LESLEY JOHN
SENIOR WRITER
For some Manhattan College students, summer means staying local.
Besides offering students various job search platforms, Manhattan College also offers several on-campus internships and jobs to help students gain valuable job experience and be more involved in their campus even when school’s out.
Every year, several students are selected by Student Life’s office to work as orientation leaders for the summer.
“Being an Orientation Leader is one of, if not the, best job you can have on campus as a student,” director of Student Activities John Bennett said.
These students are usually selected for their strong oral and written communication skills, knowledge of the college’s campus and social life and enthusiasm to work in a group setting. Specific responsibilities include orienting students and parents to campus life, facilitating group discussions during orientation and accepted days and assisting various student life offices.
“The best part about it is the fact that it truly prepares you for the real world,” Bennett said. “It’s all about people skills and who you know in the real world, and being an Orientation Leader helps you as much as any classroom experience would.”
The Business Office also employs many students during the summer to work as Conference Assistants. According to the job application, “Conference assistants are ambassadors to Manhattan College and greatly contribute to our guests’ overall experience at Manhattan College and in New York City.”
Each year, the college hosts several conference groups who use the campus’ facilities. These groups usually range in size from a dozen students to several hundred people, and at times, these visitors are from various foreign countries.
Students employed for this office are asked to work approximately 40 hours a week and the job requires students to have good customer service and be responsible as they will be representing the college to different groups.
“Being a conference assistant is a great opportunity for students,” said Keri McManus, a previous conference assistant and current office manager in the business office. “They will have exposure to the business side of Manhattan College. They will be an integral part of the conference service teams and have an opportunity to work with international clients.”
Another internship offered by the Center for Urban Resilience and Environmental Sustainability can take students outdoors.
After successfully piloting their internship last year, CURES is offering another summer urban agriculture internship this year in conjunction with Groundwork Hudson Valley. Three undergraduate students will be selected to participate in this paid internship and they will be taught how to farm and harvest in an urban rooftop.
Interns will gain valuable experience in agriculture, planting, and harvesting. In addition, students will be able to sell their own produce in the Yonkers’ farm marketplace.
According to the application, “The central importance of this internship is to exemplify that through hard work and dedication, you can yield more than just produce, you can change the way a city thinks about and grows food.”
“It was an overall amazing experience,” Arielle Simmons, president of the Green Club and a former intern in this program, said. “We all in some way feel that we are ‘environmentalists.’ But when you take the time and interact with people, the soil, the elements, and the earth, that’s when you can say that you are one.”
For students that want to pursue their own research questions, the Center for Graduate School and Fellowship Advisement will also be offering up to 15 stipends of $2,800 each for those scholars who will be willing to do summer research at the college.
“The goal of the program is to help students develop the intellectual, interpersonal, and research skills to be competitive applicants to graduate school, professional school, and fellowships,” Director of the Center for Graduate School and Fellowship Advisement Rani Roy said.
These students will have the option of free summer housing and the opportunity to participate in various workshops and training programs. The selection process is based on the students’ creativity, their ability to coherently present their ideas in a well- thought proposal and their potential to produce sophisticated future contributions.