interest of mine, so getting to explore this interest while abroad opened me up to new ideas and new ways of thinking about these issues. By getting to research environmental programs from around the world, it gave me ideas concerning our own programs within the United States and how they can be improved. The experience inspired me to step outside our own ideas concerning environmental programs in the United States and to really explore other options and how we can implement them here in the United States. I still am unsure after graduation, whether I will pursue a career in biology or environmental policy, but my internship during my study abroad experience encouraged me to rethink how I approach my personal and academic interest of environmentalism and to further explore how I pursue this interest in my future education as well as career. 

 

JOB HUMOR


 

  
 
     

 

  

Editor: Natalie Neal
Assistant Editor: Laura Sancken
Resource of the Week: Hannah Clark
Student Spotlight Coordinator: Solveig Hagen