June 2006
A record eight students received fellowships to
support their summer internships in a variety of sectors, including
nonprofit work, scholarly research and politics/government.
The Robert L. Burrus Jr. Fellowship Program for
Developing Leaders, inaugurated in summer 2004, is supporting four
rising seniors—Katherine Connelly, Sara McGanity, Nan Silkunas and
Jesse Kedy—who are completing their required Jepson internship in
unpaid positions in the nonprofit sector this summer.
Connelly secured an internship with the University of
Pennsylvania’s
Morris Arboretum in Philadelphia. The Morris Arboretum,
which appears on the National Register of Historic Places and is
recognized as the official arboretum of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania, serves as an interdisciplinary resource center where
science, art and humanities are pursued through a variety of research,
teaching and outreach programs.
As an intern, Connelly works on compiling the
necessary documentation for the arboretum’s museum-accreditation
review by the American Association of Museums. She also researches the
arboretum’s volunteer-management program and assists with changes
being implemented to the organization’s annual-fund drive.
McGanity works in the San Antonio affiliate office of
the Dallas-based
Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, which
supports innovative research and community-based outreach programs in
the fight against breast cancer. Specifically, McGanity will follow up
with the numerous organizations awarded grants by the Komen Foundation
to determine whether they are using the monies appropriately.
Silkunas is supervising and mentoring high-school
interns for 10 weeks this summer at
Church Hill Activities and
Tutoring (CHAT), a nondenominational Christian nonprofit serving
children and youth in the inner-city Richmond neighborhood of Church
Hill. Silkunas’ internship, which requires her to live and work in
Church Hill, immerses her in urban ministry, racial reconciliation and
nonprofit operations.
Kedy interns with the
Cameron Foundation, a nonprofit
established to promote and provide support for programs and activities
that benefit the residents of Petersburg, Virginia, and the
surrounding area. Kedy is in the process of surveying community
leaders to determine issues of importance to the area, which might
include economic development, education and the environment, for
example.
Next Kedy will research these areas of interest and
use his findings to create a Connect Southside Web site that will be
part of the Connect Network. The Connect Network currently maintains
Web sites and listservs designed to support the nonprofit communities
in Richmond, Virginia, (Connect Richmond) and the area east of
Fredericksburg, Virginia, known as the Northern Neck (Connect
Rappahannock).
Like Kedy, Corinne Nunez, ’07, is conducting research
for the Connect Network this summer. She received a fellowship from
the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation (RMHF)
to research health-care issues affecting the metro Richmond area.
Nunez is surveying leaders in the health-care and nonprofit sectors
and will use the resulting data to improve the health-care section on
the Connect Richmond Web site.
Jesse
Kedy, left, and Corinne Nunez, right, are
conducting
research for the Connect Network.
The Keck Initiative, a collaborative effort of the
Jepson School, Claremont McKenna College and Loyola Marymount
University designed to integrate leadership studies across the liberal
arts curriculum, awarded fellowships to two Jepson students to pursue
research that grew out of interdisciplinary Keck-funded courses the
two took in spring 2006.
Ryan Kefer, who graduated with a double major in
leadership studies and urban practices and policies in May 2006, is
using her Keck fellowship to research the motivations and tools
utilized to support the United Nations’ movement to end global
poverty.
Douglas Hicks serves as her faculty advisor.
Stefanie Simon, ’07, received a Keck fellowship to
research how women in top leadership positions respond to two specific
stressors: decision making in complex, demanding situations and
negative gender stereotypes.
Crystal Hoyt serves as her faculty
advisor.
Finally, the inaugural
Jablin Research Fellowship,
created in memory of Jepson professor and leadership studies scholar
Fredric Jablin, supports Guy Peterson, ’07, in his internship with
Rep. James McDermott (WA-D) in the congressman’s Washington, D.C.,
office. Peterson’s research evaluates the effectiveness of government
policies aimed at promoting energy conservation and the use of
renewable-energy sources.
Were it not for the fellowships they received, none
of these students would be paid for their summer internships. The
Burrus, RMHF, Keck and Jablin fellowships benefit students by enabling
them to engage in quality internships that they might not otherwise
consider due to financial constraints. The fellowships also benefit
the communities and constituencies served by the valuable work the
students do. It’s a win-win situation for all. |