For �ֲ���ý students curious about the business world, this year’s slate of Short Term courses includes a compelling new option: “Tuck Business Essentials,” taught by faculty from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth and led by Peter Friedman ’92, a Tuck graduate who will serve as the course’s practitioner-in-residence.

The course is one of five “Practitioner-Taught Courses, ” innovative and immersive offerings that bring �ֲ���ý alumni and other industry leaders to campus to teach practical knowledge and industry-specific skills.

“Through PTCs, �ֲ���ý students benefit from the expertise of accomplished professionals, many of whom are �ֲ���ý alumni,” says Allen Delong, senior associate dean for the Center for Purposeful Work, which sponsors the PTC program.

“We are especially excited about the addition of Tuck Business Essentials, which will equip students with foundational business skills and real-world problem-solving experience.”

�ֲ���ý students continue to express high interest in developing business-related skills, says Delong. According to recent Senior Survey results, 20 percent of graduating �ֲ���ý students intend to pursue a business graduate degree at some point after graduation. 

Applying a Liberal Arts Education

Peter Friedman decided to help lead Tuck Business Essentials, which has been funded anonymously by a family foundation, for one essential reason: “To increase the range of opportunities for �ֲ���ýies and to expose them to new and different things.”

He explains that the goal of the course is to teach students how to use the skills they’re learning through their academic coursework — critical thinking, problem-solving, and interdisciplinary learning — in a business environment.

“A liberal arts education gives you the power to solve a problem using the tools in front of you, or to create new tools to solve a problem — across any discipline. Ultimately that’s what business is,” says Friedman, who earned an M.B.A from Tuck in 2003 and served on the school’s advisory board.

“Four years of �ֲ���ý and 30-plus years since have taught me that business is just about using information, communication, the ability to work with individuals, and the right tools to solve problems.”

Joined by Tuck faculty, the new course will include a skill-building component, as students will learn key elements of marketing, finance, accounting, spreadsheet modeling, business communications, organizational behavior, and negotiations. The course will culminate in a dynamic business case study to simulate real-world decision-making.

Learning through case studies, Friedman explains, simply means “to problem-solve in a realistic environment” — while thinking on your feet, making strategic decisions under uncertainty, and engaging in dynamic discussions.

“You have a realistic problem that’s happened historically: this company, these people made these decisions. Given that information, what would be the next decision you would make? It’s very similar to what life and business is. You have incomplete information and an unknown situation, and you have to make the best decisions based on what you have at that time and move on.”

He has no doubt that his students will be up to the challenge: “The power of the liberal arts education is to solve a problem across any discipline. I’ve hired some �ֲ���ýies in the past, and their ability to use their brains and think through problems and learn is second to none.” 

The course is open to students in all majors; the only prerequisite is a drive to learn something new and connect their academic interests to opportunities for purposeful work, including the business world. 

“I want to find the art history major or biology major or someone who has an appetite to learn,” Friedman says. “Their major is what they are engaged in at the moment because it has captured their interest. But that doesn’t mean that that’s the end of or the only field they will address.”

Friedman graduated from �ֲ���ý with honors in geology, then entered the aviation industry as an airline pilot before pivoting into a business career. He is a managing partner and founder of Five by Five Capital, a private equity firm investing in a wide range of industries. 

Friedman and his wife, Kitty Northrop Friedman ’95, a �ֲ���ý trustee emerita, are longtime active contributors to the �ֲ���ý community. Their son, Ned ’24, graduated with a politics degree and was a co-chief of �ֲ���ý Emergency Medical Services; their daughter, Lindley ’26, is a biology major.

A Growing Slate of Practitioner-Taught Courses

Since 2014, PTCs have introduced students to 18 career fields and nearly 70 specializations, from arts administration to virtual reality design. Delong says that they are a great fit for the college’s four-week Short Term, which runs April 28 to May 21 this year.

Short Term, which follows the regular fall and winter semesters, “has always been a defining part of the �ֲ���ý experience,” says Delong, “an opportunity for a deep dive into a single course, experiential learning, and exploring new academic and career interests.”

In addition to Tuck Business Essentials, the 2025 Practitioner-Taught Courses also include:

• Practicum in Planetary Health with Jennifer Rasmussen ’07, a registered nurse and education fellow with the Planetary Health Alliance, introduces students to the field that explores the connections between human health and the natural systems that sustain it.
• Is That True? Practicum in Media Literacy with Elizabeth Hartfield ’08, a CNN vice president, to give students the skills to navigate and report the proliferation of both misinformation and disinformation.
• Practicum in Music & Health with Kate Beever, a Portland-based music psychotherapist, exploring the therapeutic uses of music within healthcare settings for clients of all ages. 
• Spies, Secret Agents, and the Presidency with Elly Rostoum ’07, a former U.S. intelligence analyst, examines the role of the intelligence community within the U.S. national establishment.

In Hathorn Hall in 2019, Elly Rostoum ’07 (third from left) teaches her Practitioner-Taught Course that explores, from her expert perspective, the role of the intelligence community within the U.S. national establishment.

�ֲ���ý debuted the first Practitioner-Taught Courses in 2014 as part of the college’s Purposeful Work initiative, whose groundbreaking, developmental approach to career support helps students explore, test, and deepen their potential career interests throughout their four years. 

Typically, PTCs include guest experts, case studies, and fieldwork, plus ready access to a new network of professionals and solid experiences for students to add to their career exploration portfolios. 

Beyond skill development, “students also gain hands-on insights into professional expectations — fast-paced work, deadlines, and team responsibilities,” says Marianne Nolan Cowan ’92, senior associate director for exploration and curricular design with the Center for Purposeful Work.

The courses provide students with opportunities to explore fields that align with career pathways, engage in hands-on learning, and develop professional networks that will support them after graduation.

Short Term 2025: And There’s More!

This year’s Short Term presents a menu of more than 90 courses, many reflecting the unique proposition of �ֲ���ý’ popular spring semester: time and space to explore a wide range of topics.

Four courses involve extensive travel abroad, led by �ֲ���ý professors, to the Dominican Republic, Hungary and Poland, Rome, and China, where students will engage in hands-on ethnographic research, analyze theater and film’s role in political change, explore ancient civilizations through art and architecture, and study traditional medicine through clinical practice. 

On campus, like the PTCs, a set of innovative “Biological Skills” courses are designed to give students specific, marketable training that they can highlight in applications for internships or jobs. 

This year’s Biological Skills courses teach skills in observing, counting, and analyzing ecological populations and communities; data acquisition and image analysis using the college’s laser scanning confocal microscope; herbarium and digital taxonomy skills through extensive fieldwork near campus; and modern ornithology techniques.

Most Short Term courses are within academic programs and departments, while some are extracurricular but still provide academic credit. For example, the annual Emergency Medical Technician course, which includes donor-supported funding to defray costs to students, teaches the skills needed to become a certified EMT and be part of the valuable and successful �ֲ���ý EMS program. 

Another set of innovative Short Term courses, under the “Innovative Pedagogy” umbrella, gives �ֲ���ý students a rare opportunity in U.S. higher education: the chance to shape the curriculum by working directly with faculty to rework an existing course or create a new one.

Students and faculty in this year’s seven Innovative Pedagogy courses will build or rework courses in disciplines like digital history, including �ֲ���ý’ own history, plus historical revolutions, sociolinguistics, philosophy, teacher education, and feminist studies.

This past summer, �ֲ���ý offered 128 Purposeful Work internships in 18 states, the District of Columbia, and seven countries outside the U.S.��

Another five dozen students did funded research on campus with �ֲ���ý professors across 14 academic disciplines, or had off-campus academic internships. Other students held internships with community organizations through �ֲ���ý’ Harward Center for Community Partnerships.

Last week, we shared stories and photographs of students who had summer internships outside Maine. This week, it’s back to Maine, and to �ֲ���ý, for Part 2.

‘I’m glad to be making the most of these opportunities’ — Pat Cullinane ’25

The place: A research lab in Bonney Science Center at �ֲ���ý

The job: Cullinane, a biochemistry major from Quincy, Mass., worked with four fellow students in the research lab of Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience Martin Kruse.

The research team is studying an important but not fully understood protein found in our cells that might play a critical role in several neurological conditions, such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s disease.

