Oberlin Internship+ Commitment

Past Summer Experiences

Students in the College of Arts and Sciences have:

• Built out financial models and conducted technical and fundamental analyses at Goldman Sachs, determining companies' credit stories and making predictions about their leverage metrics based on models, fundamental and technical research, and the current macroeconomic environment.
• Researched cell replacement therapy for Parkinson's disease as a full-time intern at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC). The lab’s goal was to differentiate patient-derived stem cells into functional neurons and transplant them to the patient’s brain to rescue the loss of such a population.
• Worked alongside famous Hollywood film, tv and video game composers at the Palomar Film Music Workshop to write original music for a motion picture, and participated in daily scoring assignments, morning presentations and lectures from faculty and guest composers, daily one-on-one mentoring, and a culminating professional recording session at Studio West.
• Bridged rigorous academic research with community development programs at the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation, which collaborates with those most at risk to find innovative solutions in the prevention and treatment of HIV and related infections. As a Research Assistant on the Goals for Girls Initiative, this work involved capturing, compiling, and presenting data for this ongoing research project, and assisting with biomedical testing, exams, and related laboratory research.
• Worked in the archives department of the Noguchi Foundation and Garden, organizing the books and papers from Noguchi’s personal library and scanning them into what will become the Noguchi Museum’s new website. The Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum’s mission is to preserve the works and legacy of the Japanese-American sculptor and artist Isamu Noguchi.
• Worked closely with a four-person computational team at NYU Langone Health that was analyzing complex data using state-of-the-art software packages to find specific genes that could contribute to a cancer patient's treatment success.
• Conducted research on marine species sightings, whale behaviors, and marine debris for the Blue Ocean Society, while also educating whale patch boat passengers. The Blue Ocean Society is a marine conservation non-profit whose mission is to “protect marine life in the Gulf of Maine through research, education, and inspiring action.”

Students in the Conservatory have:

• Assisted with every aspect of The ENCORE Chamber Music Institute’s 6-week festival operations: grant writing, assisting with ticket sales and event registration, organizing social media marketing, creating the Online Summer Academy calendar, hosting masterclasses and seminars, editing and creating website pages, and serving as a staff resource for the institute’s student participants.
• Participated in the Atlantic Brass Quintet Summer Seminar, a two-week intensive brass quintet experience for young brass musicians interested in studying brass chamber music with members of the Atlantic Brass Quintet. The seminar is an opportunity to network with other fellow brass musicians, play exciting repertoire, and work with world renowned teachers.
• Participated in The Conducting Institute, which helps provide a foundation for young conductors, giving them the knowledge and skills necessary to become self-sufficient and prepared musical leaders and, for many, their first experience conducting a full orchestra. During the comprehensive three-week summer program, our students divided their time between the podium, ear training classes, rehearsing the lab orchestra, and gaining considerable amounts of constructive criticism and feedback.
• Engaged in private lessons, an audiovisual practice course, composition forums, and a daily ‘tutti hour’ as part of the soundSCAPE Composition and Performance Exchange Festival, where they were also able to share their works with guests from around the world. The festival is for composers and performers from all over the world who gather for two weeks of collaboration and process-discovery through workshops, lectures, master classes, and concerts. By the conclusion of the festival, each composer had their newly composed work premiered by performing participants.