Summer Experience Fund 2023

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S U M M E R X P E R I E N C F U N D

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Students whose lives you are changing skidmore.edu/summerexperiencefund

The Summer Experience Fund (SEF) is part of the Zankel Experience Network (ZEN). ZEN was established in 2020 by Jimmy Zankel ’92 and Pia Scala-Zankel ’92 to foster Skidmore’s deep commitment to experiential learning, including the Summer Experience Fund, Collaborative Research, and a new Mentoring Program.

To learn more, visit: skidmore.edu/summerexperiencefund

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Decades of research shows that student development is a process shaped by experiences inside and outside the classroom.

(Kuh, 2008)

Internships, research, and service-learning opportunities are just some of the examples of high-impact learning practices that are crucial to long-term student success. In return for the time and effort required to participate in these opportunities, students enhance and integrate their learning, have the opportunity to collaborate with people who are different from themselves, gain insight into their fields of interest, and receive meaningful feedback.

These experiences can be life-changing and are a crucial part of a Skidmore education.

Through the support provided in 2023 through the Zankel Experience Network (ZEN), and one of its programs, the Skidmore Summer Experience Fund, 136 students gained experiences in the arts, medical centers, financial technology and business solutions organizations, government, sustainability, scientific research, law, education, technology, and more.

We are tremendously proud of these students and grateful to you for making these experiences possible for them.

With gratitude, Shannon Rodriguez Executive Director Skidmore Career Development Center

Kuh, G., High-Impact Learning Practices, Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2008.

DANCE AND ENGLISH DOUBLE MAJOR

KAYLEIGH DUGGAN ’24 BATH, MAINE

Thorne, Art and Media Intern, Create A Space Now Kayleigh Duggan ’24 did amazing things with their summer vacation. As an English and dance double major, they’re combining these dual passions for creation and communication in their internship at Create A Space NOW. Create A Space NOW is a platform founded by Hettie Barnhill in 2016.

The platform is designed on the premise of being an interactive space, utilizing the various artforms of dance, music, theater, spoken word, text, and film to educate and inspire action to dismantle the systemic oppression of Black people.

Duggan joined the Create A Space NOW team as a fundraising and creative outreach intern. They spend much of their time at the organization crafting grant proposals and reaching out to various institutions for opportunities to screen A Love Letter to Brian, Lesley, and Michelle, a film by Barnhill that utilizes many of the same artistic forms as Create A Space NOW to talk about Black lives.

Duggan’s internship allowed them to explore their own interests in filmmaking. They worked on a documentary that aims to address the issue of gun violence. The documentary is entitled Time is Dangerous and was released on August 1st in association with Create A Space NOW.

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Our approach involves crafting unique engagements and educational dialogues centered around performances, art, and films. These elements are designed to heighten awareness, facilitate challenging discussions, and inspire proactive measures.

BIOLOGY MAJOR

JULIA BLANCK ’24 HINESBURG, VERMONT

North Fork Oyster Company, Inc. Biology major and basketball star Julia Blanck ’24 interned at North Fork Oyster Company, Inc. Her experience is an example of how Skidmore’s Summer Experience Fund can be used by students who are unsure of what they want to do in the future.

“I took this job in hopes it would help me narrow down my options,” she explained. “I ended up learning all about sustainable oyster farming practices and gaining hands-on experience in a field that I was formerly uninformed about.”

Spread across five acres in the Long Island Sound, the farm boasts a sustainable approach to farming and a low impact on surrounding sea and wildlife. At the North Fork Oyster Company, Blanck was responsible for building and repairing equipment, maintaining the farm’s infrastructure, employing techniques to nurture the oyster’s growth, and providing consumer tutorials on the proper ways to shuck and eat oysters. Part of the job also involved reporting records and data to the Department of Environmental Conservation.

Blanck, who has an interest in marine biology, said some of her favorite parts of the job were simply seeing the various types of aquatic life that populate the Sound. She recalled a particular day when the team found a skate egg case clinging to one of the oyster cages.

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I held the translucent egg case up to the sunlight and could see the tiny baby skate swimming around inside. Afterwards, we returned the egg case to the water where they would continue to grow for a few more months before hatching.

GEOSCIENCE MAJOR

TZEVI AHO ’24 PORTLAND, MAINE

New York State Museum, Department of Invertebrate Paleontology Tzevi Aho has been interested in paleontology for as long as they can remember; it simply made sense that they would dedicate the summer before their senior year to working with the Invertebrate Paleontology Department of the New York State Museum.