Cullinane has his sights set on graduate school, so the professional experience of working in the Kruse lab has “been a great tool for gaining exposure with techniques and what a layout would look like in a post-grad lab as opposed to undergrad labs.”

One of Cullinane’s research partner was Sebenele Lukhele ’26, a biological chemistry major from Manzini, Eswatini, “This research lets me solve real-life problems in biochemistry. Plus, the community here has made the experience much more than just lab work — it’s a whole growth process.”

Cullinane has enjoyed going from neophyte to now standing on his own two feet as a researcher. “A lot of labs are set up for you, but in this lab, you have a lot of control. You can share your ideas and guide your experience,” he says. 

The quote: “Learning how to design your own experiments is pretty awesome.”

‘My goal was to ensure they were having the best experience possible’ — Chidera Kalu-Uka ’27

The place: Tree Street Youth in Lewiston

The job: A sociology major from Katy, Texas, Kalu-Uka was a Harward Center Summer Fellow at Tree Street Youth, where she supervised a group of third- and fourth-graders, becoming a mentor, friend, and active participant in their growth and joy.

Before Kalu-Uka fell in love with �ֲ���ý, she fell in love with Lewiston, and a summer spent at downtown Tree Street Youth “has only strengthened that love.”

Under the leadership of executive director Julia Sleeper ‘08, who co-founded the organization with Kim Sullivan ‘13, Tree Street is a cornerstone youth support and aspirations program located in downtown Lewiston. “As someone who moved to this country only six years ago, I feel resonance with the impact Tree is making,” said Kalu-Uka.

The �ֲ���ý Center for Purposeful Work encourages a developmental approach to the search for a rewarding career, with ample opportunities for both discovery and reflection. Kalu-Uka’s summer at Tree Street prompted her to reflect on her academic and career goals, which had been focused solely on pre-health and public health.

She now plans to major in sociology, minor in education, and stay on a pre-health and public-health track and pursue a career “dedicated to working with underserved communities, whether that be in public health, healthcare, or education.”

The quote: “I’ve discovered that my interests can intersect without sacrificing any of them.”

‘I’ve been infected with the pure joy and curiosity of the kids’ — Shenandoah Waugh ’26

The place: Harpswell (Maine) Heritage Land Trust

The job: As a Purposeful Work intern who had never worked with children before, Shenandoah (Shenny) Waugh took on the daunting task of teaching, guiding, and herding 16 young children, ages 4 to 6, for five days a week, at the land trust’s popular Nature Day Camp, located along the Maine coast.

“It was challenging and intimidating,” says Waugh, who discovered that working with children sparked a feeling of purpose. “ Working with young kids is so engaging, fun, and refreshing.”

The camp provides screen-free opportunity to engage with nature. As technology continues to create a barrier between ourselves and the natural world, “it is so important to offer these young kids an experience where fun is tech-free, and we embrace free exploration, curiosity, and even boredom,” Waugh says.

A double major in chemistry and European studies from Lyons, Colo., Waugh is a �ֲ���ý Outing Club outdoor program manager and a Registered Maine Guide. “Engaging with the BOC on campus has shown me what outdoor education looks like and potential career paths.”

The quote: “Working with young kids outdoors feels even more purposeful.”

‘I always look forward to the camaraderie’ — Bora Lugunda ’25

The place: Ladd Library, �ֲ���ý College

The job: For Lugunda, a history major from Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, this was her third summer working on campus as a field assistant for Information and Library Services.

Paul Adutwum ’27 of Tepa, Ghana, split his time between the ILS Help Desk in Ladd and the Harward Center, where he supported projects related to community-engaged learning and research. He also wrote blog posts featuring student experiences in community engagement.

“I have a pretty awesome set of bosses and really feel like an appreciated part of the team,” says Lugunda, who takes care of computer setups and upgrades for faculty, staff, and labs. “I always look forward to the camaraderie through restaurant suggestions, conversations about AI, and random banter.”

Adutwum said he was “thrilled” to be on campus, and was looking forward to another gig, a soon-to-begin research project on Ulam-like sequences (patterns and rules found in number sequences built from sums) with Visiting Assistant Professor of Mathematics Senia Sheydvasser.

The quote: “I am looking forward to an exciting and productive summer!” — Adutwum

‘It made me think of my own position and privileges in the context of a bigger community’ — Ganga Corsaro ’26

The place: St. Mary’s Nutrition Center in Lewiston

The job: As Purposeful Work interns, Corsaro, a double major in environmental studies and Chinese from St. Paul, Minn., and Haley Wilkins ’25, an American Studies major from Hoboken, N.J., saw and supported the growth of 10 local community gardens. 

They mulched, weeded, cleared, and created garden beds; provided community gardeners with seeds and seedlings; handled food deliveries for the Nutrition Center’s food pantry; and supported youth programs at Geiger and Montello elementary schools and at Hillview Resource Center. 

For Wilkins, the internship revealed the importance of community and place to her own purposeful work. She also valued how the Nutrition Center constantly adapts to “new needs and circumstances with collaborative brainstorming.” Corsaro learned that her own purposeful work will need to be “proactive and intentional — actively contributing in ways that reflect who you are and what you stand for.”

The experience deepened Corsaro’s appreciation of her adopted hometown of Lewiston. “The community’s diversity and strength, and the work people are doing to improve their own lives and the community as a whole, really surprised me.”

The quote: “It sounds simple to some, but witnessing seeds growing and producing food has been more exciting and rewarding than I expected.” — Wilkins

‘It’s very beautiful, and obviously different from fall or winter’ — Harris Ramlee ’25

The place: Bonney Science Center

The job: Ramlee, a biology major from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, spent his summer on campus working as a technician in the college’s vivarium.

In his downtime, Ramlee enjoyed strolling around campus, soaking in the summer weather — his first summer spent in the U.S. His friend Paul Zhou ’25, a psychology major from Beijing, agrees with the weather assessment. In winter, there’s snow and less light, but “in the summer, it looks absolutely beautiful.”

Ramlee has also taken time to explore Maine, hiking and visiting the beach. “It’s very, very amazing,” he says. 

The quote: “The campus looks absolutely beautiful.” — Zhou

For some �ֲ���ý students, summer 2024 meant adding skills. Avery Lehman ’25, for example, is an accomplished photographer, but didn’t know much about the business side of the art world — until her Purposeful Work internship at a New York City art gallery.

For others, summer meant feeling accepted into the world of business. Johnny Nunez ’26 felt “everyone’s extraordinary kindness and willingness to help” during his Purposeful Work internship with an investment firm in New York City.

This past summer, �ֲ���ý offered 128 Purposeful Work internships in 18 states, the District of Columbia, and seven countries outside the U.S. 

Another five dozen students did funded research on campus with �ֲ���ý professors across academic disciplines (14 in all) or had off-campus academic internships. And even more students held internships with community organizations through �ֲ���ý’ Harward Center for Community Partnerships.

In Part I of our stories about �ֲ���ý students with college-supported summer experiences, we check in with eight students whose work took them outside of Maine, to businesses and organizations from Boston to Santa Barbara, Calif.

‘I was super intimidated at first, since I felt a little out of my element’ — Eileen Dockery ’26

The place: Asian American Arts Alliance (4A)

The job: During her Purposeful Work internship at 4A, Dockery, an environmental studies major from Rye, N.Y., was invited to lead a project to produce a short video highlighting work by . 

The video project tested her. “I was worried about the outcome, but I learned that I just needed to trust the process and have confidence in my own skills,” she said.

The quote: “The internship gave me the chance to explore my own interests while contributing in a meaningful way by helping artists and activists realize their projects. The arts community has had such a positive impact on my life, and it’s really nice to be able to spread the love.”

‘People are more than willing to help’ — Aydan Gedeon-Hope ’25

The place: MLS Next Pro league offices in New York City

The job: Gedeon-Hope, an interdisciplinary studies major from Norton, Mass., was a Purposeful Work intern at MLS NEXT Pro, a Major League Soccer feeder program that provides a competitive platform for developing young players and a pathway to professional soccer’s highest levels. 

