Student Success Stories

Katie Cooper ‘12, statement about spring internship. “Albright College is a great place to be a pre-veterinary biology student. Over the spring of 2011, I was able to intern at a well known and respectable mixed animal practice located about 15 minutes away from campus. The practice, Willow Creek Veterinary Center, and the doctors there specialized in both large animal medicine as well as small animal and exotics. With the help from my advisor, I was able to coordinate this internship and was even able to receive course credit for the time I spent there. This was a great opportunity to get out of the classroom and into a real life situation. My time spent at the center was divided into observing surgery, accompanying doctors in office appointments, observing physical therapy and chinese medicine treatments such as acupuncture. One of my favorite experiences was witnessing a cesarian section being preformed on a pregnant, female bull dog. The doctors there were all very helpful and knowledgable. I learned so much of value from them and it was a great experience in confirming what I already planned on doing for the rest of my life. For that reason and so many more, I would highly recommend everyone at Albright to take advantage of the internship program offered.”

Adam Stamm, speaking about his time in Egypt: “I know now that I want to make a difference in the region, no matter how big or small, and if it wasn’t for living in Cairo for a semester I might have mistaken that desire to create change, for a want to just simply travel. I am connected to the region more than ever and I can’t wait for my next opportunity to return.”

Emily Miller, Historical Society of Berks County Internship:  “For three months, I walked amongst history and it reassured me I’m doing the right thing by being a history major. This unpaid and uncredited internship taught me that you are in the right field if you love what you are doing even though there is no immediate gratification. The economy is harsh and unforgiving but doing something you don’t love is just that as well. I’m not totally sure if the museum studies field is the right field for me or if I am better suited to becoming a professor. To test my career goals further, I have applied for an internship at the Eisenhower Historic Site in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and have been luckily granted an interview this upcoming January 2011. The more experience I gain, the more diverse and knowledgeable I become. Is graduate school for European Studies in my future? It well may be for like Winston Churchill stated, ‘History will be kind to me for I intend to write it.’”

John Weber, who studied in Germany: “My time abroad will always have pertinence and reference in my future business decisions.  Cultural variance is now a priority in my life, as I will walk in America as a more international version of my former self.  Stepping outside of my own country helped rationalize that the ways of America are important in this part of the world, but having personal global influence allows for a more thorough analysis of new business questions.  I spoke the German language in the streets, family homes, during classes and almost every other scenario. Regardless of what language I speak in Europe or America, I will forever apply the logical German business approach to quality and customer satisfaction.”

Missy Yake, studied abroad in London, England: “Many people believe that they cannot afford to study abroad, but with the flexibility of choosing any study abroad program that exists, there is a study abroad program to fit any budget, no matter how small or large. If you truly wish to study abroad and are committed to putting in the effort to find a program, the study abroad office will help you throughout the entire process.”

Amanda Reed, faculty-led interim trips and multiple internships: “Through my two study abroad opportunities in France and Mexico, my participation in the Disney College Program, my marketing internship with the Albright College Library, and now through my two internships during my last semester at Reese Advertising and the Sovereign Center, I cannot even wait to see what’s in store after college.”

Jessica Ritter, ACRE Project:  “ My Experiential Learning Project cemented two facts into my life. The first was that I needed to change my major from Religious Studies and Secondary Education in English to Religious Studies and Sociology. I loved being able to talk to people about how their religion and beliefs affected their lives, and I would have never realized that if I hadn’t been granted this ACRE. The second fact that I found was that I wanted to continue doing projects like that, whether through a      job, internship, or another ACRE.”

Sarah Bruno, three ACRE Projects: “Yet, I believe that the real value that I have personally gained through my experiences with my individual ACREs has been the opportunity to meet and work with new people and be exposed to new texts that I otherwise may never have known.”

Sean Crossley, internships: “This experience in NYC has given me an incredible sense of direction for what I want to do after graduation and more importantly what I may not want to do.  I know that I would love to work for a large corporation and know what items to look for that I would consider “enjoyable” to work for.  Overall, the experience really gave me clarity, established incredible, meaningful relationships, and has really excited me to enter the workforce after I graduate.”

Sarah Bear, Two internships: “From both of these internships, I have made some life-changing decisions. Without NJCASA, I wouldn’t have had the chance to really ponder my after-graduation choices. I wouldn’t have decided to volunteer abroad or join AmeriCorps. I know that helping others is my calling, whether it means helping victims of sex trafficking in Nepal, or preventing domestic violence in New Jersey through the AmeriCorps program. Without the Alice Paul Institute, I would not have become as strong an advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment as I am.”

Sarab Sodhi, Internships and an ACRE: This past summer (The summer of 2009) I performed research at a hospital in India. I looked at measuring patient safety and attempting to hypothesize why patient safety was so very good in some areas and so very bad in others. This research became the basis upon which my senior thesis was built… As I interview [for medical school], one of the questions they always ask is, ‘What makes you different from the other 10,000 people applying for this spot?’ My answer has been simply that I am looking at medicine as an art that can be improved upon, as a science that can be advanced, and that patient care and safety can still be vastly improved; and that this research helps me see medicine with all of its flaws.”