Posts Tagged ‘chicago internship programs’
August 6th, 2010
Whitney Voss, Administrative and Special Events Coordinator
The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college. More than a job it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.
The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program. It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center. This month Whitney Voss, Administrative and Special Events Coordinator talks about her experience with Chicago Center:
“Hello! My name is Whitney, one of the six apprentices finishing up our final week at the Chicago Center! I am amazed by how fast the time goes by and sad to be ending this wonderful opportunity to live in Chicago. I am grateful for my time at the Chicago Center, and now feel equipped with the tools to take on any adventure that comes my way!
My hometown is Sterling Heights, Michigan, about a half hour north of Detroit. I am an alumna of Albion College, Class of 2009, where I received a liberal arts education graduating with a degree in Interpersonal Communications and Dance.
I attended the Chicago Center my last semester at Albion, coming to beautiful snowy Chicago in January 2009 to participate in the academic term. To complete my credits to graduate, I wanted to find an Internship in dance in which I could learn the behind the scene facets of a dance company. After interviewing with several theatre and dance companies, I was excited for the opportunity to work as a Development Intern at Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, a contemporary company internationally recognized for their innovative, groundbreaking movement. I was also lucky to receive the Kemper Arts Fellowship, a program that allowed me to extend my work into the city, gaining hands-on experience in arts management and non-profit leadership through promotion of diversity in education, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. Coming into a dance internship, I never dreamed that I would have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of inequality throughout our communities, but my time spent with Hubbard Street opened up my world and made me realize how much I still have to learn.
Working at Hubbard Street Dance gave me a taste of the struggles non-profits face and the importance of cultivating strong community-based partnerships. I also learned the ground work for fundraising and event planning, which is what I have been doing for the past year at the Chicago Center!
Participating in the Communities and Culture seminar as a student was probably the most invaluable experience I received while in Chicago. Having the opportunity to be exposed to diverse urban neighborhoods forever changed the way I see and understand the world. Visiting the Southwest Youth Collaborative and meeting Camille Odeh is one experience that sticks out above the rest. Meeting the at risk youth at SWYC made me realize the pressure on urban adolescents and the need for organizations and activities that give youth an outlet to be creative, get help with school, talk to mentors and meet friends. Working with the youth at SWYC for my research topic, allowed me to personally interact with urban teens and gain a better understanding of how an activity like dance could keep youth involved and off the streets.
I enjoyed my time as a student at the Chicago Center so much that I decided to apply for the apprenticeship program. It was easy to fall in the love with the city and I really wanted to extend my time in Chicago. I was excited to be chosen as the Administrative and Special Events Coordinator for the 2009-2010 year, and was even more excited to learn that I would be helping plan the 40th Anniversary gala.
Staffing the student’s events is one of the best parts of the job, you continue to learn about the city and travel to hidden gems and neighborhoods that have so much culture and history. A big part of my position this past year has been managing the Fall and Spring Fundraisers. Donations and gifts play a big part in keeping a non-profit company running, and I was happy to manage two successful fundraisers, and hope to have laid the ground work for more successful fundraisers to come.
Aside from providing administrative support for office function and maintenance, along with organizing and updating the Chicago Center database, I have most enjoyed working with my supervisor, Althea Conyers, on planning the 40th Anniversary gala! Celebrating Chicago Center’s 40 years of service is a very exciting time, and I was proud to be a party of the planning committee. The 40th Anniversary celebration will be held on November 6, 2010 at Carnivale! After viewing several different locations to find a venue, I am absolutely positive that we have found the perfect place to celebrate the Chicago Center and bring together four decades of alumni! I cannot wait to celebrate the 40th Anniversary and meet so many of you whose lives have been enriched because of the Chicago Center!
I want to say thank you to the Chicago Center for giving me the opportunity to work in the city and extend my time in Chicago for another year. This experience has taught me so much about the different communities and cultures throughout Chicago, and the injustices in our society. My time here has far surpassed my expectations, and I know that I have grown into a better person because of the Chicago Center! A quote that has been heard several times this year perfectly wraps up my feeling about the Chicago Center.
I hear and I forget.
I see and I remember.
I do and I understand. -Confucius
Thank you for helping me understand. I still have so much to learn.”
We’d like to thank Whitney for telling us about her experience and letting us share it with our potential students and alumni!
June 25th, 2010
Kevin Zabel, Academic Program Coordinator
The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college. More than a job, it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.