Gedeon-Hope said he was able “to learn, surrounded by smart and accomplished individuals.” It took time to seize the opportunity to do some networking, but he was quickly and pleasantly surprised by how “nearly everyone responded and agreed to meet me.”

Gedeon-Hope’s interdisciplinary studies major combines interests in marketing, management, and the social sciences with a focus on sports. (He is a two-sport �ֲ���ý athlete, in basketball and track and field.)

“At NEXT Pro, even though you work in a specific department, many projects and presentations require knowledge beyond your specialization,” he said. “The liberal arts helps students gain a broad understanding of multiple subjects rather than just focusing on one area.”

The quote: “I gained a deeper appreciation for my interdisciplinary journey because of this experience.”

‘Purposeful work is finding and exploring new interests’ — Aasya Patel ’26

The place: Wolfe Research in New York City

The job: Patel, an economics major with a mathematics minor from Indore, India, was a Purposeful Work intern at Wolfe Research in midtown Manhattan.

Wolfe is a sell-side equity research firm, meaning it analyzes financial securities for trading. In her work, Patel used time-series methods, which elucidate patterns and trends over time, to forecast commodity stock indexes. She also conducted macroeconomic research on factors affecting returns.

Patel’s �ֲ���ý coursework in time-series econometrics was particularly valuable, she said.. “A shoutout to professors [Austin] Smith and [Daniel] Riera-Crichton for how well they covered these topics at �ֲ���ý!”

She also had the opportunity to attend panels and presentations, teaching her “valuable skills in engaging with an audience, particularly in a finance context — an area I hadn’t previously encountered.” 

The quote: “Purposeful work is finding and exploring new interests and learning more about those interests through experienced professionals — in addition to learning from my mistakes.”

‘I definitely feel more connected to my major’ — Hannah Burdick ’25

The place: Off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif.

The job: Burdick, a biology major from Lyme, N.H., had a �ֲ���ý-funded environmental internship on the West Coast with Ocean Rainforest, a sustainable aquaculture business. The company grows seaweed, which absorbs carbon and offers eco-friendly alternatives to plastics and fertilizers, among its climate-positive uses.

Half the week, Burdick was five miles off the coast of Santa Barbara, Calif., working with colleagues at the company’s off-shore research and development farm — the first of its kind — which grows kelp, a type of seaweed. “We measured kelp growth and water conditions, maintained the farm equipment, and helped partnering researchers with their studies,” said Burdick.

For the other half, she was on shore doing lab research on various topics, including fermentation, where the kelp is broken down by microbes to produce useful and sustainable substances.

For Burdick, the half-and-half experience added up to 100 percent satisfaction. “It was the perfect balance for me — fresh air and time on the ocean as well as lab work that I’ve worked so hard to learn at �ֲ���ý.”

The quote: “I loved that the work I was doing went toward making food, fertilizers, and cosmetics more sustainable.”

‘It allowed me to see the direct impact of my work’ — Johnny Nunez ’26

The place: HPS Investment Partners in New York City

The job: Nunez, an economics major from New York City, had a Purposeful Work internship with HPS Investment Partners, a U.S.-based global investment firm.

The internship gave Nunez experience in accounting including analyzing supplier invoices, maintaining management fee schedules, and reviewing unclaimed properties. Along the way, he started to identify his strengths and interests. “I am particularly passionate about understanding and evaluating businesses, and I thrive in environments where I can solve problems.

Along the way, the internship opened his eyes to the power of networking and building professional relationships.

To that end, he appreciated “everyone’s extraordinary kindness and willingness to help.” He looks forward to being able “to help young professionals navigate their journeys just as I was helped.”

The quote: “It gave me a vivid sense of the work environment and projects I find most engaging and rewarding.”

‘I’ve learned about the internal part of the art world, the business side’ — Avery Lehman ’25

The place: Yancey Richardson Gallery in New York City

The job: Until this summer’s internship, Lehman, who is an accomplished photographer, only had experience with what she calls the “external part of the photography world — making the art.”

As a Purposeful Work intern, Lehman learned about “the internal part of the art world, the business side — what goes into planning an exhibition, what kind of correspondence needs to happen, what type of materials the work needs to be framed or glazed with.”

The practical skills will come in handy as Lehman, a studio art major from Portsmouth, N.H., prepares to exhibit her work at the annual Senior Thesis Exhibition at the �ֲ���ý Museum of Art in 2025. 

Working with gallery founder Yancey Richardson was particularly meaningful, Lehman said. “She’s really championed female photographers in such a male-dominated space of the art world.” 

The quote: “To actually meet and connect with photographers I have studied or followed has been incredible.” 

‘The members of the investment team were all great mentors’ — Linh Hoang Vu ’26

The place: Promethos Capital in Boston, Mass.

The job: Hoang Vu, a double major in mathematics and economics from Hanoi, and Drew Williams ’25 worked as research interns at Promethos, an investment boutique focused on global equity investments founded by Joe Sylvester ’90. 

Projects included research on the company’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) initiatives, a framework to assess an organization’s business practices and performance on sustainability and ethical issues. 

The experience taught Williams, an environmental studies major from Guilford, Conn., “that you can bring your own morals and perspective into any work you are doing.” Williams wrote a whitepaper that challenged her presumptions about an issue related to the oil and gas industry. “That was a unique and important growth experience,” she said.

The quote: “This internship allowed me to think about environmental and social issues critically in the world of finance.” — Williams

Do you need to reduce stress by organizing your time? Or perhaps you’re craving a non-alcoholic drink? Or you’re keen on supporting college aspirations?

If so, this year’s winners of the Bobcat Ventures pitch competition have you covered.

Hosted in Commons on April 6 and judged by three �ֲ���ý alumni entrepreneurs, the annual student pitch competition featured 11 student teams for the morning-long competition, which concluded with three winners collecting $15,000 in prize money.

This year’s first place winner was Aidan Stark-Chessa ’26 of Falmouth, Maine, who was awarded $8,000 for Honeysuckle, a cocktail alternative . 

“I have to tell you, the horsepower that �ֲ���ý students pitch with and present is just second to none,” said judge Ben Schippers ’04, co-founder of , a software design and engineering firm. “I mean, it’s really incredible.”

Schippers was on the ground floor of the program when it began in 2015. The pitches get stronger by the year, he said, and choosing winners “gets harder and harder and harder and harder. It’s really been this transformation, the arc from when we started all the way to now. It’s an incredible trajectory to see.”

More than a one-day wonder, Bobcat Ventures runs for most of the academic year, offering training, coaching, and mentoring programs that lead up to an annual pitch competition. Organized by the Center for Purposeful Work with the help of alumni, faculty, and staff, this program helps teams refine their ideas and prepare for both the springtime competition and the real world. 

For the first time in several years, Bobcat Ventures added a road show this year, traveling to the Boston area to meet with the �ֲ���ý Boston Business Network, a regional group dedicated to hosting dynamic gatherings for area alumni and parents. 

On March 29, the BBBN hosted a practice pitch session for several of the entrepreneurs. Around 50 alumni and parents attended the event, held at the Cambridge Innovation Center, hearing pitches and providing feedback to the students. 

Second prize ($4,000) went to Tanvir Thamid ’26 of Dhaka, Bangladesh, for Edbridge Scholars, a program supporting South Asian students’ college aspirations. 

Third prize ($3,000) went to Thomas Davis ‘27 of Marblehead, Mass., with Chunk (It)!, a time management platform.

Joining Schippers as judges were Pranav Ghai ’93, co-founder of , a financial data platform, and Carine Warsawski ’07, founder of , offering classic and out-of-the-box Jewish summer camp experiences for young adults and their friends.��

Here’s a look at this year’s winners:

Honeysuckle: Crafting Alcohol Alternatives

Founders: Aidan Stark-Chessa ’26 and partner and friend Seamus Woodruff, a Bowdoin student

Concept: Honeysuckle offers a refreshing alternative to alcoholic beverages, prioritizing flavor and affordability without compromising on taste or experience.

Stark-Chessa’s experience in the restaurant business includes a gig as a bartender in training at the trendy Portland restaurant Street and Co.

“I love eating food and drinking and just experiencing flavor in all sorts of ways,” he said in his winning pitch. “But I wanted an alternative to alcohol because I don’t always love how that makes me feel.”

