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WORLD OF WORK

INTERNSHIP FUNDING PROGRAM

EXPLORE EXPERIENCE EXCEL

“…The world today has become

so competitive and global that we must provide

our children with high-quality career training as a bridge

from college to the work world.” Ben Carpenter THE NEW YORK TIMES Is Your Student Prepared for Life?

The World of Work (WOW) fellowship program provides generous stipends that allow Brandeis students to pursue unpaid summer internships at companies and organizations of their choice. By eliminating the financial burden, WOW gives students the freedom to explore their interests.

Throughout the summer, Hiatt Career Center staff counsel students to reflect on their newly acquired skills and knowledge and to explore future possibilities. WOW is more than just a stipend â€” it is an invaluable experience that prepares Brandeis students for the ever-evolving world of work.

PLAYROCK, SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA | ARMAUER HANSEN RESEARCH INSTITUTE (AHRI), ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA | FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES, WASHINGTON, D.C. | MATAHARI: EYE OF THE DAY, BOSTON, MA | AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTIES UNION, NEW YORK, NY | EMERGE COUNSELING AND EDUCATION TO STOP DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, CAMBRIDGE, MA | PUBLIC DEFENDER SERVICE MENTAL HEALTH DIVISION, WASHINGTON, D.C. | GLOBAL RESEARCH AND ADVOCACY GROUP, DAKAR FANN, DAKAR | ECHO PARK, ALL CHILDREN’S HOUSE PREVENTIVE SERVICES PROGRAM AT THE ASSOCIATION TO BENEFIT CHILDREN, NEW YORK, NY | MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH, SEXUAL ASSAULT PREVENTION & SURVIVOR SERVICES, BOSTON, MA | AVODAH, NEW YORK, NY | MEDICAL CARE DEVELOPMENT INTERNATIONAL DIVISION, SILVER SPRING, MD | STEPPING STONES, SHANGHAI, CHINA | OREGON BUS PROJECT, PORT-

LAND, OR | THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS BOSTON CONSORTIUM ON GENDER

SECURITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS, BOSTON, MA | NATIONAL CONSUMERS LEAGUE, WASHINGTON, D.C. | SJ VIETNAM, HANOI, VIETNAM | NARAL PRO-CHOICE MASSACHU-

SETTS, BOSTON, MA | LAWYERS FOR CHILDREN, NEW YORK, NY | ALLIANCE FOR JUSWOW internships span the globe. TICE, WASHINGTON, D.C. | SAN FRANCISCO DISTRICT ATTORNEY OFFICE, SAN FRANSince 2008, fellows have explored CISCO, CA | UNITED FOR A FAIR ECONOMY, BOSTON, MA | LOUISIANA COALITION FOR 25 states and 55 countries. ALTERNATIVES TO THE DEATH PENALTY, NEW ORLEANS, LA | ETE CAMP, HINCHE, HAITI | WORLD VISION BRAZIL, RECIFE, PERNAMBUCO, BRAZIL | GROUP VENTURES VIETNAM, HANOI CITY, VIETNAM | BAIRO PITE HOSPITAL, DILI, EAST TIMOR | YALE NEW HAVEN HOSPITAL, NEW HAVEN, CT | STREETLIGHT SCHOOLS, JEPPESTOWN, JOHANNES-

BURG, GAUTENG, SOUTH AFRICA | ISLIDE, INC., NORWOOD, MA | PROJECT HAPPINESS

PALO ALTO, CA | BOSTON CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, WALTHAM, MA | LAVA BEAR FILMS, LOS

JEWISH WORLD SERVICE, NEW YORK, NY | YWCA FINA HOUSE, LAWRENCE, MA | INTERFAITH WORKER JUSTICE, MIAMI, FL | THE COALITION ON HUMAN NEEDS, WASHINGTON, D.C. | TRANSPARENT CHENNAI, NUNGAMBAKKAM CHENNAI, TAMIL NADU, INDIA | EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, CHILDREN’S BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INITIATIVE, BOSTON, MA | UNITE FOR SIGHT, PATNA, BIHAR, INDIA | THE DOVE

EXPLORE WOW fellows learn about a variety of professions,

cultures and industries, and discover new ways to make

an impact on the world.

MAJORS: HEALTH: SCIENCE, SOCIETY AND POLICY; PSYCHOLOGY MINOR: EDUCATION STUDIES HOMETOWN: PROVIDENCE, RI INTERNSHIP: RIVERSIDE COMMUNITY CARE, NEEDHAM, MA

Jean Perez Jean Perez always wanted a little brother. Born in the Dominican Republic and raised in Rhode Island, Jean wanted a sibling to bond with, to play with and to teach. “It was something that I always wanted and never had,” he says. Small wonder then that when he pursued his interests at Brandeis — he’s majoring in psychology and health: science, society and policy and minoring in education studies — he discovered a talent for working with youngsters at the university’s Lemberg Children’s Center. Observing the techniques used by a visiting social worker from Riverside Community Care, he asked whether her organization needed interns for the summer. The result was a lifealtering experience. “My summer at Riverside changed what I wanted to do,” Jean says. “I used to want to be a clinical psychologist, but now I know I want to be a developmental specialist. I want to interact with kids and work with their families.” The experience made Jean feel that he was making a positive impact on a child’s life. He derived great personal satisfaction from even

the smallest achievement, such as helping children say words that they couldn’t pronounce before. “If I am helping a child and the child is happy and is learning, then I know that I am making a difference,” he says. Jean’s work at Riverside taught him patience, how to recognize specific developmental delays, and how to interact with children and parents in a professional clinical setting. He is unequivocal about the value of the WOW program. “WOW connects you with people so you can develop a network of mentors to lean on — someone to email, or to ask for a letter of recommendation. You have to respect what the program can do for you.”

