Whether at a museum, a wine festival, a congressional office or an arts center, internships and other experiential learning opportunities allow Whittier College students to get practical experience that gives them a head start in the professional world, while also putting into practice lessons learned in the classroom.
Marketing and Sales
Taking a boat to work or riding a helicopter to a corporate meeting is par for the course for David Castro-Jimenez ’18, an intern with the Catalina Island Company (CICO).
A native of Catalina, located off the Los Angeles shore, Castro-Jimenez began working as a sales agent for CICO during high school and worked his way into an official internship in operations management last year. His goal was to gain a better understanding of business decision-making, marketing strategies, and workforce management.
Notably, Castro-Jimenez was put in charge of the kickoff event for CICO’s 3rd Annual Catalina Wine Mixer held in September. The evening bash featured a screening of the film that provided the inspiration for the 3-day festival—Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly. The showing was followed by a Step Brothers-themed party and costume contest.
“Our goal was to create buzz for the mixer and host an event that created good memories and motivated people to come back to the island,” said Castro-Jimenez.
CICO, a 123-year-old company run by the Wrigley family, recently went through a renaming and rebranding effort. Castro-Jimenez, a sports marketing major, was eager to get involved in the process and took it upon himself to volunteer. “Working with the marketing team, I got to witness A/B market testing in action and be a contributor to the re-imaging of the company logo.”
“It’s been a real learning experience. We had to make sure that everything was in line as it was being reviewed—we had to present our ideas to various people before it was submitted to the CEO for approval.”
Castro-Jimenez, who also spent part of his internship overseeing day-to-day operations for various tours on the island and training employees, adds, “I’ve been able to apply a lot of what I’ve learned in my business classes, especially in the area of consumerism, management, and organizational behavior.”
This fall, Castro-Jimenez began a second internship with the UCLA Athletics communications office. He is confident that the broad hands on experience he’s gained in both posts will help him achieve his career goal of leading the marketing team of a professional sports organization. After Whittier, he plans on pursuing a graduate degree in sports marketing.
Art
In the middle of learning every aspect of designing a museum exhibit, a moment stood out to Rosalba Ponce ’18. Early into her internship at the Kluge-Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection at the University of Virginia, she felt honored to hold one of the indigenous figures—a unique object of great cultural significance, and one she worked to preserve the history of.
“Being able to experience and learn someone else’s culture is a great privilege,” said Ponce, who spent her summer helping to produce a catalogue and other components for the Kluge-Ruhe’s newest exhibit— Songs of a Secret Country. This museum is the only one in the U.S. that solely exhibits Australian aboriginal art.
“[My internship] has prepared me with the use of unconventional materials, the value of art, and issues that deal with the notion of authenticity,” said Ponce.
The studio arts major began the internship with an advantage: she knows how to approach and analyze artwork with ease, thanks to her foundation in art history and studio classes at Whittier. Showcasing her original work on campus also helped her step into a museum like Kluge-Ruhe and be able to analyze its space and pieces.
Ponce plans to continue her education into museum curating and is exploring graduate programs in the field.
Civic Engagement
Psychology major Erika Ngo ’18 participated in a nine-week leadership academy organized by the Center for Asian Americans United for Self-Empowerment (CAUSE), a program designed to create an Asian Pacific American (APA) leadership pipeline.
Working 40-hour weeks, Ngo and her fellow participants developed an outreach plan and brochure for high school students, informing them on how to pre-register to vote at age 16, while also highlighting the importance of APA voter participation.
Despite APAs being the fastest growing community in the United States, representation and leadership has not kept pace with the growing and changing demographics, according to CAUSE.
Throughout the program Ngo had the opportunity to meet with APA political and community leaders and participate in a variety of discussions on issues related to Asian communities.
“I have learned that there is more than one way to make a difference in my community. What is important is not only creating our spot at the table for our voices to be heard, but also supporting others who are doing the same by voting, funding, and having meaningful, open dialogues,” said Ngo.
For Ngo, a highlight of the internship was meeting Congresswoman Judy Chu who served as the Academy’s graduation keynote speaker.
Teaching the Creative Arts
When not in class, Jacklyn Waight ’18 can usually be found in the music building. A member of the string and handbell ensembles, Waight is enmeshed in the performing arts at Whittier College. Her summer internship at The Music Center in downtown Los Angeles allowed her to share this passion for music with local educators.
Working with the Center’s Institute for Educators, Waight helped run a week-long, intensive summer program where teachers learned how to integrate the arts into core curriculum. She also helped produce other education-related events hosted by The Music Center this summer.
A double major in music and child development, Waight plans to one day be a teacher herself.
“In the future, I hope to be a strong advocate for arts education, mentor future generations, and be a great resource for students in all aspects,” said Waight.