Enter Honeysuckle, and an answer to the quest for great flavor minus the alcohol. “I use ginger juice and lemon juice. I make my own bitters out of gentian root and a sort of proprietary cocktail shrub, like a pickled fruit-juice, to create a sort of signature mouth-feel of complexity.”

Key Features:

• Complex Flavor Profiles: Using ingredients like ginger juice, lemon juice, and homemade bitters, Honeysuckle creates a sophisticated taste reminiscent of cocktails.
• Affordability: Honeysuckle aims to be competitively priced.
• Local Distribution: Initially focusing on sales through local cafes and coffee shops, Honeysuckle emphasizes community engagement and support.

Stark-Chessa explains why Honeysuckle meets a consumer need: “Many of you probably have felt the adverse effects of alcohol on your sleep. It shows here that having even as much as one glass of alcohol can reduce your sleep quality by 10 percent and that is a lot and that adds up, especially if you’re trying to be active throughout your life. So we’ve tried to create an alternative.”

Next Steps: Honeysuckle is in the process of food testing and hopes to launch its product into local cafes and eateries in the near future. 

Edbridge Scholars: Empowering Student Success

Founder: Tanvir Thamid ‘26

Concept: From first-hand experience, Thamid understands what it takes for an international student to attend a top college in the U.S., and his new resource Edbridge Scholars aims to provide comprehensive support for international students who wish to attend college in the U.S., particularly those from low-income backgrounds.

Key Features:

• One-on-One Mentorship: Edbridge Scholars connects students with guidance counselors who offer personalized mentoring and support.
• Extended Support: Students receive guidance not only during the application process but also for up to 18 months to enhance their extracurricular activities and overall candidacy.
• Affordability: Targeting affordability, Edbridge Scholars keeps costs low for both students and mentors, ensuring accessibility to those who need it most.
• Accessible Resources: Recognizing the limited access many students have to resources, particularly in countries like Bangladesh, Edbridge Scholars aims to bridge this gap and get clients into their dream schools.

Thamid explains why Edbridge Scholars meets a consumer need: “I come from a public school myself, and am also a lower middle-income student myself. The challenges that I faced when I was applying abroad was that there weren’t college guidance counselors available, and it’s true for over 90 percent of the public schools in Bangladesh. There is limited access to resources.”

Next Steps: In the most recent application cycle, Edbrige Scholars successfully helped students gain admission to colleges such as Lehigh, Cal Tech, and Amherst. With hopes to employ more tutors, and thus take on more clients, Edbridge Scholars aspires to provide more equitable access to college guidance resources. 

Chunk (It)!: Enhancing Time Management

Founders: Thomas Davis ’27 and two partners, Kaden Cassidy and Andy Nguyen

Concept: Founded by Thomas Davis ’27 of Marblehead, Mass., Chunk (It)! is a web application designed to revolutionize time management for students. Davis and his partners discovered that uncertainty about daily schedules was a significant source of stress for many people. To combat this, they developed Chunk (It)!, which helps users plan and predict — or “chunk” — their day effectively.

Key Features:

• Customizable Planning: Tailored to individual users, Chunk (It)! offers personalized scheduling and time-saving techniques with the help of AI.
• Healthy Sleep Schedule: The app includes features to promote a balanced sleep routine, recognizing the crucial link between sleep and mental well-being. It calculates the time needed to accomplish entered tasks, and creates a sleep routine accordingly.
• Break Planning: Recognizing the importance of breaks, Chunk (It)! schedules in time for rest and relaxation depending on how many breaks the user requests, as well as their tasks at hand. 
• Mental Health Focus: Developed with mental health in mind, the app aims to alleviate stress and promote overall well-being. 

Davis explains why Chunk (It)! meets a consumer need: “Andy, Kaden, and I found that we are actually most stressed when we don’t know what to expect from our days. More than two to five adults report that when they’re stressed, they feel like they can’t accomplish anything at all. Something needs to give, and we’re convinced that time management is the solution.

“It’s been well documented that an increase in predictability and control actually decreases stress. Chunk (It!) gives students more predictable schedules that they can control, without having to employ cumbersome time management techniques. By increasing predictability we are decreasing stress.”

Next Steps: Chunk (It)! plans to run a trial program at a high school in the 2024–25 academic year in Massachusetts, with hopes to expand its outreach.

Cole De Magistris was frustrated. 

It was two falls ago, and De Magistris, then a sophomore, had returned to campus determined to land a summer internship in professional sports. But the world seemed to have other plans.

“I was applying to everything NFL related, anything college football related. And then I branched out to different sports, like hockey and baseball,” De Magistris recalls. “Anything, just to get into the sports industry, get my foot in the door, and I heard nothing back.” 

Anyone who has tried to break into the competitive (yet shockingly low-paying) business of professional sports can relate. There aren’t too many universal experiences in life, but this is one of them: Death, taxes, and rejection emails.

“It was always these automated emails that were like, ‘I’m sorry, but we selected a different person,’ or ‘We went a different way, but thank you for applying. We hope you apply next time,’” De Magistris says. “So I thought, ‘Oh, dang, that kind of stinks.’” 

Hailing from Emerson, N.J., De Magistris finally connected locally with the Rutgers University football program. It was only for a few days during summer 2022, but he gained valuable experience.

“The main thing I did was help work recruiting camps,” DeMagistris recalls. “So kids from all over New Jersey and beyond would come through the camp, and I helped run drills, whether it be broad jump or the 40-yard dash.” 

Having peeked behind the scenes of a football program in the “Power Five” — the five major U.S. college athletic conferences — DeMagistris freshened up his resume and redoubled his efforts to land an internship with an NFL team for summer 2023. 

“I applied to every single NFL internship that I could find.” His persistence paid off: Two teams, including the Minnesota Vikings, responded. “They had me answer some open-ended questions, and I was able to secure a phone interview.”

The charismatic DeMagistris “crushed the phone interview”, and was offered the position.

He was now a “training camp fan engagement intern,” which meant that De Magistris gained admission to one part of the vast world of professional sports marketing. Working at the Vikings’ training camp (“Fan Village”) in Eagan, Minn., he and his fellow interns worked to ensure that the multigenerational crowds that came to watch the players had the best experience possible. 

Today, an NFL training camp is more than just practices for the team. It’s a fan event, with more than 1 million fans attending one of the 32 NFL teams’ training camps each year.

“One of the first Saturdays, we had a record-breaking 4,300 people in attendance,” De Magistris says. “We have a kids zone where we set up cornhole and all these inflatable games. We have giant Jenga. We have all these different fun activities for parents to bond with their kids and play.” 

It’s not just fun and games: De Magistris and his fellow interns are creating the next generation of Vikings fans that will help support a . And the job was a perfect match for De Magistris, an offensive tackle, two-time team captain, and the 2023 �ֲ���ý nominee for the prestigious William V. Campbell Trophy, which honors academics, community service, and on-field performance.

Though the summer gig was paid, it would have been much harder to accept without the support of the �ֲ���ý Center for Purposeful Work, says De Magistris.

“It’s an expensive internship. It’s only a month, and the plane tickets, the meals, the food, the transportation, it all adds up quickly. Purposeful Work was able to help fund this internship for me, which was excellent.” 

The center provided another layer of support to make sure that De Magistris, one of more than 100 Purposeful Work interns, could get the most out of his summer experience. 

During the summer, Purposeful Work interns have regular check-ins with Beverly Vari, associate director for employer engagement and internships at �ֲ���ý. “We have cohorts, and I meet with other interns involved with Purposeful Work who are doing different jobs,” De Magistris says. 

“So within my cohort, I have someone who’s involved with music. I have someone who’s involved with STEM. I have someone who’s involved with a government job. And then it’s me who’s involved with sports. We all get to talk on Zoom biweekly and hear each other’s experiences, learn from it, and then apply it to ours.” 

With Vari’s support, De Magistris and his fellow interns prepare reports about their internship experiences. His report will help guide the next round of Purposeful Work interns who want to work in professional sports. His main advice? “Don’t give up, and use all available resources.” 

Now back on campus and engaged in his own training camp, De Magistris is busy with his studies (he’s a double major in economics and in rhetoric, film and screen studies) and preparing to help anchor the �ֲ���ý offensive line.

