Learn about Summer Fellowships at the CPGC Poster Fair

Are you interested in exploring another part of the world? How about gaining some professional experience to beef up your resume? Would you like to get paid while doing it? Then on October 22, from 4:30 to 6:30, make your way to the Digital Commons in Lutnick Library for the annual CPGC poster fair. 

There, participants in summer fellowships will share their experiences working with their respective organizations. They’ve spent the past few weeks making posters that demonstrate the connection between their work over the summer and their professional ambitions. Some will be giving short Ignite presentations on the work they accomplished. The evening offers the perfect opportunity to explore the fellowships on offer at the CPGC and to consider future career experiences for your own professional development.  Come see how you could make a difference by combating gentrification in Philadelphia, opening pathways to citizenship for undocumented migrants, or reconnecting disappeared individuals with their families in Guatemala. This is only a small taste of the variety on offer. 

Regardless of which fellowship they chose, each of the fellows will attest to the many skills they gained. For Marcos Padrón-Curet (Class of ‘23), this meant learning the ins and outs of translation with the Ticha Project in Oaxaca, Mexico. Though done virtually, Marcos immersed himself in the indigenous language of Zapotec as the Ticha Project wrote a textbook to help teach the language to the next generation of speakers. He faced questions such as “Who should be reading this book and who should be writing it? All of these nitty-gritty things that have to do with theory but that are very real.” In addition, he learned about time management and “how to pace myself to work more efficiently.” He had been working for the Ticha project months before he applied for the fellowship. When he learned about the summer fellowship program, he sought the help of the CPGC’s Janice Lion and Stephanie Zukerman to get funding for his remarkable work. 

For Maria Reyes Pacheco (Class of ‘24), the number one skill she learned was collaboration. When it came to group projects, “I am not amazing at that,” she admitted. Working for the New Sanctuary Movement, an immigration justice organization located in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, changed that. She learned not just how to collaborate with a team but also how to adapt to different professional environments. Even though her fellowship was “completely remote,” her weekly duties required her to interact with a variety of organizations, each with their own way of conducting business. Her work focused on digital literacy, an increasingly important skill as COVID-19 forces more jobs to move online. Though her fellowship kept her busy, she never struggled to find that elusive work-life balance. Same went for the application process. It was “very flexible” and “casual” in her experience. She intends to work more with the New Sanctuary Movement in the future, and she recommends anybody who’s interested in immigration justice to consider applying for the fellowship. 

Because of COVID-19, most of the fellowships were done remotely. This disappointed many of the fellows who had hoped to do their fellowships abroad, but the strong majority of fellows reported having valuable professional experiences through remote work. Some internships based in Philadelphia allowed the fellows to do some in-person work, such as attending meetings or touring the areas where their organization hopes to make an impact. Whether or not fellowships will be in-person next summer depends on the course of the pandemic, but the work experience gained is well worth the effort of applying.

Plus, it’s paid. This past summer, fellows received four-thousand dollars to participate in their organization’s social justice work full-time. This means that a fellow can sacrifice, say, a part-time job to commit themselves fully to the duties of the internship. The money comes from the CPGC directly and is intended to alleviate any financial burden a fellow might face over the course of their work. The CPGC is committed to being accessible to all students, offering additional support for students receiving need-based financial aid.

In addition to the posters, there will be Ignite presentations from 5:15 to 5:45 by a select few students. They will discuss in depth the experiences they had with their social justice organizations and hang around afterwards to answer any questions students may have. Indeed, there will be time aplenty to spend time with the fellows to inquire about their fellowships. This offers an opportunity to ask about the minutiae of day-to-day fellowship work and learn what a day in any given organization might look like for you. 

Applications for summer internships don’t need to be completed until the spring semester, but it’s never too early to start considering your options. Staff at the CPGC are always available - and happy - to answer questions about the fellowships and guide you through the application process. Check the CPGC’s website to keep track of updates and deadlines relating to summer fellowships. 

We hope to see you at the poster fair!