Pictured from left to right. Row 1: Nurah Ali '21, Shukri Ali '21, Ashley Anderson '21; Row 2: Anmol Nagar '21, Kathryn Pundyk '20, Olaide Sode '19
Six Wellesley College students have been accepted to The Class of 1967 Internship Program at the Wellesley Centers for Women. Over the course of the internship, each student will gain hands-on social science research experience under the supervision and mentorship of a WCW research scientist. One internship will take place in the summer of 2018, while the remaining five will run over the 2018-19 academic year. The named internships, which were established by generous gifts from Wellesley College alumnae and friends of the Centers, are awarded each spring to Wellesley College students who seek to make a difference in the world through research and action.
Here are the six student interns and their research projects:
Nurah Ali ’21, The Class of 1967 Internship
Research Topic: Afterschool Programs for Low-Income Teens
“As someone who is of African American and Mexican heritage, I believe I bring a unique perspective to the table because I identify with many different segments of our community. I plan to bring this perspective when analyzing and interpreting the interview data for this specific project.”
Nurah is from Worcester, MA, and her career goal is to become the first doctor in her family. She is taking pre-med courses and plans to major in psychology. Under the mentorship of Georgia Hall, Ph.D., she will study a local afterschool youth development and employment program for low-income teens.
Shukri Ali ’21, The Anne Murray Ladd Student Internship
Research Topic: Somali Girls Deserve an Education
"Even though I was lucky enough to a pursue free high school education in an elite boarding school, my fellow Somali girls do not get the same opportunities. They stay at home until they get an arranged marriage or their future husband arrives. They nurture children and are maids for their siblings. I want to change that. I want to eradicate the idea that girls belong at home."
Shukri, whose major is undeclared, is from Somaliland and wants to make education available for girls in her homeland. Under the mentorship of Wendy Wagner Robeson, Ed.D., she will explore why Somali girls are discouraged from attending school. It is Shukri’s hope that this research will help make education available to more Somali girls.
Ashley Anderson ’21, Davis Scholar, The Class of 1967 Internship
Research Topic: Justice and Gender-Based Violence
"I believe that if brave women don’t keep joining the military, refusing to be kept as second-class citizens, that conditions will never improve. Women need to keep joining the ranks if things are ever going to get better, and I would like to do whatever I can to keep those women as safe as possible."
Ashley, whose major is undeclared, arrived at Wellesley College after serving six years in the U.S. Navy as a nuclear electronics technician. Under the mentorship of Linda Williams, Ph.D., Ashley will assist with two ongoing research projects funded by the National Institute of Justice, one on sexual assault on college campuses and another on the justice system response to sexual assault.
Anmol Nagar ’21, The Linda Coyne Lloyd Student Research Internship
Research Topic: How Teens Talk with Their Families About Sex and Relationships
"...I was particularly attracted to this internship because of its pertinence to my own life. This past year, my younger sister Saachi entered middle school...As she went through sex-ed in 5th grade, she also went with my mom to a one-day event offered at our local hospital designed to expand upon sex-ed curriculum. After experiencing these two academic settings, she came to me, rather than my mother with tentative questions."
Anmol plans to major in international relations with a concentration in economics. Her career goal is to work in the public sector. Under the mentorship of Jennifer Grossman, Ph.D., she will analyze and interpret findings from interviews about how teens and their families talk about sex and relationships for a study funded by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development at the National Institutes of Health.
Kathryn Pundyk ’20, The Morse Fellowship
Research Topic: Career Dynamics of Men and Women
"I have become acutely aware of the benefits of robust research in creating good policy. I recently led a project that tried to lobby our 53 member states to consent to working with the World Bank to gather age-disaggregated data on youth unemployment and underemployment in member states."
Kathryn is a double major in political science and economics. She is from Canada and her career goal is to be a data-driven researcher. Under the mentorship of Sari Pekkala Kerr, Ph.D., she will study the career dynamics of men and women following major life events, such as marriage, childbirth, and geographic move.
Olaide Sode ’19, Shirley R. Sherr Student Research Internship
Research Topic: Risks and Benefits of Teen Social Media Use
"As a future physician, my goal is to serve as an advocate for young girls and women and improve their health outcomes in a way that is cognizant of their culture, background, and environment."
Olaide is an anthropology major and a pre-med student. As a SHE (Sexual Health Educator) at Wellesley, she uses traditional and social media to bring awareness to issues that affect students in terms of their sexual health and wellbeing. Under the mentorship of Linda Charmaraman, Ph.D., Olaide will assist on several mixed-method, interdisciplinary research projects related to the risks and benefits of social media use for teens and young adults.
May 23, 2018
