Hartwick Students Drive Social Impact Through Baker-Simpson Internships

Hometown: Pleasant Hill, California
Major: Public Health
Minor: Political Science
Internship Title: Transitional Age Youth Intern
Internship Site: National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Contra Costa County, California — Watch Internship Video

What were your main responsibilities in this internship? As an intern at NAMI, I had a wide range of roles and responsibilities, and had the privilege of choosing my levels of involvement. I began at the front desk, managing the network calendar, answering the Warm Line and connecting callers with the appropriate resources and services. These calls ranged from organizations seeking collaboration to caregivers seeking resources for their loved ones experiencing dire mental health situations. I also helped with the Leave No One Behind program, through which we distribute food and resources for housing, employment and other local services to unhoused individuals. As a Transitional Age Youth intern, I had the opportunity to host youth support groups and gathering events. I coordinated a youth painting event by organizing refreshments, gathering painting supplies and posting the event flyer on NAMI’s social media.

Did the internship relate to your major, or was it an area you’re simply curious or passionate about? Although mental health is an important part of public health, I have always had a passion for mental health advocacy, education and support for individuals and their families with mental illness. From my personal experience with family members with mental illnesses, I understand the importance of receiving adequate support and treatment. However, it can be difficult to advocate for treatment, which is an aspect of NAMI that I appreciated. NAMI helps individuals on all paths of their mental health journey.

What have you enjoyed most about the Baker-Simpson experience? I have enjoyed every moment of the Baker-Simpson experience. In the classroom, I gained confidence in myself by building my networking skills and elevator pitch. At the beginning of my internship, the other fellows and I shared our exciting experiences with each other and stayed in contact throughout the summer. For my cultural experience, I went to New York City with Professor Ficano and learned more about the gaming industry and its impact on health. Through my internship, I gained clerical skills at the front desk and active listening skills as a support group host. Above all, I enjoyed connecting with others the most. I made meaningful connections with the other fellows, my professors, NAMI employees and volunteers, and members of the Contra Costa community.

Has this internship helped confirm your career goals—or has it shifted your future plans in any way? Interning at NAMI has helped confirm my career goals of wanting to work directly with people in need. I have a passion for helping and interacting directly with community members because I enjoy emotionally connecting with people. Currently, I am interested in becoming a public health nurse who educates, advocates for and provides care to the community. I hope to bring my experiences at a mental health organization to my future career.

Advice you’d give to a fellow student thinking about applying for a Baker-Simpson Fellowship? To anyone thinking about applying to the Baker-Simpson Fellowship, do it! This opportunity has truly changed my life. It is completely okay to not know what your future career or plans are. However, opportunities, such as Baker-Simpson can help guide you. Your internship can be based on your major, interests or an experience that takes you out of your comfort zone. If anyone has questions or wants more information, please don’t hesitate to contact me!

Hometown: Originally from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, now living in Brooklyn, New York
Major: Business Administration
Minors: Economics, Healthcare Administration
Internship Title: Growth Strategy & Brand Relaunch Intern
Internship Site: Remote for Beautyfor (New York City-based organization) — Watch Internship Video

What were your main responsibilities in this internship? Most of my work centered on Beautyfor’s website, since the organization operates entirely online. I updated and formatted product pages on Shopify, made sure ingredient lists were accurate and complete, and added allergy and restriction badges so customers could easily find products that worked for them. I also worked on smaller details like product metafields and image file names to help improve the site’s visibility on Google. Later in the internship, I moved into marketing, where I led a social media content series and got to try my hand at video editing.

Did the internship relate to your major, or was it an area you’re simply curious or passionate about? It is actually related to both. I’m majoring in business administration, but I’m also genuinely passionate about the beauty and skin health space. In the future, I’d like to work as a product manager in healthcare, specifically in skin health, so getting to work inside a beauty and wellness organization gave me a firsthand look at an industry I hope to build a career in.

What have you enjoyed most about the Baker-Simpson experience? The flexibility stood out to me the most. I had the freedom to seek out organizations I was genuinely interested in and shape what kind of role I wanted, rather than being placed somewhere predetermined. I also loved that the fellowship encourages you to take part in cultural events of your choosing, so I could explore interests outside of my day-to-day work. It made the whole experience feel personalized rather than one-size-fits-all.

Has this internship helped confirm your career goals—or has it shifted your future plans in any way? It definitely confirmed them. Working at Beautyfor showed me how much I enjoy the intersection of brand strategy and consumer education, especially around purchasing behavior and skin health. Getting to see both sides up close made me even more certain that combining those two areas is something I want to keep exploring in my career.

Advice you’d give to a fellow student thinking about applying for a Baker-Simpson Fellowship? Really sit down and ask yourself what you’re passionate about before you apply, and then use this opportunity to its fullest. When I applied for the first time, I didn’t get the internship and I believe a crucial part of it was that, even though I knew which area I wanted to work in, I didn’t exactly know what direction I wanted it to go.