“We have 39 first-years coming in so we’re going to be a very young team. I’m excited to take these young guns under my wing here with my fellow teammates and show them the ropes and have a fun time.” 

He’s also eager to mentor anyone else who is interested in working in sports.

“I’m very thankful for my experience at �ֲ���ý College,” De Magistris says. “I feel like I’ve made the right decisions up until now, and if anyone has questions for me, I’m here to answer them. And I would love to talk to them about it because I’m passionate about being in the sports industry and working in the NFL, and if someone else is too, I’m all for helping them.” 

Vova Sosnovskii ’26 of St. Petersburg, Russia, worked in a �ֲ���ý lab, contributing to the study of the rotavirus and its potential antiviral interventions. His summer experience deepened his sense of purpose and the connection between his two fields of study, biochemistry and economics.

Funded by a Purposeful Work internship, Nimco Jama ’24, a biology major from Hargeisa, Somaliland, interned at Trinity Jubilee Center in Lewiston, helping to bridge language barriers. The exposure to the challenges faced by under-served communities left her in awe of the local community’s dedication to supporting one another.

Lucy Whitelam ’26, a prospective dance major from Reading, Mass., took dance classes through  the �ֲ���ý Dance Festival’s Professional Training Program, expanding on the training she received during her first year at �ֲ���ý and feeling “grateful to be surrounded by so many people who push and inspire one another.”

These and other �ֲ���ý students profiled here gained valuable skills, learned to adapt to challenges, and discovered new facets of their fields during the summer work. Through internships, research, and community engagement, each student found a deeper sense of purpose and direction, whether it was contributing to public health, advocating for marginalized groups, or exploring the intersections of their academic interests.

The summer was marked by growth, reflection, and connections – a testament to the power of the liberal arts and science to shape these students’ academic journeys and aspirations.

Student: Vova Sosnovskii ’26, a prospective biochemistry and economics double major from St. Petersburg, Russia

Place and Purpose: The Banks Lab, Bonney Science Center, �ֲ���ý College, as a grant-funded research assistant

The Job: Sosnovskii worked in the lab of Assistant Professor of Biology Lori Banks, continuing the lab’s work to better understand the human rotavirus. 

The Story: Among the many viruses that cause human illnesses, two hit the stomach hard. One is the norovirus and the other, the subject of study in the laboratory of Assistant Professor of Biology Lori Banks, is the rotavirus, responsible for the death of half a million children each year.

The Banks lab is currently trying to find a way to target a specific protein, NSP4, which allows the virus to cause gastroenteritis and its debilitating symptoms of diarrhea and fever.

The work, says Sosnovskii, has given him “a clearer sense of purpose in my work. By contributing to the development of antiviral interventions for rotavirus, I was directly impacting public health and potentially saving thousands of lives. This realization was a powerful motivator.”

Sosnovskii gained advanced lab skills in molecular biology, such as E. coli transformation, where tiny bits of DNA get inserted into the bacteria, modifying its genetic makeup so researchers can study how genes work.

Sosnovskii sees a connection between his two prospective majors, biochemistry and economics. “Successfully developing an antiviral intervention for rotavirus could have significant economic implications, such as reducing healthcare costs, improving productivity by reducing illness-related absences, and potentially creating a more efficient healthcare system.”

As for Banks as a lab mentor, she was supportive “from lab experiments to providing snacks. She’s dedicated to our success and well-being,” Sosnovskii said.

Student: Nimco Jama ’24, a biology major from Hargeisa, Somaliland

Place and Purpose: Trinity Jubilee Center, Lewiston, as a public health intern 

The Job: Armed with a funded Purposeful Work internship, Jama served at Trinity Jubilee Center, a secular community center providing comprehensive support in downtown Lewiston through a soup kitchen, food pantry, diaper bank, day shelter, medical clinic, resource center, and refugee integration program. 

The Story: Jama supported the center’s free walk-in clinic. Shadowing a doctor, Jama helped lower the language barriers that her community struggles with. “As a Somali student, I was able to help interpret for Somali patients, while learning more about the basic procedures that a doctor goes through with each patient.” 

At other times of the week, Jama helped register families to receive resources “like fresh fruits and vegetables and working at the food pantry as an interpreter. It’s important that every family gets what they need, and language barriers often get in the way of that.”

The experience left Jama “in awe of how much everyone in Lewiston gives back to the community. I have met high school teachers who spent their summers volunteering and supporting the shelter. It’s been incredible to see how close-knit the community is.”

At the same time, Jama is aware of the privilege that comes with being a �ֲ���ý student. “I want to keep connecting with the community and continue learning from them.”

A tenet of Purposeful Work is to reflect on how her experience fits with her own sense of what feels purposeful. “To me, purposeful work means engaging with challenges in a more holistic way, and that’s exactly what Trinity Jubilee does. There’s a food pantry and a walk-in clinic on Thursdays. But there are also employees who help the community with job searches. Additionally, there’s donated resources that are given out whenever someone needs them. And on top of all that, the shelter’s soup kitchen makes lunch everyday for over a 100 community members.”

The experience has honed her sense of how her future work might fit with what she felt at the center. “I went into the internship thinking that public health in general was what I wanted to pursue. But this internship has shifted me in the direction of nursing school,” she said. “I would like to work toward getting more education in the medical field, but also mix it with social work so that I can make myself useful in two entirely different fields.”

Pursuing multiple career paths, she says, “are very useful, sometimes even necessary!”

Student: Aneeza Ahmad ’25, an environmental studies and philosophy double major from Sharon, Mass.

Place and Purpose: Dirigo Solar, Portland, Maine, as a development intern

The Job: With her funded Purposeful Work internship, Ahmad helped Dirigo Solar in its work with local landowners, towns, and small businesses to co-locate solar power, including researching and summarizing recent solar policy, designing an educational one-pager in Canva, and conducting a project to determine the opportunity for solar in certain Maine communities of focus using different mapping tools.

The Story: All politics is local, said Tip O’Neill, a truism that Amhad learned over the summer when attending a city council meeting in Augusta, Maine, to hear discussion and debates about a solar project. 

“This experience opened my eyes to the complexities of local governments and the role they play in shaping Maine’s future. Policy isn’t only important higher up; a lot of exciting things happen at the local level, too.”

A highlight was getting into the field to see a solar array under construction, two and a half hours north of Portland. “In the office, everyone is working to develop these projects — permitting, talking to the landowners, doing the stuff behind the scenes.”

Like donning a hard hat and a reflective vest, and visiting what used to be a landfill, “to see like actual work being done in the trucks and the tractors and panels and boxes that are gonna get installed. So that was cool.”

She learned about herself, too. “Interning at Dirigo confirmed for me that I am a very mission-driven person. I want to engage in work that helps further a goal I believe in — in this case, to help build a clean energy future for the state of Maine. I found great purpose in this mission, and it was a joy to work with such a passionate team of people committed to the same idea.”

As an environmental studies major, Ahmad has gained “high level, theoretical knowledge about environmental issues and renewable energy.” Interning at Dirigo was a complementary experience. “I have real experience to connect my coursework to. It’s been incredibly valuable to see how the industry works with my own eyes.”

Student: Izzy Beck ’25, a politics major from Montclair, N.J.

Place and Purpose: Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition, Portland, Maine, as a communications and policy intern

The Job: With her Purposeful Work-funded internship, Beck worked with other organizations to promote state and federal legislation and communicate with the coalition’s member organizations.

The Story: Most of Beck’s work consisted of writing briefs and reports pertaining to immigration policy in Maine, particularly in Cumberland County, for the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition’s 100-plus member organizations. 

At a protest in June at the Portland Expo, Beck documented how some of the 270 asylum seekers living at the Expo were protesting the temporary emergency shelter for asylum seekers. They voiced concern about uninhabitable living conditions, including expired food, a lack of warm water and showers. Beck chronicled all of it, as well as the asylum seekers’ protests over a lack of access to permanent housing, opportunities for employment, inadequate transportation and local translators. 

Beck documented how Portland Mayor Kate Synder and other local politicians listened and then responded to the Expo residents’ concerns at the rally.

