The Class of 1967 Internship Program at the Wellesley Centers for Women

Mentor: Wendy Wagner Robeson, Ed.D.

Currently, several research projects are being conducted under the umbrella of Work, Families and Children at the Wellesley Centers for Women. Much of our work is on child development (birth to age 8) and early education and care. I am willing to supervise any research project a student wishes to complete on any topic in human development, early education and care as well as on any topic that includes children, women, families or work.

The intern will develop an independent project that will be completed over the academic year. Projects may include data collection through surveys, observations or interviews. They may also be more academic in nature and delve deeper into a current problem or concern of interest to the student. Often our interns have done both and use surveys, observations and interviews to supplement and support their research. Supervision and mentoring will be provided to help guide the intern.

Intern's Responsibilities: Develop a topic of exploration and accompanying research questions, complete a literature review, design a study, collect data, do analyses, write a paper, and present at the Ruhlman conference. Weekly meetings with Dr. Robeson will take place.

Skills Required: The intern must be able to work well independently. Having prior psychology classes in child development or education classes is a plus. Prior work in conducting analyses is also a plus but not a requirement.

Requisition number: R0004674

Mentor: Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D.

Subject of Intern's Project: Adolescent mental wellbeing on social media

Dr. Charmaraman leads several research projects within the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Research Lab pertaining to the risks and benefits of using social technologies in adolescence. These projects include a) survey and interview studies of middle school students and their parents on how they manage social technology use, b) implementing digital wellbeing, identity, and STEM workshops to middle school youth, c) collecting and analyzing survey data related to online civic engagement and identity (e.g., race, gender, sexual orientation, political), and d) developing and piloting digital citizenship lessons for youth. Depending on funding at the time of the internship, the intern may be involved in a new NIH project that involves interviewing teens about their pets and their technology use. Because disseminating our research findings is key to making positive changes in our communities, our intern will actively engage in disseminating our upcoming events and research findings such as maintaining a strong Instagram presence for our lab @youthmediawellbeing. Dr. Charmaraman hopes to mentor someone who is interested in exploring graduate school or a future career in either research or nonprofit work. In addition, there is a possibility of co-publishing a peer-reviewed article depending on the motivation and dedication level of the intern.

Intern's Responsibilities:

• Support research activities across multiple projects
• Search for relevant literature for reports, manuscripts, and grant proposals
• Write literature summaries
• Format documents and reference lists
• Conduct hour-long Zoom interviews with teens
• Manage an interview codebook
• Learn NVivo to analyze qualitative data
• Work with a team to interpret quantitative and qualitative results
• Co-presenting works-in-progress at WCW lecture series, Ruhlman conference, or community-based webinar
• Assist with writing blogs, social media postings, website content, infographics, and/or research briefs about project findings
• Ability to meet on a regular basis at Cheever House and arrange schedule to meet intern-related deadlines. For instance, a typical 10-hr weekly schedule is to meet in-person for 5-6 hours each week, then work independently to complete the work.

Skills Required:

• Enthusiasm for participating in team-based research and action projects related to adolescent social media use
• Some coursework in at least one of the following fields is required: psychology, education, statistics, sociology, ethnic studies, women's and gender studies, communications, computer science, media, arts, & sciences, social science methods (quantitative or qualitative)
• Ability to multitask and respond to work requests by email in a timely manner
• Good written communication and copyediting skills
• Prior experience working with youth aged 10-17 desirable (e.g., summer camp, mentorship programs, tutoring, etc.)
• Experience with creating Instagram posts and design using Canva
• Experience with Qualtrics, SPSS or R a plus
• Pet lovers encouraged to apply
• Preference for students who have taken Dr. Charmaraman's EDUC 328 Calderwood course offered each fall.

Requisition number: R0004721

Mentor: Georgia Hall, Ph.D.

Subject of the Intern’s Project: Work with our research team to analyze and summarize afterschool program observation data as part of our local and national program quality improvement initiative.

Intern’s Responsibilities: Provide support to the research team on data organizing and analysis tasks. Assist researchers with writing, summarizing, and sharing findings. Conduct background research to help prepare research briefs and conference presentations. Potential travel with a research team for data collection or presentation of research findings.

Skills Required: Writing, summarizing, experience with excel, stats, and powerpoint a plus. Will have the opportunity to learn NVivo software program for coding and analysis.

Requisition number: R0004678

Mentor: Pashtana Dorani

Subject of the Intern’s Project: Are you a student passionate about making a difference in the world and eager to gain practical experience in addressing real-world challenges? We have an exciting internship opportunity for you within an NGO incubator/course led by Ms. Dorani at Wellesley College.

As an intern, you will have the unique opportunity to work closely with Ms. Dorani and contribute to community development initiatives, particularly focusing on crisis situations and advocating for the betterment of Afghan women. You will be involved in planning and other project activities, gaining hands-on experience in project management and resource mobilization.

This internship will provide you with valuable insights into sustainable development practices within crisis contexts and the opportunity to engage with other students at Wellesley College, enriching your understanding of humanitarian response and sustainability. You will also have the chance to contribute to the broader discourse on sustainable humanitarian practices, further solidifying your role as a thought leader and practitioner in the field.

If you are a proactive and dedicated student looking to make a meaningful impact and enhance your skills in the areas of community development, sustainability, and humanitarian practices, we encourage you to apply for this internship opportunity. Join us in creating a dynamic learning environment that fosters growth and positive change.

