Just before leaving to begin last summer's internship at Glacier National Park in Montana, Williams College student Matt Wibbenmeyer '07 received an email from one of the park rangers with whom he would be working with for the next few months. Wibbenmeyer was touched by both the warmth and enthusiasm of the note, which spoke of the ranger's own experience as an intern just a few years earlier.
"The naturalist correctly forecasted the love for Glacier that working as a park interpreter has caused in me," Wibbenmeyer wrote in his evaluation of the summer. "Whether or not I come back to Glacier National Park to work sometime in the future, I will remember and value the growth I have achieved here."
Wibbenmeyer was one of 123 Williams students who participated last summer in Williams College Alumni Sponsored Internships across the country and around the globe. In fields as diverse as art and politics, health and economics, students spent eight weeks gaining first-hand experience in a selected project or career.
The program is made possible annually by a number of generous grants that support the students' experiences with up to $3,200 of funding.
Uzaib Saya '08 spent his summer at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Changing responsibilities almost weekly allowed Saya to shadow doctors as they responded to different health issues in the rural village of Rehri Goth.
Saya also worked closely with organizations dealing with problems of prenatal care, family planning, and substance abuse. "Overall, the experience at the clinic at Rehri Goth was unbelievable because of its uniqueness and my opportunity to be closely involved with doctors and public health specialists and researchers," Saya said.
Christina Perron '07, found her internship at Boston's United South End Settlements "challenging, frustrating, but ultimately extremely rewarding." The organization mentors adolescent girls in challenging life circumstances.
Perron provided skill-building opportunities in the arts while also helping a homeless teen in her transition to independent living. She said that the program, in general, and the communication skills she learned, in particular, was a great skill-building opportunity for her, too.
Last summer offered Nontombi Kraai '09 a chance to work in HIV/AIDS education at YMCA Botswana. Kraai learned the importance of grass-roots non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in dealing with HIV/AIDS, especially in the counseling of teen mothers and in helping youths struggling with the virus.
Brenda Perry '07 divided her summer into two different education-related internships, one shadowing an elementary school principal and the other working with children in a special needs summer school program. Her time with the principal confirmed her career. "This is it!" she wrote. "I experienced so much of the profession that I now know it is right for me. This internship was priceless," Perry said.
The Alumni Sponsored Internships' goal is to provide funding for Williams students to experience an educational and personally-fulfilling challenge by working with professionals in a variety of fields.
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Williamstown Accepts Williams' $2M Bid for 59 Water St.
By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday voted 4-1 to accept a revised offer from Williams College to purchase the former town garage site at four times the original upfront offer.
On Monday night, Williams' director of communications presented a revised offer: the original $500,000 purchase price plus an additional $1.5 million contribution to the town, paid in a lump sum at the time of closing.
In addition to doubling the effective purchase price ($2 million versus the $1 million over 10 years), the new offer addresses a concern raised by members of the Select Board at its first public consideration of the college's proposal: the fact that $50,000 in 2036 is not the same as $50,000 in 2026.
The college's Gina Puc noted that the $500,000 purchase price alone is anywhere from a third more to double the lot's appraised value, depending on which appraisal you look at, a sum she characterized as "reasonable, even generous."
"After consideration and listening to the good conversation at the last Select Board meeting, we've decided to revise our offer, so we'll make a one-time payment of $1.5 million to the town at closing," Puc said. "This is in place of the $50,000 payment to the local schools.
"We're responding to some of the feedback we heard — one, to really compensate for lost tax revenue on the site for this being converted from what was, potentially, a commercial lot and, in addition, listening to feedback about having this go to the town instead of the schools."
Uhry won a Pulitzer Prize for his work; he won an Oscar for the 1989 film adaptation of the play, which also won the Best Picture Oscar. Yes, that's how good it is. click for more
A granite installation in Bloedel Park next to the town's new traffic rotary honors the area's first residents and caps an effort that began five years ago. click for more
The Select Board on Monday decided to enter into negotiations with Williams College on the sale of the vacant town-owned lot at 59 Water St.
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