Internships

The picture above is of Slater who is interning at Small Business Computers in Newport. He is holding the computer that he is building for his internship project, it will eventually be sold by his mentor. In addition to building the computer Slater will be comparing the cost of buying a computer versus building one. He will also be researching the history of computers, learning about the different parts of the computer and their functions, and developing an understanding of binary code.

Below are some excerpts from student internship journals.

From Laura at the RI Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RISPCA):

“At my LTI today I went with Laurelin to Mary E. Fogarty School in Providence to go to each 1st grade classroom and give a lesson on pet care. We brought the shelter's education dog, Lana, who belongs to the SPCA's veterinarian. Lana used to be a shelter dog because her family couldn’t afford to pay for a vet visit when Lana broke her leg. Because Lana's leg wasn’t treated correctly, it had to be amputated. Laurelin likes to bring Lana for education because of her background story, and because Lana is like... the best dog ever. She's part Pameranian and part poodle, so she's small. She's a very sweet dog and is great with kids, including the ones that like to get up in her face. 

While we were at the school, the lesson basically included Laurelin drawing a cat on a white board, and having the class pick a name for the cat. 3/4 of the time, the cat's name was Fluffy. The other 1/4 of the time, it was Meow Meow.

After Laurelin drew a cat and it was named, I would hold up pictures and the class would have to guess why the picture related to owning a cat. The pictures were of food, water, toys, cages, a clock, a vet, a dog on a walk, money, and a heart. Most of them were easy to get; animals needed food and water to live, exercise and playing took time, every animal needs a good home and health care, it cost money to own an animal, and you have to love your animal. When the kids got the picture right, Laurelin would draw it on the board around the cat. In the end, the cat would be surrounded by a bunch of things that make a pet happy, and the cat would end up with a big smile on its face. 

After the cat drawing, we practiced dog bite safety. The kids would be 'boring trees' and 'boring rocks' to show that a dog isn’t interested in those things, and would rather chase loud and scary kids. Lana would walk around the room as the kids were 'trees and rocks' and would just sniff them and walk away. We also taught them how to ask to pet someone else’s animal. The two important questions to ask are; "Is you dog friendly?" and then, "May I pet your dog?". After they got the 'okay' on both those questions, they had to let the dog sniff them and then they were aloud to pet it. They practices the exercise with Lana, who was more then happy to get 45 different kids giving her attention.

After we came back from the school, there were 5 two week old kittens waiting to be taken into the SPCA. I was aloud to do the in-take paperwork for them, and the adopted paperwork for the two rabbits that were adopted today. 

Earlier today when Laurelin and I were heading to the school, I thought that maybe I'd like to work with animals when I got older instead of being a band manager. Music is something that I will always love, but I love helping animals and working with them too. There are so many fields to work in if I work in animals as well. Education, fostering, kennel work, law enforcement, veterinary, and so many more. It's probably something that I'll look into for my future.”

From Ruth at Citadel Broadcasting:

“My day began at 10:00am, when I arrived at my internship. Once I arrived, Deb and I hit the road for an 11:00 appointment at "Day One." "Day One" is a resource center for sexual assault victims. They have a program called "Your Voice Your View,” which is where high school students from Rhode Island write and produce a commercial about sexual assault. Then "Day One" chooses the top three commercials that they like the most. The commercials will be aired on Hot 106 and 92 ProFm.

When we arrived, we met with Sandy, who is one of the decision makers in "Your Voice Your View.” In her office, we talked about the different students who participated in the program. She then played for us the top two commercials that were chosen. Sandy then asked us for our opinion on the commercials. I thought that it was neat how the students were creative with their commercials.

Once our meeting was over, Deb and I said goodbye to Sandy, and were on our way back to the office. At 12:25, Deb and I ate lunch. We had a spinach and Parmesan cheese pizza and chicken soup. The food was very delicious. Once I finished eating, I worked on my project. First I looked over my timeline to see if there was any additional work I forgot to do. So far, I am on task with everything for my project. I just need to finish my campaign report and get ready for the showcase exhibition on March 13th.... In total, I have fifteen weeks to complete my project. Today, I am on week 6... I looked over the demographics of every radio station. I changed my mind about the radio stations I want the commercial to be aired on. Instead of "Lite Rock 105" and "Hot 106," I want the commercial to be aired on 92 Pro FM. I wrote more information about why I think 92 Pro FM is the best radio station for the commercial.

Next, I wrote a phone script. I need to call the co-director of the school, so I wrote down what I should say. At 2:35, I called Nancy Diaz, who is the co-director of The Met, and left a message. I tried to sound as professional as I could. Deb said that I sounded really good. At 3:30, Deb dropped me off at the bus stop. I said goodbye and walked out of the car...

My day was great today. I am doing so well with my project. Deb has been a huge help for me. I thank God for giving me the best internship ever. I am very grateful that I have the chance to watch Deb work. The Met has given me the opportunity to explore my interests and without the school, I would never be able to do what I love.”