It’s an incredibly flexible fellowship that doesn’t come around often, so it’s worth taking seriously from the start. I would also recommend researching organizations you would want to work with ahead of time, since that saves you time and lets you reach out to more places once the process of seeking placement starts.

And if you don’t get it on the first try like me, absolutely try again next time.

Hometown: Roxbury, New York
Major: Music Education
Internship Title: Music Intern
Internship Site: Pathfinder Village in Edmeston, New York — Watch Internship Video

What were your main responsibilities in this internship? Throughout my internship at Pathfinder Village, I accompanied Katie Eklund, my site supervisor, to her musical activities. I helped with group sing-alongs, private lessons, group music sessions at Pathfinder School and the bell choir. In addition, I helped organize the music and instruments at Pathfinder, created inclusive music-based resources and assisted with the Summer Concert Series.

Did the internship relate to your major, or was it an area you’re simply curious or passionate about? My summer internship directly related to my music education major because I spent the summer learning firsthand how to make music as inclusive as possible. Learning how to adapt musical activities to meet the needs of each unique individual that I worked with was something that I couldn’t have learned in the classroom. The skills that I have acquired while working at Pathfinder will help me in my future as a music educator because I have gained a deeper understanding of the ways music can foster connection, expression and engagement. This experience will influence the way I approach my future classroom by encouraging me to create musical experiences in which every student feels valued and capable of participating.

What have you enjoyed most about the Baker-Simpson experience? Making meaningful connections with the individuals through music and beyond. I really enjoyed learning each individual’s favorite songs and instruments. It was rewarding to see how happy it made them when we played a song they loved or brought out their favorite instrument during sing-alongs. These moments showed me how powerful music can be in creating connection and bringing joy to others.

Has this internship helped confirm your career goals—or has it shifted your future plans in any way? My Baker-Simpson Fellowship experience solidified my career goal of becoming a music teacher, but it also inspired me to get my master’s in special education or music therapy.

Advice you’d give to a fellow student thinking about applying for a Baker-Simpson Fellowship? If you are thinking about applying for the Baker-Simpson Fellowship and you have an idea or an area that you would like to explore, I say absolutely go for it. You never know what connections you might make during your experience or how it could positively impact your future. Whatever you choose to do, you will gain meaningful experiences and knowledge.

Hometown: Williamson, New York
Majors: Psychology, Criminal Justice and Sociology
Internship Title: Rochester General Hospital Intern
Internship Site: G1 Acute Inpatient Psychiatric Unit in Rochester, New York — Watch Internship Video

What were your main responsibilities in this internship? My main responsibilities involved assisting with meals, connecting with patients during morning check-ins and helping run various group sessions, including gym time and other sessions ranging from psychoeducation to trivia and bingo. Throughout the day, I advocated for patients’ needs, from tracking eating/drinking habits with nurses to small gestures like finding more suitable clothes that are not scrubs. This work supports the unit’s mission by treating patients with dignity during a difficult time, helping them feel safer, more human and more motivated to get better.

Did the internship relate to your major, or was it an area you’re simply curious or passionate about? This internship did relate to my majors, as the patients were experiencing varying mental health challenges. Much of what I was doing fell in line with my psychology major, as there was a multidimensional approach to treatment, including medication and group sessions. This internship was also in line with my criminal justice major, as many of the patients were there involuntarily and some had to have treatment over objection if they refused medication. It was important to know what needed to happen according to law. Finally, the internship could have been viewed through a sociological lens, as many patients who come to the unit may be experiencing housing and financial difficulties. Largely, social workers would tackle the challenge with each patient.

What have you enjoyed most about the Baker-Simpson experience? Seeing how much progress each patient made. By the time they are discharged, significant gains have been made and many are looking to start fresh. I also enjoyed connecting with patients on a more personal level, learning about their interests and sharing commonalities. Additionally, through the Baker-Simpson Fellowship, I was able to go on multiple cultural experiences, including a trip to Highland Park, the George-Eastman Museum and House, and the Memorial Art Gallery. I enjoyed getting to learn about Rochester and its history through these adventures.

Has this internship helped confirm your career goals—or has it shifted your future plans in any way? This internship has confirmed my career goals. I am more certain that I wish to continue to go into law enforcement with the goal of being able to help people. I knew that going into law enforcement, people struggling with mental health would be a significant part of my job, so it would be best to learn how to work with these individuals to provide a better service to the community.

Advice you’d give to a fellow student thinking about applying for a Baker-Simpson Fellowship? For students thinking about applying for a Baker-Simpson Fellowship, do not be afraid to reach out to people. There are endless opportunities. Going into it, I was not expecting to work in inpatient psych, but as I was looking for my placement, this was what seemed to fit my interests the best. Additionally, do not be afraid to go outside of your comfort zone. I had never done anything like this before, but I gained immense knowledge through this experience.