Marissa Berkley ’13

Major(s):  English
Internship Site:  Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania - Johnstown, PA

The Internship:
As a program instructor, I was in charge of leading Girl Scouts programs with girls in grades K-8 at various day camps, community centers, and housing communities across southwestern Pennsylvania. The two programs I instructed were called “Fit and Fun” and “Uniquely Me.” The “Fit and Fun” program teaches girls about the importance of fitness and healthy eating, while the “Uniquely Me” program is about building girls’ self-esteem. My favorite program to lead was “Uniquely Me” because many of the activities (analyzing media images, recognizing positive female role models, celebrating differences, etc.) are directly related to my academic work in Women’s and Gender Studies and are topics that I’m particularly passionate about. 

The Challenges:      
One challenging aspect of my work was the fact that I never knew what to expect at a new site. My sites varied in size from 3 girls to 65 girls, ages varied from 5 to 15, and the racial and economic make-up of the groups was endlessly diverse. This diversity of sites, while welcome, made planning my lessons quite challenging, and I often had to make changes as I went to accommodate the groups. For example, for particularly large sites, I had to alter the activity and split girls into smaller groups so that there were enough supplies to do the activities. This challenge helped me to learn how to work better on my feet and handle obstacles as they present themselves.

The Preparation:   
Many of my classes related to Women’s and Gender Studies have provided the theoretical and academic background for my work this summer. One class in particular, “Writing about Gender,” first introduced me to various gender theories that allowed me to have a deeper understanding of the lessons I was teaching the girls. Additionally, though it is not a class, my work study job at Dickinson (teaching/mentoring at an after-school program in Carlisle) also helped prepare me for working closely with a diverse group of children. 

The Future:  
This experience has been immensely helpful in narrowing down my career goals.  Because of this internship, I plan to try to fit an education course into my schedule this year, and I will continue to explore my options for after college. 

Tips from Marissa: 
Take advantage of any volunteer opportunities and put your best work into them because you never know who might be taking notice.  It’s also important to use any connections you might have developed recently; the one that pays off isn’t always the most obvious.  Finally, don’t get too discouraged.  Remain confident in your resume and your skill set and eventually the right opportunity will come your way.

*To find out more about how to get an internship, make an appointment with a career counselor. Just call the Career Center at 717-245-1740 or stop by Biddle House.