Westminster Students Spend Summer Exploring Careers
Posted on Friday, October 22, 2004
Westminster College students are encouraged to explore careers through the liberal arts education and internships.
"I took a black and white photography class with Peggy Cox," said Willis Bretz, a senior history major from Pulaski. "I was a couple of weeks into this class, when my interest in photography sparked, and I realized that it was something I really enjoyed."
Westminster College requires its students to take courses in foreign language, humanity and culture, quantitative reasoning, religious and philosophical thought, scientific discovery, social thought and tradition, and visual and performing arts to meet requirements for graduation.
One of the photos Bretz took in his Westminster photography class will soon be published in "Endless Journeys," a coffee table book, and a sports photo he took for The Holcad, Westminster's student newspaper, won the American Scholastic Journalist Press Association's Outstanding News Photograph Award for his entry titled "Titans Play Home Opener."
This summer Bretz used his history knowledge and his interest in photography, which was sparked by a required class, to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in an internship.
"I was a history major, but I went as a photography intern," Bretz said. "I documented the restoration of the Enterprise space shuttle. I set up the lighting and took photos that were requested. One of my photos was blown up into an eight by ten foot poster for their travel exhibit."
"It's amazing to work with people like NASA scientists," Bretz continued. "I was really into history especially World War II, and now I've expanded into flight history."
Many of Westminster's majors encourage internships for practical on-the-job experience outside the classroom.
Kimberly Clark, a senior biology major from Corry, recently completed an internship with Wildlife Safari, a non-profit 600 acre drive-through wildlife conservation, educational, and research park in Oregon.
"I applied in March, and was one of 200 applicants, so I was surprised to receive a telephone interview," Clark said. "I found out later that they were impressed by what they termed 'my professional attitude,' my cover letter, and the fact that I had worked with a vet."
"When I arrived, I was placed on the team that would be hand rearing four cheetah cubs that had been pulled from their mother, who was not taking care of them," Clark said. "The experience of raising these cubs was not only a gift, but an inspiration, as I now have found a new passion for animal conservation."
"I feel privileged to have been part of helping in the fight for the survival of this beautiful species," Clark continued. "Each day at Wildlife brought on different hurdles and amazing experiences that few have a chance to share in. This internship helped me decide what I want to do. I'm going to grad school to study zoology, and then to animal conservation somewhere."
Kristin Kronstain, a junior history major from Wexford, recently studied in Russia.
"I took a course in high school in Russian history, and one of my Westminster history professors, Dr. (Russ) Martin, knew about my interest in this area of history," Kronstain said. "Dr. Martin told me about this trip to Russia, where Davidson College students met up with an alumna, Yeygenia Anutyunan, so I signed up and went with three other students from Davidson College to Russia."
"I registered for two classes at Mgimo College, one in Russian history and one in Russian language," Kronstain continued. "I never had classes in the language, and it was hard for me partly because I spent much of my free time traveling seeing what I had studied about in previous classes. I went to see Lenin's body in glass, traveled by train for a weekend in Suzdal, and spent a week in St. Pertersburg. I even visited the Kremlin, which is much easier for a foreigner to get into than a native."
"When I got home, Dr. Martin agreed to teach me Russian in an independent study," Kronstain said. "I'm learning the language in an independent study on a one-to-one basis. This trip just increased my need to know more about Russian history. I know I want to go on to grad school, but I'm still not sure what career path that will take me."
Samantha Baldwin, a senior international politics major from Randolph, N.Y., spent her summer as a camp counselor in a Northern Ireland summer camp for children ages 6-15.
"I started college as a biology major, but I changed to international politics because of a class I had to take," said Baldwin. "It opened a whole new world to me. I never thought that this would be the path I would take."
"I gained a lot of confidence about what I wanted to do with my life at this camp," Baldwin said. "I have a minor in peace studies, and this camp provided me the opportunity to work with Catholic and Protestant children together. The camp is trying to ease tensions and teach the children how much they are alike."
"We made small steps to correct what has happened in Northern Ireland," Baldwin said. "I know now that I want to go to grad school for international conflict and peace resolution. I want to know that the work I do will affect people in a positive way."
For more information about Westminster College, contact Jackie Meade, director of the career center at (724) 946-7343 or e-mail meadelb@westminster.edu.
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