寻找出路:选择一群人进行虚拟越南实习

杰弗里·艾尔斯

近年来, Professor and former Dean 杰弗里·艾尔斯 has supervised several cohorts of Saint Michael’s College students who traveled to Asia for life-changing internships in Hong Kong funded by the Freeman Foundation, 原计划今年夏天组团前往新加坡.

But when the COVID-19 pandemic changed everything for college students this year and precluded actually traveling to Asia for internships, 对艾尔斯来说，今年的12名学生, 谁最初被选为弗里曼基金的资助对象,  可能会完全错过一个全球倡议. It motivated him to look into alternatives and he was excited (as were the students) to hit on a viable solution: 虚拟 越南实习. These 虚拟 placements will allow participants to build a knowledge base about Asia, 加深全球竞争力和跨文化技能, and attain practical workplace experience effectively in our ever-more online world – even though they will remain in the U.S.

It is important to emphasize the immensely difficult year that everyone has been through, 艾尔斯说, 圣公会的资深成员. 迈克的政治科学和国际关系系, explaining that if these unprecedented times have taught our students anything, 这将是毅力和适应能力. “那么，他们为什么要现在停止呢?他说.

使新的虚拟机会成为可能的是海外教育网络, 也就是所谓的TEAN, which dedicates itself to helping college students enter the world of international professional internships. 在TEAN的帮助下, this year’s cohort of students will each have the opportunity to complete a 虚拟 internship “abroad” with various companies and non-profits in Vietnam.

艾尔斯 explained the selection process for this year’s 虚拟 internships: “The selected students were accepted as tentative interns for TEAN,他说, “and then required to submit information about themselves via TEAN to gauge their interests and goals for their particular placements, so they could be matched with a non-profit or company that could help them reach these goals.”

佩吉Imai

Although 艾尔斯 is supervising the Vietnam Academic Internship course this summer through Canvas, 他对校园国际实习项目给予了大力支持, 与海外留学办公室的佩吉Imai和罗伯特Letovsky合作, 工商管理和会计学教授.

罗伯特Letovsky

“When the decision was made to move from in-country placements to 虚拟 internships, 事实证明，TEAN是一个很好的合作伙伴,今井说. “他们为我们的学生找到了实习地点, 提供文化导向, 并在国内(越南)和美国.S-based staff to help ensure that the needs of all parties involved are being met.今井说 the 12 Saint Michael’s students “will be involved in some remarkably interesting projects, and I look forward to seeing how work assignments and relationships progress over the coming weeks.”

The range of companies and non-profit organizations allow Saint Michael’s to impose few limitations for potential student interns, 无论专业如何. 艾尔斯 said that any Saint Michael’s student may apply for a grant to support either in-person or in this case 虚拟 internship placements, 并通过参加跨学科499课程获得四个学分, 哪个是实习班.

Kelechi发表意见

例如, Kelechi发表意见, 23岁, has been placed with the public health Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) called Research and Training Centre for 社区 Development, which she described as an “NGO that focuses on improving healthcare for women, 孩子们, 以及青少年十大赌博靠谱网络平台家庭暴力和非传染性疾病的问题.”

Alexyah Dethvongsa

Senior Alexyah Dethvongsa ’22 does communications work with A365 – she describes it as  “An organization that focuses on developmental disorders within 孩子们, 比如自闭症, which works to change the stigma of these disorders while offering the best resources to those who are affected.”

The tasks 和工作 assignments that students are asked to complete include executing marketing strategies, 共同撰写项目建议书, 创建社交媒体帖子, 收集各种数据——但这只是皮毛. 这个项目的学生有能力扩大他们的全球视野, all while taking this opportunity to take a deeper look at the connections between their international internships and how it impacts their lives academically and personally.

艾比泊松

“I personally hope to gain a greater cultural competency and ability to work well in an international setting,21岁的实习生、大四学生艾比·泊松说. “I hope to create personal and professional relationships which will last far beyond the scope of this two-month internship period. 我的目标是将来在国际非营利部门工作, so it is important for me to gain skills which will allow me to better understand and adjust to international expectations, 文化, 和工作.”

The Freeman Foundation provides funding to Saint Michael’s College to support the cost of in-person international internships in Asia.  The goal of the program is to increase the number of US citizens with professional experience in and an understanding of Asia, 它的人民, 以及它的文化.  由于COVID-19大流行, 以及转向越南的虚拟国际实习, the College has significant Freeman funding saved for in-person international internships.  艾尔斯 hopes that this sets up a dual-track opportunity for global immersion next summer.  “展望未来, with Freeman Foundation funding for in-person internships and College funding for 虚拟 international internships,他说, “we should be able to offer an even larger number of opportunities for an international internship experience to Saint Michael’s students in summer 2022, further expanding the portfolio of valuable experiential global initiatives for our students.”