“This protest helped me understand why the work that I was doing was so important,” Beck said. “My work of sharing information and raising awareness about conditions faced by asylum seekers in Portland was my way of advocating for a group of people that has historically been marginalized in our society. I saw firsthand the inequities faced by immigrants in our community. And I developed a better understanding of the importance of representation in government.”

Student: Alan Wang ‘24, a politics major from Yinchuan, China

Place and Purpose: The Maine State Archives in Augusta, working as an intern with the Department of the Secretary of State

The Job: Wang helped the Maine State Archives with various projects and assisted the Secretary of State’s office by participating in community engagement events and sitting in on Legislature sessions.

The Story: Somewhere in Maine, there’s a newly married couple who owe a tiny bit of their legal union to a �ֲ���ý student from China.

Wang spent the summer working for the Secretary of State, which oversees the Bureau of Corporations and Elections & Commissions. One of Wang’s projects at the bureau was to prepare official certificates for officiants to perform legal marriages in Maine. “I’ve helped all over the place,” Wang said.

Wang pursued the internship after meeting Secretary of State Shenna Bellows last October at �ֲ���ý, where she spoke about free and fair elections in Maine. “The Secretary of State oversees all elections. I did not know that. Because I major in political science, elections are a major theme, which is why I’m here.”

Most of his summer was spent working in the Maine State Archives.

“It was challenging when I started because everyone assumes a certain level of familiarity to Maine history. I didn’t even know Maine was once part of Massachusetts. But I returned to my residence the same day and gave myself a crash course on Maine history.”

The archives maintains roughly eight miles of official State records, including the original state constitution, reported election results, legislative bills, and policies and research created by state agencies.

Wang helped to process incoming records, which means to arrange, organize, describe, and make accessible those materials.

“There were people asking the archives about a list of Maine lumber sites in 1970s, but that information was in boxes that are still waiting to be processed,” said Wang. “And that is what I’m doing. If I happen to sort through that box, then that person’s question can get answered. Whereas if nobody does anything, questions can never be answered.”

Student: Keira January ’25, a history major from Maplewood, N.J.

Place and Purpose: The Frances Perkins Center and Homestead National Historic Landmark in Newcastle, Maine, as a Purposeful Work-funded intern.

The Job: January worked at the center greeting visitors, leading tours of the homestead, and conducting research about Frances Perkins.

The Story: American workers’ rights advocate Frances Perkins was the first woman to serve in a U.S. presidential cabinet, serving from 1933-1945 as the longest-serving Secretary of Labor. 

Through exhibitions, homestead tours, public lectures, and educational outreach programs, the Frances Perkins Center seeks to share Perkins’ commitment to public service and continue to find solutions to social and economic issues.

The tours were especially “challenging,” said January, since as a tour guide, she had to memorize information and be ready for unexpected questions. As she spent more time learning and navigating the homestead, the tours got easier to lead, and she gained confidence in her knowledge.

“I have learned that I really enjoy connecting with people and making their experiences better,” she said. “It was really great to see the impact of our work in such an obvious way. I also learned a lot about labor history and workers’ rights, and now know that I would want to look more into this in the future.”

Soaking in the life and surroundings of a 20th century historical figure helped January pinpoint the chronological focus of her history major to modern history, “especially labor history and immigration history. I am interested to see how these will appear in my future classes.”

Student: Nina Greeley ’24, a biochemistry major from Scarborough, Maine

Place and Purpose: Lindsey R.F. Backman’s Lab at MIT’s Whitehead Institute as a summer undergraduate researcher

The Job: Performing research focusing on understanding how bacteria abundant in the human microbiome protect oxygen-vulnerable enzymes that they rely on for survival.

The Story: Funded by a Purposeful Work internship, Greeley found herself enthralled by the dynamic world of research. “Lab-based research,” she said, “often fails, but resilience is a scientist’s critical trait.”

As part of MIT’s Summer Research Program, Greeley spent lab time looking at bacterial microcompartments, otherwise known as BMCs, which are cellular structures in bacteria, such as E. coli, that encapsulate specific metabolic processes. “I scrutinized papers, led a lab group meeting, and presented my research at the program’s poster session to students, faculty, and families.”

The failure she encountered was when E. coli strains that she was trying to grow under BMC-forming conditions “kept dying.” So she developed what’s known as a bioinformatic analysis pipeline, which offered a solution. “I identified and grew 16 strains successfully under these particular conditions,” she said. “Lucky for me!”

Those trials cemented her longing for scientific excellence. “I aspire to contribute where the best science happens,” Greeley said. 

The experience also pointed her toward what feels purposeful to her. “Modern science propels human progress,” she said. Down the road, she wants to study currently unsolved biological problems. Back on campus, she will pursue her senior thesis, collaborating with Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Jennifer Koviach-Côté to synthesize natural products.

Student: Uche Anyanwu ’25, an economics major from Brooklyn, N.Y.

Place and Purpose: , Brooklyn, as a music educator

The Job: Assisting with music education at two seven-week summer intensives, teaching teens and young adults about music production and DJing, supporting the nonprofit’s work to empower youth through such programs

The Story: “Music is such a wide and broad industry — you can do so many different things,” said Anyanwu, who spent the summer at Building Beats, which provides resources — equipment, workshops, and mentoring — to lower the barriers for youth who want to go into music production.

But, as Ringo Starr sang, “it don’t come easy.” Anyanwu agrees. “You have to be willing to educate yourself and be open-minded to new possibilities.” Anyanwu has musical skill as a recording artist who performs professionally as Uche the Chomp Man, and as a DJ. But, as he is rapidly learning, so many other skills come into play in the music industry, from event planning to networking and leadership. Appreciating the need for such skills has “helped me in my own personal journey to becoming established within the music industry.”

As he heads into his junior year at �ֲ���ý, Anyanwu says he’s “more motivated to use what I learn in the classroom and apply it — whether it’s concepts or organizational skills.”

Student: Lydia Barker ’25, a psychology major from Wellesley, Mass.

Place and Purpose: Boston College’s Infant and Child Cognition Lab, headed by Sara Cordes, as a research assistant 

The Job: Focusing on creating stimuli for new studies, running families through studies on both Zoom and in person, coding, recruiting participants both online and in person, and writing literature reviews. Supporting the lab’s research on understanding how infants, children, and adults keep track of quantity and how social contexts influence math learning.

The Story: Barker worked with a Boston College lab over the summer, but that doesn’t mean she was in a lab every day. 

Many days would find her out and about, either nearby on the Common or the Museum of Science, or an hour’s drive west of the Hub Discovery Museum in Acton.

“As research assistants, we were responsible for recruiting families for our studies, running studies, and inputting data,” she explained. “On these off-site testing days, I was challenged to communicate effectively with families and participants, troubleshoot, and maintain professionalism while representing Boston College as well as �ֲ���ý.”

As she rounded the learning curve, Barker “learned a lot about how to communicate and collaborate with both colleagues as well as participants and families through this experience.”

In collaboration with other labs at Boston College, the Cordes lab held professional development workshops, giving Barker a chance to hear from scientists at every stage of a researcher’s career: “grad students, post docs, and professors and hear about their current research, their professional experience, and graduate school. I learned what professional opportunities are available to me for the future and to build my professional network.”

Having gained hands-on, collaborative research experience, Barker sees potential for her to “fully understand how the classes I am taking apply to research and academic work.”

Students: Aaliyah Moore ’24, an Africana and politics double major from Phoenix; Jack Lawrence ’24, a politics and sociology double major from Rockport, Maine; Emma Rippey ‘24, an Africana and philosophy double major from Chevy Chase, Md.; Perry Beckett ‘24, a philosophy and politics double major from Miami Shores, Fla.

Place and Purpose: Kellogg Hansen law firm in Washington, D.C., summer interns

The path toward many professions is often prescribed. To become a physician, one must take a specific set of courses. Then there’s the law.

For the Purposeful Work interns at the law firm Kellogg Hansen, which specializes in complex trial and appellate litigation, the summer experience underscored the myriad paths to becoming a lawyer. “And everybody takes different paths,” says Emma Rippey ‘24, who shared the four interns’ experiences on the behalf of the group.