The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program. It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center. This month Kevin Zabel, Academic Program Coordinator talks about his experience with Chicago Center:
“For the past ten months, I have had the privilege to work at the Chicago Center as the Academic Program Coordinator. At the Chicago Center, we have three student tracks: Urban Teaching, Social Work, and Academic. Our students utilize our program for a host of reasons, of which a few most popular are opportunities to fulfill college requirements (e.g., student teaching placement, social work field work placement, or academic internship) in an urban environment, the diversity of Chicago, the opportunity to live independently in an urban environment, and the staff support that we provide our students. As class assistant to our academic, student teaching, and social work programs, I have come to better understand the inner workings of the various tracks, as well as the first-voice method of learning our program utilizes. By first-voice, I mean that instead of our student teachers reading about teaching strategies for urban classrooms, or our academic students reading about different communities and cultures in a textbook, our students get the opportunity to engage directly with our learning resources and individuals. For example, recently, our student teachers met directly with Greg Michie, an author and educator who has written several books on urban education techniques. Moreover, as academic class assistant, I have scheduled such events as a meeting with representatives from the Center on Halsted (LGBT center on the north side of Chicago), a mural tour of the Pilsen (predominantly Mexican and Mexican-American) community in Chicago, and immigration discussions with Korean American Resource & Community Center and Latino Organization of the Southwest representatives, as well as attended such events as the Chicago Jazz Festival, Chicago Blues Festival, and Puerto Rican Day Parade with students. These events and meetings are just a few of the resources and events we typically utilize throughout our terms.
I attended the Chicago Center as a student during my Fall 2007 semester at Albion College. I grew up in a small, rural community and attended college in a very similar environment. As a result, I attended the Chicago Center in large part to experience living in an urban setting for the first time, but also for the wide range of internship possibilities that the Chicago Center provides. While these expectations were met, I found my experience to be so much more than the conventional reasons that students often choose to study off campus. Using public transportation and a sense of taking ownership of my internship were fostered by the Chicago Center, and provided skills that continue to benefit me to this day (e.g., comfort with navigating in a city environment, interview and networking skills). At the same time, through the class component of the experience, I was introduced to communities and cultures in Chicago that I never (or rarely) had the opportunity to interact with growing up or on my college campus. These experiences encouraged me to reevaluate my beliefs and opinions about different groups of people, and gave me a foundation with which to question the “truth” I had known growing up.
In addition to the class component of the program, I also interned at Merrill Lynch. I entered the program as a business and psychology double major, planning on a career as a financial advisor. Although I enjoyed the work provided me during my internship, I became disenchanted by the amount of salesmanship necessary to succeed as a financial advisor. The internship provided me an opportunity to engage one-on-one with professionals that had worked for years in the business, in some cases working at Merrill Lynch for over forty years. Their knowledge, as well as the opportunity to learn from their stories and experiences, persuaded me to focus exclusively on my psychology major field of study upon my return to school.
Upon graduation, I knew that I wanted to take a year off from school and get work experience. The Chicago Center apprenticeship provided the perfect opportunity to extend upon my experience as a student, while simultaneously honing valuable organizational skills and communication workplace skills that will aid significantly in my future work endeavors. In Fall 2010, I will begin graduate study in the social psychology Ph.D. program at the University of Tennessee (UT) in Knoxville. Working with our students as class assistant, as well as working with fellow staff members and class resources has provided me invaluable experience that will aid in my future research and teaching endeavors. In addition, the events and discussions I have been privy to both as a student and class assistant have forever affected the ways in which I form opinions about issues or groups of people. I feel privileged to work for an organization and with staff whom I respect very much, and I look forward to the new challenges that graduate school will bring. It is my hope that in addition to my fellow incoming Fall 2010 UT classmates, I can bring a fresh perspective to research and learning. Through my experiences as a student and as an apprentice, the Chicago Center has prepared me exceptionally well to accomplish this goal.”
We’d like to thank Kevin for telling us about his experience and letting us share it with our potential students and alumni!
May 5th, 2010
Amy VanBecelaere, Housing Coordinator
The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college. More than a job it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.
The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program. It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center. This month Amy VanBecelaere, Housing Coordinator talks about her experience with Chicago Center:
“My name is Amy VanBecelaere, and I am the current Housing Coordinator for The Chicago Center. I am a graduate of Adrian College where I received my B.A. in Psychology with minors in both Women’s Studies and Theatre (with a dance emphasis). Growing up in Metro Detroit (St. Clair Shores) with a lifelong interest in the performing arts, I had always known that I wanted to be connected to and a part of a big city, but I had little idea of how my heart would get there.
Through my undergraduate work at Adrian, I began to discover my own unique interests and life goals. I realized there that I had both a deep internal passion for dance and psychology; however I was having some trouble figuring out how to combine these interests in a concrete way. Soon enough, I was focusing my energy into the field of Dance Movement Therapy but still had little direction on how to gain any kind of experience in the field due to lack of resources of this kind in Michigan.