The geosciences major devoted their time this summer to researching an understudied geological formation local to their home in Jonesport, Maine. This formation, called the Edmund Formation, is located on an island six miles out to sea. Aho was first able to explore it in the summer of 2022 and was immediately captivated by its brachiopod fossils. However, despite the large number of fossils, the formation had not been the subject of study for over a century. Aho reached out to Lisa Amati, lead curator of invertebrate paleontology, who agreed to oversee the project.

Throughout the summer, Aho examined changes in community structure following each eruption of the submarine volcano that created the Edmund formation and noticed significant differences in the fauna present at each site. They plan to continue their research, potentially in the form of a master’s project.

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In addition to the scientific experience I gained, one of my biggest takeaways from this project was a deep appreciation for the story of life and all that it has gone through in the course of time.

PHYSIOLOGICAL SCIENCES MAJOR

OWEN KUMASAKA ’24 MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

Bariatric Research A health and human physiological sciences major on the pre-physicians assistant track, Owen Kumasaka ’24 might have made some important breakthroughs during his break. This past summer, Owen worked with Professor for Health and Human Physiological Sciences Paul J. Arciero to create a study that will focus on intermittent fasting and exercise.

The study is designed to collect data on patients who are planning to receive bariatric surgery but may also include an iteration of non-bariatric patients in its beginning stages.

Owen’s participation in creating the study emerged from some research that he was involved in the semester before. After he expressed interest in continuing the research, Professor Arciero let him know about the possibility of running this study with the bariatric hospital. Owen was hooked and pushed to get the study approved by the department.

His hard work paid off and now he’s part of the team creating the proposal and design for the study.

Because the project is still in its beginning stages, Owen spent most of his summer reviewing past research on similar topics. Although there are still several steps that need to occur before the study can be run, Owen is thrilled to be part of the process.

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My summer experiences were awesome. I am very grateful for the opportunities SEF provided to enable me to stay on campus this past summer and work on something that I’m passionate about.

HISTORY MAJOR AND ARTS ADMINISTRATION MINOR

WILLA FLINK ’25 MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA

North Star Underground Railroad History Museum Willa Flink is a history major and arts administration minor in their third year at Skidmore College. This summer, Flink used their talents as a graphic designer, editor, and researcher and contributed to our understanding of the past as an archival research and graphic design intern at North Star Underground Railroad Museum in Ausable Chasm, New York.

During an internship, Flink helped create logos and webpages in preparation for North Star’s Juneteenth celebrations; they also helped to edit a publication by the museum. Their efforts culminated in a 20-page Juneteenth celebration booklet containing historical background about the holiday, as well as archival document spotlights and various kid-orientated activity sheets. The booklet was such a success that the Clinton County Historical Association expressed an intention to model future literature off Flink’s design.

The experience supported Flink’s long-term goals of pursuing a career in the nonprofit sector or arts field.

Flink’s wide-ranging interests and passion for social justice was recently recognized on a national scale, when Flink received the news that they had been awarded a prestigious Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. Flink is the first Skidmore student to receive this scholarship, which is only in its second year.

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I feel so grateful for the eclectic combination of opportunities I’ve received while at Skidmore . . . From service work contributing to art repatriation efforts, to stage managing queer fashion shows, co-curating U.S./Mexico border art exhibits and more. These activism-centered experiences aided me in being recognized and supported by the Obama Foundation.

PHILOSOPHY MAJOR AND MEDIA AND FILM STUDIES MINOR

KEVIN LANGYINTUO ’24 NAIROBI, KENYA

Jamestown’s Boxers Documentary Kevin Langyintuo, a philosophy major and media and film studies minor, has always loved telling stories through his art. He is an entrepreneur — the proud owner of Baby-Last, a small business that makes and sells clothing. This past summer, he spent his time speaking to locals of Jamestown in Accra, Ghana, crafting a documentary about the city’s talented amateur boxers.

Jamestown’s historical significance lies in its port — originally a place where many Africans were enslaved and shipped off to the Americas.

Now, Jamestown is known as one of the poorest districts in the country.

These factors drew him to the city. There he discovered that the area is also known for producing some of the country’s best boxers, many of whom planned to compete in the Olympic trials. Langyintuo’s film, Amateur, was born.

Langyintuo spent much of the summer collaborating with locals to record his experiences, working with a translator to bridge the language barrier, and examining footage to close any gaps in his storytelling.

Langyintuo plans to submit his documentary to several film festivals in the future.

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I’m really happy I had the opportunity to do something like this. It’s something I want to do again and again — I never found myself getting disillusioned with the work, and all the setbacks just became exciting problems for me to solve.