â€œ If I am helping a child and the child is happy and is learning, then

I know that I am making a difference.â€?

MAJORS: AFRICAN AND AFRO-AMERICAN STUDIES; INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL STUDIES MINOR: WOMEN’S, GENDER AND SEXUALITY STUDIES HOMETOWN: SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL INTERNSHIP: ETE CAMP, HINCHE, HAITI

Amanda Pereira “Education is a tool of empowerment.” This sentiment inspires the work of the ETE (Empowering Through Education) Camp in Hinche, Haiti, where Amanda Pereira completed her WOW summer internship. At ETE, 60 children ages 8-11 learn leadership, math, and English verbal and writing skills, even though the camp’s teachers may speak little or no Haitian Creole. “There can be communication beyond words,” Amanda says. “The kids are so happy to be there; they are smart and excited to learn. They don’t care if we speak the same language.” A friend connected Amanda with Shaina Gilbert ’10, who had established the camp in her mother’s hometown during her own WOW summer in 2009. “We clicked immediately,” Amanda says. “Shaina was born in America, but her roots are in Haiti; she didn’t forget who she was and where she was from.” Without Shaina’s deep roots in Hinche, where her extended family and the community lend their support, ETE might not have been

a success. “Hinche welcomes us with open arms because they know we’re there to bring opportunity to their children that they would not have had. There is a genuine effort on everyone’s part to make ETE successful and make sure the students enjoy it,” Shaina says. Because of her experience with ETE, Amanda is considering replicating the camp in her home country of Brazil; her aunt’s town, Sumaré, has a need for such a program. “I do want to work with children and with communities, and I now have the tools and resources to think, to talk and to do,” she says. “Getting this funding strengthened my belief in the power of education, and gave me a guide for my own goals.”

â€œ I do want to work

with children and with

communities, and I now

have the tools and

resources to think, to talk and to doâ€Śâ€?

EXPERIENCE WOW fellows expand their skills and gain new

proficiencies beyond the classroom that will make

them successful in the world of work.

MAJORS: BIOLOGY; HEALTH: SCIENCE, SOCIETY AND POLICY HOMETOWN: HURON, OH INTERNSHIP: LERNER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE CLEVELAND CLINIC, CLEVELAND, OH

Maddie Engeler For Maddie Engeler, an inadvertent elbow to the side of her head from a Brandeis teammate during a varsity volleyball workout — and the resulting concussion — helped to crystallize her interest in traumatic brain injury. The long-term impact of brain injuries suffered by athletes has become a subject of considerable debate. With her WOW fellowship, Maddie immersed herself in groundbreaking research in the field and acquired the advanced skills necessary to continue her work on the topic at Brandeis’ Turrigiano Laboratory. Maddie says, “This fellowship opened up doors for me that I’d never imagined.”

“They just threw you into the water and said, ‘Learn about this,’ which I think is the best way to learn,” she says. “It was refreshing that they wanted us to do so much hands-on work.” Maddie was even lead author on a paper — “Is phosphorylated tau in the brain a pathological sign of CTE?” — that was submitted to the prestigious medical journals The Lancet and Brain.

At the Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, Maddie studied the brain tissue of six former National Football League players, all of whom committed suicide as a possible result of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). She expanded her knowledge of immunohistochemistry, microscope analysis, neuronal cell culture and Western blotting.

Maddie and her fellow interns bonded over their first experience in a laboratory. “With the other interns, I saw how Brandeis’ culture really is personalized, with more access to faculty,” she says. “The other interns were floored that I was able to do this through the WOW fellowship, which they could never do at their larger schools.”

“ They just threw you

into the water and said,

‘Learn about this,’ which I think is the best way to learn.”

MAJORS: HISTORY; POLITICS MINOR: JOURNALISM HOMETOWN: NEWTON, MA INTERNSHIP: WHITE HOUSE PRESS OFFICE, WASHINGTON, DC

Jon Ostrowsky Jon Ostrowsky spent the summer of 2012 in the White House Press Office. There, he monitored news coverage of several developing stories, including the Supreme Court’s decision on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act and the Department of Homeland Security’s deferred action policy for the children of undocumented immigrants (DACA). DACA took on significance for Jon, since a fellow intern’s parents had emigrated from Mexico. “It was interesting to see someone whose life was the definition of the American dream work to cover this policy that directly affected him,” Jon says. “It showed me how policy and people’s lives intersect.” Jon’s time in the White House provided him with valuable political, writing and public relations savvy, which he used after graduation as the policy director for Massachusetts gubernatorial hopeful Steve Grossman’s campaign. As he traveled with Grossman, he was responsible for communicating with reporters. “I’ve used a similar skill set — first as a journalism student at Brandeis, then as a White House intern, and

in the Grossman campaign — to take complex issues and translate them into simple terms,” he says. In the future, Jon hopes to explore the power of writing and law to initiate progress. He says, “I’ve always believed in government as an enormous force for positive change in people’s lives. People think of the White House as this magical place, but what makes it magical are the people — elected officials, public servants, just ordinary men and women — who spend their lives making the government work for those who need it most.”