The Story: The interns agreed that their internship has “provided us with educational insights and experiences into the practice of law, building on what we learn in classrooms at �ֲ���ý.” 

Day-to-day work included reviewing and summarizing legal documents to help attorneys with cases pending trial. “We regularly participate in speaking, writing, acting and mock trial workshops.” Along the way, the interns were given access to employees at the firm. “We had the opportunity to learn from employees at the firm such as assistants, research analysts, current law students, associates, and founding partners.”

The interns saw the importance of feeling purpose in their future careers. “The best way to have a fulfilling career is to love what you do and to be happy to go to the office every morning.”

Student: Lucy Whitelam ’26, a prospective dance major from Reading, Mass.

Place and Purpose: �ֲ���ý Dance Festival, �ֲ���ý College, as a dance student

The Job: Learning dance with the BDF’s Professional Training Program.

The Story: “The past three weeks have been an amazing and transformative experience,” said Whitelam said in early August, describing what it was like taking classes with the summertime �ֲ���ý Dance Festival’s Professional Training Program.

Over the course of the program, Whitelam began each day with a hip-hop class taught by BDF faculty member and choreographer Duane Lee Holland Jr. in the Gray Athletic Building, and joined by BDF faculty member Akili Jamal Haynes, aka Chibuzo Dunun, a composer and multi-instrumentalist.

After completing her first year at �ֲ���ý, Whitelam was eager to expand on the dance training she received during the academic year.

Unsure at first what to expect, she’s found that everyone she’s met at the festival shares their “whole selves. I feel very lucky to witness all that they have to offer.”

All of the participants and staff genuinely wanted to see others succeed, she said, and she’s grateful she was surrounded by so many people who pushed and inspired one another.

She’s enjoyed many experiences: receiving help from other dancers to learn a challenging step, breaking out into dance on the Quad, or enjoying moments of connection outside the classroom.

As a member of �ֲ���ý’ hip hop club, 2BEATS, Whitelam’s looking forward to sharing what she’s learned with fellow club members when they reconnect in the fall.

“Hip hop at BDF has been incredibly fun and joyful,” she said, “and I have loved getting to groove with the other members of my class, watching us all grow and learn together. Duane has created such a supportive and energetic class environment.”

In addition to learning hip hop skills, students in Holland’s course receive an introduction to theory, practice, aesthetics, and historical foundations of hip-hop dance.

 _______________________________________________________________________

Students: Kendall Jones ‘25, a biochemistry major from Plymouth, N.H., and Sebenele Lukhele ’26, a prospective biology and economics major from Manzini, Eswatini

Place and Purpose: �ֲ���ý College as summer interns with Admission

Their Story: In simple terms, the job of the Admission office is to tell the �ֲ���ý story to prospective students. 

This culture of storytelling and community aligns with Jones’ aspirations. “Admission is really about stories and learning about one another. That’s a culture that I want to be around for years to come.”

Jones’ fellow summer intern Lukhele discovered that leading campus tours and information sessions and meeting people from around the world helped to cultivate valuable interpersonal skills, an invaluable asset for an aspiring medical doctor.

“I felt immense fulfillment in helping everyone, each with different needs and perspectives, and helping to reduce the stress that comes with the challenge of choosing a college.”

With that fulfillment came a sense of purpose. “Purposeful work for me would be an occupation — medical doctor — that involves working directly with people and guiding them to the best path they can take in their lives.”

For Jones, the summer had an earlier chapter. In June, as a biochemistry research assistant in the lab of Visiting Assistant Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry Lydia Pazienza, she delved into the intricacies of RNA and metal complexes, navigating scientific articles, procedures, and hands-on lab work. “I gained new research skills and a huge amount of confidence,” she said.

Jones found that giving 50-minute tours taught her to be a concise communicator. “Anyone who has met me can tell you that I am not a concise speaker! Working in Admission has really challenged me to learn to tell stories and convey information using less words but still delivering the same impact. As in all of my �ֲ���ý courses — biochemistry or theater — we are expected to do presentations and I feel I will be far more engaging of a presenter going forward.” 

Student: Naomi Lynch ’25, an environmental studies major from Farmingdale, Maine

Place and Purpose: Worked with youth as an intern at St. Mary’s Nutrition Center, Lewiston

The Job: Helped maintain various community gardens in the Lewiston-Auburn area and assisted in the food pantry to help the center strengthen community connections, nurture a sense of place, and facilitate a deeper commitment to equity.

The Story: Lynch found teaching youth gardening skills to be difficult and gratifying.

Keeping youth focused while gardening was a big challenge. At times, she was drenched by the hose while the youth watered the garden. One time, she was even caught in a dirt fight. In the end, she left feeling accomplished and more confident in her ability to spread a love of gardening.

“At first, planting seeds and pulling weeds did not intrigue them. It was only after we made games and got them to pay attention that you could see the excitement on their faces,” Lynch said. 

An environmental studies major with a focus on the humanities and human culture, Lynch sees direct connections between her internship and her studies. “Definitely, in almost every way — not only just through the obvious like gardening and connecting with nature, but to to provide people with healthy, nutritious food and giving people the autonomy to create their own food.”

The experienced shifted Lynch’s perception of what purposeful work could be. Her past internships were focused strictly on ecology and nature, which was rewarding.

But the opportunity to help people in need, for Lynch, proved “beyond anything I felt before.” She finished her internship feeling closer to her community and more confident in her academics and in her ability to build connections with others.

“The combination of helping community members through nature has been a spectacular experience of meshing my two purposeful interests into one,” Lynch said. “It has also influenced me to start looking at classes around food systems/sovereignty after seeing the importance of both in my work this summer.”

Student: Benjamin Morse ‘25, a biology major from Sunderland, Mass.

Place and Purpose: Gulf of Maine Research Institute, Portland, Maine

The Job: As a Purposeful Work intern at the GMRI’s UMaine’s Pelagic Fisheries Lab, Morse extracted, documented, and processed Atlantic bluefin tuna otoliths in order to prepare the otoliths for aging and to help biologists determine the stock of origin of bluefin tuna using microscopy and isotopic chemistry techniques.

The Story: As a biology major with a pre-med focus, Morse aspires to practice rural medicine. His experience this summer collaborating with fishermen and the fishing community in Maine solidified that desire, even though it wasn’t in the field he expects to pursue.

Morse said his internship this summer gave him a sensitivity and sense of empathy for the communities he might serve in the future.

“Many rural jobs require long days and labor-intensive work, fishing included. I’m familiar with this kind of work because I grew up with my dad’s landscaping business right next door to my house and worked for the company for multiple summers,” Morse said. “This work can be both physically and mentally taxing and does not allow for down time. Therefore, rural medicine needs to be sensitive to the economic restraints of small businesses while being attentive to the health outcomes that may result from this type of work.”

Morse also found the internship purposeful because he said his work contributed “to human, organismal, and environmental health,” and he helped to contribute to the sustainable management of one of Maine’s biggest industries. 

“Tuna supplies a healthy source of protein and Omega-3 fatty acids to those who eat it, as well as a much-needed pay day for those who sell it. Therefore, this internship has given me real world experience in the reliance of human health on the health of another species,” Morse said.

Ben Morse ‘24 arrived at Spring Point Marina in South Portland, Maine, on July 31 to work at his first tuna tournament where his task for the day “was like something out of a horror movie;” cutting the heads off tuna and digging through fish brains. 

“Ready to get to work, Ben? This one is going to have a lot of blood in it!” boomed biologist Walt Golet with a laugh as he welcomed his undergraduate intern.

Morse’s mission at the Casco Bay Bluefin Bonanza tuna tournament involved gore and guts, but the endgame was about collecting data for Golet’s laboratory at the University of Maine and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in Portland.

By removing the otolith bone from tuna heads — a task that, it turns out, Morse is really good at — he helped provide key data used by biologists to assess the health of the tuna population in the northwest Atlantic, which, in turn, helps inform policy makers who manage the tuna fishery. 

Scientists consider the small bone in a tuna’s ear something akin to the voyage data recorder on a ship because it provides a wealth of information, like the age of the fish and whether the fish was spawned in the western Atlantic or the Mediterranean Sea.

For Morse, a biology major with a pre-med focus, the experience this summer at his Purposeful Work internship provided a more holistic understanding of the connectivity between the environment and human health.

