The summer season for CCRC is now underway, and six undergraduate interns are bringing new ideas to the center as they support research and communications teams. Four interns are from City College, part of the City University of New York system, and were selected for the S Jay Levy Fellowship, a prestigious professional development program that gives undergraduates the opportunity to gain career-building experience through internships of their choice. The other two interns attend Bates College in Maine and Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC).
The interns, who are supporting projects on online education, assessment and placement reform, first-generation student support networks, shrinking equity gaps, and students’ program choices, are just beginning to dive into community college research. But we’ll hear more about them and their work on the CCRC blog as the summer rolls on.
We’re excited to have these interns on board for the summer, and we hope they’re able to use what they learn over the coming months as a springboard toward future careers!
Lauren Lawler is a Macaulay Honors student at BMCC majoring in communications. Connected to CCRC through CUNY’s Career Launch program, she is eager to explore new areas of interest such as educational equity and its significant impact on community functionality. Lawler’s experience as a community college student allows her to appreciate the distinct challenges that her peers face. This summer, Lawler will contribute to CCRC by blogging about experiences, interviewing students and education professionals, and supporting the communications team in various capacities.
Deenika Oladipo is a communications intern at CCRC. A rising junior at City College, Oladipo is double majoring in international studies and anthropology. Her participation in the S Jay Levy Fellowship pushed her to explore new areas of interest, including education and communications. As a first-generation college student, she chose to intern at CCRC because she was inspired to learn more about how colleges are supporting and motivating their students in obtaining their degrees. She’s assisting the communications team this summer by writing blog posts and interviewing students about their experiences in college. She hopes to gain a deeper understanding of today’s college students and the higher education system through her work over the summer.
Catherine Rivas, another S Jay Levy Fellow, is a rising senior completing a BA/MA program in psychology with a concentration in research at City College. At CCRC, Rivas is working on two projects: One centers around understanding and evaluating the support networks available for first-generation college students, and the other explores practices that help to minimize equity gaps in community colleges. While working in the academic advising office at City College, Rivas was able to gain a deeper understanding of the relationship between advisors and students and the need for advising support, which sparked her interest in higher education. Rivas wants to use her time at CCRC to explore this relationship even further, along with learning more about the intricacies of the research process.
Trinity Serrette is a rising senior studying psychology at City College. After being awarded the esteemed S Jay Levy Fellowship, Serrette decided on CCRC for her summer internship because she felt it could help narrow down possible career paths. Her interest in the research projects at CCRC and her eagerness to discover new perspectives also contributed to her decision. Over the summer, she’ll be working on a project reforming student course placement through the use of alternative methods.
Amanda Zerbib attends Bates College in Maine, where she developed an interest in community colleges as a stepping stone for students and in their importance in promoting educational equity. At CCRC, she provides support for research teams studying how to help online students manage their learning and how to improve racial and economic equity within developmental education reform. A rising senior studying psychology, Zerbib is exploring career options in education. She plans to focus on admissions, public policy, or teaching.
Basmala Zyada is an English major at City College. She is working on a project on understanding how students choose programs of study. She was also connected to CCRC through the S Jay Levy Fellowship, which Zyada applied to in hopes of exploring her career interests. In the past, Zyada worked as a peer mentor for other college students. She says that this previous experience is what pushed her to learn more about community colleges and eventually work with CCRC. Zyada is looking forward to learning more about education from the perspective of a researcher and about the research process in general this summer.