“ …People think of the White House as this

magical place, but what makes it magical are the people. …”

WOW fellows go on to influence the world around them. For instance, three out of four recipients of the social justice fellowship pursue mission-driven careers upon graduation.

EXCEL With the experience they gain as interns,Â WOW fellows set themselves apart as

valuable contributors in their chosen fields

beyond Brandeis.

â€œ I learned to step out of

my comfort zone and take on responsibility, and I

certainly grew from it.â€?

MAJOR: ECONOMICS MINOR: BUSINESS HOMETOWN: PRINCETON JUNCTION, NJ INTERNSHIP: LA FUNDACIÓN PARAGUAYA, ASUNCIÓN, PARAGUAY

Brandon Frank Brandon Frank graduated from Brandeis magna cum laude with a degree in economics and business. So it was an adjustment when, as a new addition to Sun Life Financial’s leadership development program, he found himself in the company’s marketing division for the first of three one-year rotations. “This is what they call a ‘stretch role,’ which is a bit outside of my comfort zone. It’s not the analytical thinking that I’m used to, but it is definitely teaching me a lot about organization and time management.” For many young professionals, this would be especially challenging, but Brandon has pushed his own personal boundaries before. During his WOW internship at La Fundación Paraguaya, a social enterprise that develops and implements practical, innovative and sustainable solutions to eliminate poverty, Brandon stepped outside the familiar world of microfinance to take on additional work with high school students. He explains, “I gave lessons in basic economics and business concepts, and then students would come together as a group to try to create

a product. It was one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve ever had — satisfying and gratifying at the same time.” In Paraguay, Brandon found a new perspective on economics. “I learned that I really enjoyed more client-facing work,” Brandon says. “When this opportunity came along at La Fundación, I really found my niche, using old and new skills and seeing the direct impact of what I was doing.” He continues, “I learned to step out of my comfort zone and take on responsibility, and I certainly grew from it. Even though I met my role at Sun Life with some hesitation, I find myself enjoying it more and more and seeing how I might use these skills going forward.”

â€œ What I learned through WOW has been just as important as what I

learned in the classroom.â€?

MAJORS: INTERNATIONAL AND GLOBAL STUDIES; ISLAMIC AND MIDDLE EASTERN STUDIES MINOR: PEACE AND COEXISTENCE STUDIES HOMETOWN: NORTHBROOK, IL INTERNSHIP: AMERICAN JEWISH WORLD SERVICE, NEW YORK, NY

Erica Shaps It was July in Washington, D.C., and Erica Shaps was one of two interns from the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) participating in the International AIDS Conference. As she ran in and out of panel discussions in her business suit, tweeting updates and blogging for The Huffington Post, she had an epiphany. “As I met all of these people from different cultures around the world, coming together on a shared issue, I thought to myself, ‘This is the right profession for me. This is what I want to be doing. I’ve made the right choice.’” The conference was the highlight of Erica’s WOW summer with AJWS. As a member of the organization’s communications team, she learned about media relations, website development and social media strategy. Back on campus a few months later, Erica employed some of those skills to establish bVIEW (Brandeis Visions for Israel in an Evolving World) with four classmates. The initiative has helped create constructive conversations about Israel and the Middle East on college campuses. Since its founding in 2012, bVIEW has organized two conferences that attracted hundreds of

students from all over New England. Diverse guest speakers expressed views from across the political spectrum. “We’re at a turning point with bVIEW,” Erica says. “It’s time to start thinking about our second-tier goal: replicating the idea and the message and spreading to other schools.” Erica will have to contribute from afar. As an Entwine Global Jewish Service Corps fellow with the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee’s Tevet initiative in Jerusalem, she develops programs and services to help Israel’s most vulnerable populations gain a path out of poverty through employment and workforce development. Erica has done so well in Israel — translating Tevet’s website into English, updating the mission statement and working with local populations in the field — that she has been asked to stay on for another year. She says, “I realize now that my work at AJWS helped my skills grow and develop and change. What I learned through WOW has been just as important as what I learned in the classroom.”

Jules Bernstein ’57 FOUNDER Louis D. Brandeis Legacy Fund for Social Justice

“ Supporting Brandeis students during their summer internships at mission-driven organizations is an investment in their futures and our futures. Their summer experiences inspire them to continue their important work after graduation.”

For more information about the World of Work program, please contact the Hiatt Career Center at Brandeis University.Â

For more information about supporting WOW fellows, please contact the Institutional Advancement Division.

781-736-3618 www.brandeis.edu/hiatt

781-736-4005 giving.brandeis.edu