The Chicago Center for Urban Life and Culture entered my life at exactly the right time. Just looking through the brochure and seeing pictures of incredible mural work, African women dancing with such a glowing energy, and the general idea of living in a major city and center for culture; I knew I could find what I was looking for there. I saved all of my money for two summers and finally became a Chicago Center student in the Summer of 2008.
As I expected, Chicago as a city was bursting with possibilities. I ended up choosing an internship placement with Chicago’s only African-American modern dance company; Deeply Rooted Productions. Unlike most professional dance companies I had worked with before, Deeply Rooted had a unique focus on self-actualization through movement. Dancers (including myself) engaged in a continuum process where they grew not only as performers but as fully-functioning self-aware people as well. The Chicago Center helped me find a place where I could really develop and combine my interests in Dance and Psychology. However, my learning certainly was not limited to my internship.
The Chicago Center exposed me to so many different communities and cultures that I had never considered before. I grew immensely by interacting with community leaders, residents, performers and active citizens of Chicago. The Center really opened my mind and heart to new experiences and voices. I had always considered myself a culturally-aware, educated and open-minded person but I can say that I never truly understood what that was until I became a student at Chicago Center. I don’t know that I would have ever imagined myself, as a suburban grown white woman on stage dancing traditional African dance in full Kente cloth singing a West African Call entitled “Reza Agambani” (Feast of the Strong One), but that is where my experience took me. I returned to my campus with an experience unlike any of my classmates, I had a new found confidence in my opinions and knowledge of what it was to live in an urban environment. My professors and colleagues recognized a change in the way I interacted in the classroom and beyond. I now knew what I believed about city life because I had lived it but most importantly, I had a clear understanding of who I was as a person.
I knew that after my summer in Chicago, I would undoubtedly return to the city that became my new home and love. I also knew that only the Chicago Center could really help me truly understand what it was to be a Chicagoan. I wanted to be a part of future student’s experiences and help them find their way in the city the way I did!
As an apprentice for the Chicago Center, I am at forefront of encouraging and supporting each students own unique and fantastic experience in the city. I am grateful for the opportunity to hear stories and experiences from the students each week in my housing meetings. It is there that I also address concerns and maintenance issues. I love being able to provide support and make things easier for students as they are being challenged to grow and think in new ways in the City; it is what makes my job at the center so incredibly rewarding.
This year, my position as the housing coordinator has changed a lot. We now own our own building for student housing which we fondly call “The Boulevard”. I have been at the forefront of the transition between our old housing (renting at different units in Hyde Park) to a new building where we have really been in control and responsible for everything that happens within our own housing. After scheduling a tremendous amount of movers, cleaners and workers in all different ways (lots of support from Chicago Center staff) the building is finally finished! My crew and I were in charge of setting up the flats for students to live in for the first time in January and it appears to be a huge success. The students love our new facility and I am so proud to have played such a major role in putting things together. The whole center has spent so much time, effort and work into our new building and I think that it definitely shows.
Now that the biggest job is done, I am responsible for the maintenance and order of the building. I also prepare housing for incoming students each semester as well as our short term LC! Programs. I try to be a resource for students in any way I can, and I am extremely blessed to be part of such an incredible program that is working to expand the minds of students and faculty across the country. I only have a few short months left with the Chicago Center, and I will cherish them forever I am sure. I am currently interested in looking for a job in a social service setting and am actively looking for opportunities to use my dance/theatre experience to help people in any way I can. Come August, I will be attending graduate school at Columbia College Chicago and will earn my masters degree in Dance/Movement Therapy and Mental Health Counseling in the next few years. I know that my time and experiences here at The Chicago Center have without doubt helped me accomplish that goal and will continue to influence and inspire any goals I set for the future!”
We’d like to thank Amy for telling us about her experience and letting us share it with our potential students and alumni!
March 23rd, 2010
Steve Broadwell, Recruitment Coordinator
The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college. More than a job it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.
The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program. It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center. This month Steve Broadwell, Recruitment Coordinator talks about his experience with Chicago Center: Read More
Categories:
Alumni Highlights,
Apprentice Staff Highlights Tags:
albion college,
chicago center alumni,
chicago center apprentices,
chicago center staff,
chicago internship program,
chicago internship programs,
Chicago Internships,
hyde park,
steve broadwell,
urban apprenticeship
February 25th, 2010
At the Chicago Center, you get to work in an internship in Chicago while being supported by peers who are doing the same thing and a staff who is ready to help you make the most of your internship experience and your time in Chicago. That is the great part of being in a Chicago internship program rather than simply finding an internship on your own.
