While some students spent their summer waiting tables, working in retail or stuck inside cramped offices, others were doing something a bit more interesting with their three-month break from AU.
Whether they organized dance performances or helped restrain prisoners, each of the following students had the opportunity to work in exciting environments at jobs they enjoyed.
COURTROOM DRAMA
When Jon Recco returned to New Hampshire after spending a semester in Prague, he didn't have high expectations for finding a summer job.
"I thought I would be either waiting tables or digging ditches," he said.
Fortunately, a better opportunity arose. Recco, a senior in SPA with a political science major and justice minor, was able to find a job that actually fits his career aspirations. From June through August, he worked as a superior court officer for the sheriff's department of his New Hampshire town.
Recco's job consisted of two major aspects. First, he was in charge of the physical security and the safety of the courthouse and its inhabitants. This means that he protected the judge's safety "if anyone were to charge the bench," he said.
The second part of Recco's job dealt with the conduct and custody of any prisoners in the facility. Part of this job consisted of escorting prisoners to legal proceedings.
"Escorting my first prisoners was kind of interesting - I was leading guys with buzz cuts and tattoos who were much bigger than I was," Recco said.
While working in the cell blocks, Recco was also in charge of restraining incarcerated individuals. Although he incurred threats, Recco prides himself on the fact that there were no major confrontations during his shifts.
"Guys who didn't like me made it obvious they didn't like me, but I was able to diffuse the situation by not feeding into it," he said.
The experience has made his ambitions to work in the federal justice system even stronger, Recco said.
"By and large, the most interesting aspect [of the job] was observing the legal proceedings," he said.
CHOREOGRAPHING A COMMISSION
After graduating from AU last May,
Ann Norris found an internship that asked her to do more than keep coffee burners warm. She snagged an internship with
the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Norris, who received her masters in dance and certification in arts management last May, was able to put her talents to good use. As a dance programming intern, Norris concentrated mainly on work with the Millennium Stage, a section of the Kennedy Center that offers
free performances every day at 6 p.m. Norris served as a liaison for anyone who performed on the stage.
One of Norris' main projects consisted of organizing the Kennedy Center's Local Dance Commissioning Project. The program will perform Sept. 14, 15, 20 and 21 on the Millennium Stage.
In addition to working with Millennium Stage performances, Norris also worked as the assistant manager to the Suzanne Farrell Ballet, an ongoing Kennedy Center project featuring the world-renowned dancer.
One of the perks of working at the Kennedy Center, Norris said, was the opportunity to meet famous performers. She cites Arthur Mitchell of the Dance Theatre of Harlem, actor William Forsythe and the members of the Frankfurt Ballet as some of the most interesting people she encountered.
"I also caught glimpses of Sally Field and Alan Ruck," she said of the two actors, who performed in "The Glass Menagerie" and "The Producers," respectively.
But getting to work with the people in her department was her favorite part of the job, Norris said.
"I have learned so much from them," she said. The high expectations of her department were also "terribly refreshing," and helped make the job "worth it."
Norris, who still takes classes at AU, is currently applying for arts administrative positions and hopes to stay in the
dance arena. She enjoyed the Local Dance Commissioning Project so much that
she hopes to do more programming to
help provide resources for artists.
Her internship with the Kennedy Center has definitely pointed her in the right direction, Norris said.
"I've gotten so many connections nationally," she said.
LEADERS PITCH A TENT
Junior Aviva Perlman spent her summer organizing Hillel's Schusterman International Student Leaders Assembly.
The conference, an intensive leadership retreat for students active in Hillel, was held Aug. 19 through 24 at Camp Moshava in Honesdale, Pa. Students from 13 countries gathered to strengthen their leadership skills through sessions and process groups led by Hillel field staff members. The conference also gave students an opportunity to network with members "I did a lot of coordination," she said. "There were other members on staff who worked on different components, and then all of those parts came down to me. I helped coordinate different training sessions, scheduling the ones I thought looked interesting."
Perlman learned about the internship after attending the conference in August 2003. Students are only eligible to attend the assembly once, but working as an intern allowed Perlman to return to the conference for a second year.
"I really enjoyed Leadership Assembly last summer, and I wanted to be able to go again," she said. "Plus I wanted to stay in D.C. for the summer, and the Hillel office is here."
Instead of only seeing the end result of an event like Leadership Assembly, Perlman was able to see it from the inside out, watching as it came together from the earliest planning stages to the final product.
"The best part of Leadership was seeing our vision come together and seeing everyone enjoy themselves," Perlman said. "I was so sad when it was all over. I spent my whole summer, 40 hours a week, working on this and then, snap, it was over."
Not only did conference participants note her hard work, but also Perlman's summer internship led to an offer for a similar position during the school year.
This fall, she will be working at Hillel to organize the Spitzer Conference for Public Policy, a conference for students interested in social justice. After graduation, Perlman hopes her experience at Hillel might lead to a full-time job.
Look for our November internship guide in The Scene.
