Student Profiles in Experiential Learning

Annika Jones '07
Biology and Environmental Studies

What service(s) were you seeking in the CEL?
I came to the CEL recently to get help updating my resume so that it’s prepared to send to potential employers after graduation.

What did you find most helpful in your visit?
The chance to get personal advice on my resume from both a peer counselor and a career counselor was very helpful to me. I found that they could make suggestions on my resume that I would have otherwise overlooked.

Which CEL services have you used in the past?
In the past I’ve used the CEL for their workshops on identifying vocational interests, career options and personal strengths (a 3-part series) as well as the sessions about job and internship search resources and strategies.

What advice do you have for other students?
I would definitely encourage students to use the CEL’s specific workshops and their one-on-one assistance on resume writing. I also think younger students shouldn’t hesitate using the CEL, since they can help you sort through your questions about work experience, regardless of what stage of the process you happen to be in.

What has been your favorite course at St. Olaf?
The courses I took abroad during the Environmental Science in Australia program are among the best, as well as an interim course I took on Peacemaking & Conflict Resolution.

Elsa Marty
Civic Leadership Fellow with the Upper Midwest Campus Compact Consortium for the 2006-07 school year.
The Fellows program supports and promotes students as powerful citizen leaders. Here’s what Elsa has to say about her experience:

Why did you choose to participate in the MN Campus Compact civic fellows program?
I was interested in the MN Campus Compact civic fellows program because it provided leadership training for students, empowering us with tools to be effective advocates, helping us become engaged in the community and work for social change.

What is your project?
I organized a Nonviolence Workshop on campus (led by Lutheran Peace Fellowship) that took place the first weekend in March. Using the skills that we gained from this intensive workshop, the other participants and I will be leading several mini-workshops throughout the course of the semester.

What has been the best part of this experience?
Engaging in conversation with other people who are passionate about issues related to peace and social justice. Together we are exploring the connections between violence, hunger, and poverty, and we are searching for nonviolent solutions for conflicts in both our personal lives and on the larger, global scale.

What has been most challenging?
It has been difficult to confront the very real pain of the violence that surrounds us, and to acknowledge our own participation in violent and oppressive structures. Creating a culture of peace is not an easy task; it requires creativity, determination, and humility.

How do you see this experience being useful in your life after college?
Next year I hope to enroll in a program on Conflict Transformation, Peace Building, and Interfaith Relations at a school in India. I plan to continue to take leadership on social justice issues and remain active in politics.

Thrift Ninja
Finstad Entrepreneurship Grant Recipients

Why did you decide to apply for a Finstad Grant?
We saw an opportunity in the market. It was a chance to grow out skills, while working with some great people.

What is the venture that you are working on?
Thrift Ninja, we buy designer and vintage clothing at thrift stores and sell it at a reasonable mark-up on E-bay.

What is the best part about running your own venture?
Pretending to be big-shot fashion industry execs. There is nothing like the feeling of putting all your creative energy into a product, tempering it with a bit of strategic marketing, and convincing people that they like it enough to buy it.

What are the challenges?
How do you balance class, homework, intramurals, friendships, a demanding business and beautiful, intelligent St. Olaf women? We still haven’t found the answer. Other than that, every time we look at an article of clothing we have to think: Who would buy this? Why would they? How would they find it on E-bay? Is it undervalued?

What advice would you give to anyone considering applying for a grant?
Really put a lot of effort into researching your market size and how you will reach your niche.

How do you see this experience being useful in your life after college?
We see this as the beginning to a life-long path of entrepreneurship. It is more than just a talking point on a resume, it is a life-path. Employers have been asking us: Why do you want to work for us? You should be starting your own company.

Academic Internships Abroad

(The following statements were made before these students went abroad for their internships in 2006-07.)

Jenna Noonan ’09
Psychology Major, Biomedical Studies Concentration

“My internship is with Projects Abroad in Southern India. I will be working in a hospital (shadowing doctors,
observing and helping with surgeries and delivering babies, working along-side the nurses in their responsibili-
ties, and helping with outpatient care) and staying with a host Indian family. I am most looking forward to my
work in the hospital, as well as experiencing the Indian culture and people.”


Khider Elnimeiry '07
Biology and Religion Major

“I have an internship through the Institute for Language and Communication Studies (ILCS) out of Morocco. I will be a Medical Intern, working in a hospital. While in Morocco, I will have the opportunity to apply my knowledge of Arab culture and language. I am interested in a career in medicine but I am looking for an opportunity that would connect me to the medical field somehow and be in a hospital atmosphere and a really good hospital type setting using my Arabic language there as well.”

Charity Hall ‘07
Dance Major with Concentrations in Africa and the
Americas and Women's Studies

“My internship is through Lutheran World Relief and I will be in Tanzania, West Africa. I'm most looking forward to experiencing various aspects of Tanzanian culture, including dance, music, and food!”

Kelsey Lantz ’09
Psychology Major

“I will be working at Casa Bernabe Orphanage, near Antigua Guatemala. This trip was an impossibility back in September and I am amazed at how everything has worked out and been made a reality. Working in an orphanage has been a dream of mine my whole life and I'm so excited to see what God has in store for me and the people I will come in contact with while I am down there. I look forward to coming back in February and sharing everything that I've learned and experienced.”

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