“A concept from a European public health class I took in the Netherlands during a semester abroad really resonated with me, where it focused on humans as a species that really rely on other species and the environment.”

Ben Morse

“A concept from a European public health class I took in the Netherlands during a semester abroad really resonated with me, where it focused on humans as a species that really rely on other species and the environment,” said Morse of Sunderland, Mass. “I think now more than ever we realize our own health is connected to the health of the environment.”

This summer, Morse worked alongside two doctoral candidates from the University of Maine gathering data for Golet, an assistant professor at the University of Maine’s School of Marine Sciences and the lead biologist at the UMaine Pelagic Fisheries Lab located at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute.

Each summer, Golet’s lab collects samples from tuna caught between North Carolina and Maine from commercial and recreational landings, including at several tuna tournaments throughout the northeast. Through a partnership with �ֲ���ý, GMRI has offered Purposeful Work internships to �ֲ���ý students since 2018. The GMRI internship program is competitive, receiving applications from coast to coast each year, according to Beverly Vari, who oversees �ֲ���ý’ Purposeful Work internship program as the college’s associate director for employer engagement and internships.

Golet said every year �ֲ���ý students come to the internship ready to, literally, roll up their sleeves, get splashed by blood, and get to work. This year, Morse was no different.

“They come in and get along with everyone in the lab; they are hard working; they’re interested; invested in the work; and they want to be here. They bring a kind of enthusiasm,” Golet gushed. “There is a big difference between sitting in a science class and being there in person with an 800-pound fish where you do all the measurements yourself and record the data. It’s actual data used the next time there is a bluefin assessment.”

Between 4,000 and 6,000 bluefin tuna are harvested annually between North Carolina and Maine, according to GMRI. Last year, Golet’s lab processed around 1,500 Atlantic bluefin tuna to gather data that is used by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, the regional fishery management organization that represents 52 countries in the management of highly migratory species in the Atlantic Ocean including bluefin tuna populations.

The data Golet’s team collects is used in the stock assessment process to set quotes based on the best available science.

Golet said the tuna population is doing well at the moment, and the size limit for commercially landed tuna in the northwest Atlantic by U.S. commercial fishermen — at 73 inches — is the largest minimum length in the world. 

“All of those countries are in agreement that the east and west stocks are doing well enough to increase the fish catch,” Golet said. “Bluefin are coming back a little bit. It’s a conservation success story.”

A key to that success story is the otolith. 

Just two months into his summer internship, Morse already had found and removed 30 otolith from tuna hauled in on fishing boats. At the Casco Bay tournament on July 31, he got to work on the six tuna that were waiting on boats lined up at the docks when he arrived at 8 a.m.

“Although it sounds gruesome, cutting the tuna head with a saw was the most fun,” Morse said. “The goal is to get the otolith out of the head, so you ignore the gruesome part. You have a mission and it’s easy to get lost in that mission.”

First Morse helped Golet measure a 600-pound tuna, then he held it as Golet used a power saw to cut off the head.

While the two worked, a crowd of spectators watched from outside a fence as tuna blood and innards dropped out of the hanging fish. For his part, Morse loved the public-education component of Golet’s work at the Bluefin Bonanza.

“The other tournaments don’t let us cut the fish up because they don’t want the kids to see. But the kids love it,” Morse said. 

Moments later, Morse used an electric saw to cut into the head of a tuna. Then, using tweezers, he searched through a canal in the brain for the otolith. Yellowjackets swarmed him. But Morse worked on, unperturbed. He found his prize — the fragile ear bone — within minutes.

Even if he never participates in fisheries science again, Morse said the experience of being involved in research that will have a direct impact on public health was invaluable. 

“You see how collaborative science is,” Morse said. “You’re part of the effort, even if you’re just an intern and not performing the chemistry. You’re an important part of the machine that, as Walt said, will inform (biologists) with more accurate data that will help to inform fishermen.”

Harris Ramlee ‘25 woke up one morning this summer to find an unwelcome sleeping companion in his bed: A roughly 15-foot snake, most likely a reticulated python, the world’s longest snake. He was living in a primitive cabin in North Sumatra where he came to study orangutans in the Batu Kapal Conservation Sanctuary.

“I didn’t realize it was a snake that morning until one of my friends screamed. Another day I woke up and saw a monkey trying to steal my clothes. It was an eventful experience,” Ramlee said. 

Snakes and monkeys aside, Ramlee discovered through his Purposeful Work internship at the Indonesian conservation sanctuary that he was — surprisingly — right where he needed to be.

Purposeful Work internships have a distinctive developmental structure that help students explore careers that might interest them while benefiting from new lessons and skills gained. 

In Ramlee’s case, he knew before his trip to Indonesia that his interest was in marine biology, not wildlife biology. But the work monitoring endangered apes spoke to him — and Ramlee wanted to answer the call. 

“It was beyond what I could imagine. I loved every single moment of it,” said Ramlee in a phone interview from his home in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. “I don’t know why I chose orangutans. You hear about elephant conservation, but rarely do people know that orangutans are an endangered species. And I am always someone who does something different from others.” 

Video clips of the orangutans of the Batu Kapal sanctuary, courtesy of Harris Ramlee ’25.

Each summer, Purposeful Work interns take part in weekly check-ins with �ֲ���ý staff and students to facilitate deeper reflection. This was not possible for Ramlee since he was out of cell range for most of his internship. But Beverly Vari, who oversees the Purposeful Work internship program, told Ramlee they would simply go with Plan B.

Vari spoke with Ramlee before he went into the jungle, communicated with him once through email when he had connectivity, and made a plan for their discussion when he arrived home in Malaysia. It’s all part of guiding students toward life-changing experiences. 

“When he returns, we will talk about all those purposeful reflective components, and about a presentation he will give on campus — to pay the knowledge forward,” said Vari, �ֲ���ý’ associate director for employer engagement and internships.

While in Indonesia, Ramlee helped a team of five other interns identify and map the travel coordinates of 17 wild orangutans in the sanctuary, located near Gunung Leuser National Park, which is part of a UNESCO World Heritage site and home to wild Sumatran tigers, elephants, orangutans, and rhinos. 

The orangutans in the sanctuary have been cut off from the national park due to human activity, such as farming and deforestation. Batu Kapal is working to help the apes find travel routes back to the larger orangutan population in the national park. 

Once found throughout Southeast Asia and South China, the endangered orangutan is now one of the most threatened species on the planet, found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra.

Ramlee and his team used GIS mapping to document the movements of the orangutans to try to highlight the areas in the jungle the apes used. They also worked to discourage local farmers from planting palm oil trees, a lucrative crop but one that is harmful to the orangutans because of the tree’s thorny branches. That work sometimes involved Ramlee serving as an interpreter. Because he is Malaysian and his language is similar to Malay, he was able to help his team communicate with the local farmers in Indonesia. 

The experience typified a Purposeful Work internship. Ramlee went into the jungle with a narrow expectation: to study and help a wildlife species. But, in the end, he also worked to help build trust between the local people and the research team. 

“The language barrier was very challenging. But we tried to manage it. I tried to help translate to English for the team, who came from a few countries in Europe, from England, Holland and Germany,” Ramlee said. 

On average, the team saw orangutans four or five days each week, an event that elicited excitement and awe.

In training, they learned to move away from orangutans that made aggressive sounds, which could be considered warning calls. Ramlee said they also learned to stand 35 to 65 feet back from the apes — and never to make eye contact, which the apes could view as a challenge.

“They are wild and you want to keep them as wild as possible. So moving away from them tells them we respect their area,” Ramlee said.

After the internship, Ramlee still felt his primary interest was in marine biology. But he said he would never forget the apes he tried to help, or the people who joined him in that effort.

“Everyone was present. They were not thinking of the need to go on social media, or about playing some game on their phone. Everyone was sharing their experience and sharing stories,” Ramlee said. 

“I learned it was not just about taking care of the conservation of orangutans, but also the relationship between the project and the local people. Every single moment at Batu Kapal I was gaining knowledge. Now I’m trying to see what I can do with this knowledge. I have two more years at �ֲ���ý. I have some time to think about this.”