Apply now and be part of a team that is committed to shaping a better future for communities in need. Please note this project is more practice based than research.

Responsibilities:

• Assist in planning efforts for the NGO incubator/course led by Ms. Dorani
• Support community development initiatives, with a focus on crisis situations and advocacy for Afghan women
• Engage with students at Wellesley College, providing insights into sustainable development practices within crisis contexts
• Contribute to the discourse on sustainable humanitarian practices through active participation and collaboration
• Work closely with Ms. Dorani to gain practical experience in project management and resource mobilization
• Participate in creating a dynamic learning environment that promotes growth and positive change
• Take on additional tasks and projects as needed to support the overall goals of the internship and course.

Skills Required:

• Senior undergraduate student pursuing a degree in a relevant field such as International Relations, Development Studies, Humanitarian Affairs, or a related discipline
• Passionate about making a positive impact in the world and committed to community development and advocacy for marginalized populations
• Strong interest in sustainable development practices, humanitarian response, and crisis contexts
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage effectively with students, faculty, and external stakeholders
• Proactive and self-motivated with the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a dynamic environment
• Prior experience in project management or related areas is a plus
• Demonstrated leadership skills and a willingness to take on responsibilities to support the goals of the internship and course

Requisition Number: R0004694

Mentor: Layli Maparyan, Ph.D.

Subject of the Intern’s Project: Dr. Maparyan is the Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Lead for the Higher Education for Conservation Activity (HECA), sponsored by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). This project aims to improve higher education and early career development in forestry, biodiversity, and conservation in Liberia, West Africa, with an emphasis on greater inclusion of women, youth, people with disabilities, and people from rural forest communities. Dr. Maparyan’s activities include landscape research and program development. Dr. Maparyan is also initiating new work with a large international team funded by a major foundation to develop a program to address and reduce sexual- and gender-based violence (SGBV) affecting college students in and from Africa. This project will have touchpoints in Ghana, Kenya, and other countries. Last but not least, Dr. Maparyan is working on a book on womanist methodology. As an intern, you will engage in various tasks related to each of these projects.

Intern’s Responsibilities:

• Support research and program development activities across multiple projects.
• Conduct literature searches for reports, manuscripts, and other products of the work
• Conduct various online searches (e.g., local African news media from different countries) and organize/summarize the material found
• Read and digest technical reports, news stories, and other sources of information
• Prepare bibliographies
• Transcribe data, including interviews
• Provide input on data analysis and interpretation, including African cultural analysis
• Assist with preparation of various visual formats for data presentation
• Occasionally attend online team meetings
• Write a blog about your experiences and learnings for the WCW blog
• Other tasks, as needed

Skills required:

• Ability to work with ease using both Word and Google platforms and products
• Excellent online search skills
• Excellent graphic communication skills
• Strong professional communication skills (email, phone, in-person)
• Ability to proofread for both content and technical writing errors
• Ability to create bibliographies in both Chicago and APA styles
• Strongly preferred: First-hand knowledge of or experience with African culture
• Strongly preferred: Coursework related to Africa
• Strongly preferred: Social science coursework (any empirical discipline)
• Preferred: Coursework related to Africana studies and/or women and gender studies
• A self-starter who works well independently but is also highly communicative
• Ability to both meet in person and work remotely on a weekly basis, as well as to interface with various WCW personnel, as needed, especially when Dr. Maparyan is traveling

Requisition Number: R0004683

Apply in Workday. Log into the “My Wellesley” portal and select “Workday”. Go to the Career worklet in your Workday main menu. You can then search by the requisition number to locate the role and apply for the position. The requisition number for each internship is noted under the description.

Any registered Wellesley College student with a GPA of at least 3.0 may apply for the Class of 1967 Internship Program. Students must be registered at the College during the year of the internship. Interested students should become acquainted with the mission of WCW and the work of their desired mentor.

If there are any questions about WCW’s internships, please email wcw@wellesley.edu. If there are questions about the application process in Workday, please contact Wellesley College Student Employment at studentemployment@wellesley.edu.

I am a first year student and only have shadow grades. Can I apply?

Yes. There is a way of showing your actual grades on your transcript. Please send your transcript in a way that displays those grades.

I will graduate in December during the internship year. Can I apply?

Yes, you can apply provided you meet the other qualifications. Note: it is ultimately up to the mentor whether or not a December graduation will be okay in their situation.

I am going to be abroad for a semester next year. Can I apply?

Yes, you can apply. Note: it is ultimately up to the mentors whether or not a semester abroad will be okay in their situation.

Thanks to the generous donors who make these internships possible:

• The Anne Murray Ladd Student Internship was established in 2005 by family and friends in memory of Anne Murray Ladd, a 1998 Wellesley College Honors graduate.
• The Linda Coyne Lloyd Student Research Internship was established in 1998 by family and friends in memory of Linda Coyne Lloyd '63, a long-time, active supporter of the Wellesley Centers for Women. This internship gives preference to students who are interested in engaging in policy-oriented research.
• Shirley R. Sherr Student Research Internship was established in 1998 by a generous gift from Lynn Sherr '63, and her sister, Lois Dubin, in honor of their mother.
• The Class of 1967 Internship was established by a generous gift from the Wellesley College Class of 1967, in 1992 on the occasion of its 25th reunion.
• The Morse Fellowship was established in 1992 by a generous gift from Richard P. Morse and Claire Wien Morse '57 of Brookline, MA. This fellowship gives preference to students with career interests in the fields of mental health or wellbeing.