Internships Abound Despite Wobbly Economy

By Emily T. Meinhardt '10

Against the backdrop of a troubled economy, CMC students did remarkably well for themselves this summer. From jobs with corporate accounting firms to positions with the nonprofit sector, students filled a variety of niches in the internship market.

The Career Services Center at CMC was able to provide internship sponsorship to 103 students this year.

"We encouraged students to broaden their searches and consider more than one industry when seeking positions," says Beth Ricca, Director of Internship Programs at the Career Services Center. The motivation to push students outside their comfort zones paid off: Many CMCers found themselves this summer working away from home—indeed, some away from the country—doing fulfilling, purposeful work.

Three such students are Elise Viebeck '10, Carlos Hernandez '11, and Ung-Sang Lee '10.

Viebeck, a government major and California native, spent the summer in New York, working for the New York Post at both the Sunday Edition and the Editorial page. She was awarded the internship as part of the Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in College Journalism.

"Working in the newsroom of a major daily was a terrific opportunity," Viebeck shares. "That it was in New York City was an added bonus. Newspapers may be in decline, but you'd never know it there."

As a participant in the Career Services Center's Sponsored Summer Internship Program, Carlos Hernandez worked at Lt. Gov. John Garamendi's Los Angeles office. It was CMC's strong alumni network, he says, that brought him to the position. Spending last summer working with Clark Lee '04, Political Director of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party (LACDP), Hernandez had the opportunity to meet LACDP Chair Eric Bauman, who is also the Southern California chief of staff for John Garamendi.

Carlos cites his past work with the LACDP as his motivation for continuing in politics: "Once I saw how the behind-the-scenes of politics worked, I wanted to move up and gain more experiences in a different field. Growing up in California all my life, I really wanted to know more about the policies and the processes that make this state function, and decided that this internship opportunity would do just that."

Taking work experience to a global level, Ung-Sang Lee '10 received sponsorship from Career Services to intern in Bangkok, Thailand. Working for the International Organization for Migration, an intergovernmental organization that promotes humane international migration, Lee learned the attributes and attitudes that are universally valued in the workplace.

"I think the most important lesson that you learn abroad," he shares, "is finding out what you have in common with the world around you—the things that seem to make everyone click, despite cultural and geographical differences." His daily responsibilities ranged from coordinating with other UN agencies to editing English on project reports.

With this abroad experience, Lee can testify that what he learned is shared across the globe. "The things that, despite of cultural and geographical differences, seem to make everyone click," he says.

As part of CMC's sponsored internship program, students must complete a research paper with a faculty member on a topic relating to their summer experience. For his paper, Hernandez is now writing about the constitutional implications of California budget cuts.

Students participating in the program also receive course credit for their internships.

As the job search becomes remains competitive, professional internship experiences with academic relevance will become valuable assets for CMC students seeking jobs and internships. Luckily, like many other CMCers, Viebeck and Hernandez are in good shape for their future professional pursuits.