We’ll help you take your work experience and understand it in the context of the city and its unique cultural and economic background. Meanwhile, you’ll be in charge of your own career education while you are on the job. There are many things you can learn from an internship, whether it’s your first one or one of many you’ve worked in. Here are just a few of the skills you can expect to pick up in an internship in Chicago.
Multitasking and Time Management
In high school and college, you have to balance many time commitments, classes and jobs, but when you work in an internship or job, you realize how different multitasking on the job can be. Rather than being able to dedicate your full attention to one task for an extended period of time or until it’s finished, you often have to juggle projects and finish them all quickly and efficiently. Read More
February 16th, 2010
While you will definitely learn career skills and other practical knowledge during your time in your internship at the Chicago Center, you will also learn directly from being immersed in our home city: Chicago. As you study off campus in Chicago, you will learn directly from the rich diversity of Chicago neighborhoods; the opportunities that come along and teach you the most might not be the ones you are expecting!
Community Education Chicago: A Definition
Community education means exactly what it sounds like– learning directly from Chicago’s neighborhoods by participating in activities and events important to the community itself.
Chicago Center calls this educational philosophy First Voice pedagogy. We engage students with urban resources, realities, and issues through a First Voice pedagogy which utilizes the city directly as a teaching resource. First Voice pedagogy integrates community based resources and experiential education into more traditional ways of learning; seminars are designed to extend the text into the dynamics of the city. Read More
February 16th, 2010
Michelle Bess, LearnChicago! Coordinator
The Urban Apprenticeship is an exciting opportunity we offer Chicago Center alumni that have just graduated college. More than a job it offers opportunities for learning and skill development in a supportive urban learning community.
The apprenticeship started in 1990 and grew out of the mutual interests of Chicago Center alums to prolong their contact with Chicago Center and the Center’s interest in strengthening its staff and program. It has exceeded expectations in both arenas and has become a great strength of Chicago Center. The Urban Apprentice usually spends one full year in residence at Chicago Center. This month Michelle Bess, LearnChicago! Coordinator talks about her experience with Chicago Center. Read More
February 1st, 2010
Chicago internships can teach you a lot about yourself and your chosen career, and while you are working in one, there are probably tons of questions you may want to have answered. Luckily, Chicago Center provides a built-in support system to help you find answers to your own questions. From working in an office, to communicating with coworkers, to meeting deadlines, you may run into challenges in your Chicago internship program, but we’ll be there to help you address them, while also learning from them!
But you might have heard the saying, “Nothing worthwhile ever comes easily.” The amazing experiences you have as an intern and a student in Chicago are so great because they teach you that you can rise to meet the challenges you face! Chicago Center assists you in learning from your internship and succeeding in it.
Working an internship in Chicago, IL can provide challenges that help you learn about yourself.
The great thing about the Chicago Center internship programs is that we’ll be there the whole way to help you deal with any challenges you might meet. Whether challenges should rise in your Chicago internship, in your studies, or in your experience living in the city, you have an entire staff at your disposal, who have been through the Chicago Center experience themselves, to support you and help you learn and grow! It is a truly a unique community experience that helps you face any problem you meet.
And we’ll start helping you right here, by outlining some preliminary challenges and questions that our students meet and how to deal with them. With the help of our staff, you can navigate through challenges, and learn from the ones you must face! Read More
January 25th, 2010
Here at Chicago Center, we want to give you the best picture of what a great comprehensive Chicago internship program can be like and what it can teach you. So we plan to regularly bring you descriptions of our student practicums written by the participants themselves!
By understanding former students’ experiences in their Chicago internships, you can also understand the benefit a Chicago Center practicum can bring to your education, career and life. This week, Dave Reid from Willamette University, talks about his time with the Chicago Center.
Dave’s Chicago Internship Experience
Dave participated in the 2009 Fall semester Urban Academic Practicum. He spent three days a week working in his internship at the Austin Polytechnical Academy, where he worked as a teaching assistant to high school students. One day a week, he took part in our Chicago Communities and Cultures Seminar, and one day a week he took a Directed Studies course. Students are asked to keep an academic journal while participating in Chicago Center, here’s what Dave had to say in his journal summarizing his Chicago Center experience:
Dave Reid works with high school students in his Chicago internship.
Read More
January 4th, 2010
Chicago internships can assist you in facing one of the biggest life transitions: Starting a career. Getting a job right out of college these days is harder than ever. With a lagging economy and a job market saturated with entry-level employees, finding employment can be difficult no matter how qualified you are.
What are employers looking for more than anything? Real experience. And a great way to get real on-the-job experience is through choosing a Chicago internship in your field.
How can a college internship help you get a job?
Well, there are skills that you learn and tools you acquire that make the Chicago internship experience completely irreplaceable on your way to your chosen career. Here are the things a college internship can teach that make you a better candidate for employment. Read More
