One of my favorite times of the year is when it is time to decide what to do with my summer months. I jump from website to website imagining myself all over the world pursuing different programs! I come from a different educational system where summers are not meant to be "productive," and I was used to relaxing by the beach for the past 18 summers. As a first year student, I was extremely excited to see all the places Princeton could take me during those three long summer months.

Unable to pick just one program to participate in among the many Princeton summer offerings, after my first year, I decided to attend two Princeton language programs. I was fortunate enough to spend a month in Munich learning German followed by two months in Beijing learning Mandarin. These programs are just two examples of the many intensive language programs the University offers in places all around the world such as Spain, Argentina, France, Japan, Russia, Brazil and Tanzania. They normally offer intermediate and advanced language classes while also including a variety of cultural activities so that we can better understand and explore the country. Many of them are also "total immersion" programs which means that during the duration of the program, the students can only speak the language they are learning. This, of course, can be really challenging but also a lot of fun! People develop different personality traits and senses of humor when speaking in a foreign language so it is a great way to meet new people or further develop existing friendships in a completely different context to Princeton’s campus.

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My experiences participating in both programs were great and also very different from one another. Princeton in Munich was just one month, and German is an easier language to learn in a more casual context. We had three hours of language class per day at the Goethe Institut in Munich and then spent a lot of time just exploring the city and other places in Bavaria. On the other hand, Princeton in Beijing is jokingly referred to as "Prison in Beijing" because there is a lot of work during the whole two months of the program’s duration. On top of the four hours of morning class, each student has a one-hour individual tutorial session in the afternoon, daily quizzes and weekly exams. While it is a lot of work, I found the program extremely rewarding because it helped me greatly improve my Mandarin in a short period of time while being in constant contact with awesome Chinese instructors. During the weekends we also had time to explore Beijing, which is a wonderful and incredibly historically rich city. It was great to have the opportunity to experience the country that we were learning about first-hand. If you are interested in learning a new language, these immersion programs might be a great option for the summer.

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Most children’s first word is “mama”; mine was “book.” In preschool, as other kids scampered around Toys "R" Us, I devoured the shelves of Barnes & Noble. Some go weak in the knees at the scent of chocolate lava cake, but the new book smell has always been my aroma of choice.

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Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve dreamed of working in the publishing world. And so, standing in the entryway of Princeton’s Career Services building at last fall's Communications & Media Meetup, I was rendered a child once more. Somewhere in the crowd, I knew, was a representative from the book publisher Simon & Schuster. Straightening my nametag, I navigated my way across the room until I found myself standing before the Simon & Schuster booth.

“Welcome! You’re my first visitor!”

Later that evening, I emailed the Simon & Schuster representative, thanking her for such a fantastic conversation and mentioning that I couldn’t wait to apply to her company’s winter internship program. A few minutes later, my inbox dinged.

“Let me slip a little note along to HR…”

One week later, I was sitting in an office in midtown Manhattan, interviewing for an editorial position with Simon & Schuster.

I didn’t wind up getting the internship that day. Instead, I walked away with something even more valuable. Midway through our conversation, my interviewer cocked her head and asked me, “Have you ever considered becoming a literary agent?”

I hadn’t. In fact, I had never even heard of the job before. And so, later that evening, I typed the words “literary agent” into Google for the first time. With childlike wonder, I watched as my laptop conjured up descriptions of a dream job I hadn't known existed.

Minutes later, I was scouring the web for internships once more.

It’s now been almost a year since my Simon & Schuster interview, and I just completed my third literary agency internship. Like the others before it, this internship provided me with endless inspiration and insight. But—at its completion—it also gave me one more thing.

A job offer.

The school year is finally over and that means it's time for students to disperse and do myriad activities for the summer. Some go home and visit family, some may actually go and take more classes over the summer or some may stay and work on campus. Then there are those students, like myself, who applied and were accepted into the University's International Internship Program (IIP), where students are given the opportunity to work in a range of possible fields of interest all across the world for eight weeks. I am currently working at Vieira de Almeida & Associados, a renowned law firm here in Lisbon, Portugal.

I have been here for three weeks already and I've enjoyed every minute of it, both the city itself as well as my internship. Lisbon, although it can be a bit hilly, is a wonderful city to walk around, enjoy the nearly ever-shining sun and the cool breeze all the while experiencing an unusual blend of historic and modern style. On multiple occasions some friends and I have visited the beach at Carcavelos and have gotten nice tans. We were fortunate enough to arrive during the Santo António national holiday where the town of Alfama celebrates en masse with great music, lovely food (a lot of fish I must admit) and a vast amount of happy faces.

As far as my actual job is concerned, I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming and interesting place to be. The one way I consistently describe it to people is that it seems like a blend of the Silicon Valley startup culture with a law firm. Everyone seems rather young, enthusiastic and passionate. Currently, the firm is working to be at the forefront of legal innovation and policy. I am working as a researcher in the business development office investigating market trends and preparing PowerPoint reports describing where the future of law is headed in various sectors. My supervisor is very nice and quite helpful, but then again so is everyone I've come into contact with at the office. Colleagues I had just met invited me to dinner, and I had an amazing and hilarious time. I may have five weeks left, but I know that time is going to fly by, so I definitely will strive to make the most out of every minute I still have here. Princeton has provided me with a great opportunity so I can't afford to waste it, now can I?

To answer the most frequently asked question I get from prospective students: It's super cool!

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Basically, being a Computer Science (COS) major means that I have to take eight departmental classes, which are COS classes that are 300-level or higher. COS courses are typically lecture-style classes, and the coursework involves programming assignments, problem sets and final projects. There's no one course that all COS majors are required to take, and it's nice having so many options for classes. (See listing of COS classes here.)

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Because I'm pursing an A.B. degree (as opposed to B.S.E. - read about the differences here), I have to do four semesters of independent work, which means I get to work on projects of my choosing, learn about whatever I want to learn about, and then write a report about it. For my junior fall, I wanted to learn how to make a mobile app, so I built an Android app that uses geofencing to deliver push notifications about public events happening in nearby parks. In my junior spring, I wanted to brush up on my web development skills, so I made a website that made URLs human-readable and then conducted a user study. For my senior year, I wanted to engage more with people, so I'm interviewing people and writing my thesis about it! If you're curious, my thesis is about smart homes, privacy and the Internet of Things. :)

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Since declaring COS as my major sophomore spring, I've taken two COS classes each semester, plus independent work. About half of my studies are dedicated to COS, and the other half is filled with whatever else I want to study--English, French, Chinese, dance, music and anything that strikes my fancy to round out my liberal arts education.

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Additionally, I'm super grateful for the fact that being a COS major has, quite literally, taken me places: I've gotten to work in San Francisco and Seattle the past two summers, and I spent my junior spring studying abroad at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. This spring break, I also got to travel to Berlin for the Fung Global Forum: "Can Liberty Survive a Digital Age?"

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I'm so happy to be a Computer Science major and have certainly enjoyed my Princeton academic experience. Hopefully you've gotten a good taste of what it's like to be a Computer Science major here at Princeton, as well!

It's 2017, which means that I'll be graduating in a few short months (eek!), so let's talk about the people who have made me excited about the scary prospect of leaving Princeton and entering the real world — my alumni mentors!

As an English major, pages have always been my portal to faraway lands. This summer, however, the journey was real—having commenced with the stamping of a passport in lieu of the opening of a spine. By transporting me to an island Far, Far Away, Princeton’s International Internship Program placed me in a blank storybook and granted me free reign to write my very own tale (fittingly enough, in a country with no shortage of castles).

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Traveling makes you see the world anew. All at once, you are spiraled into a time warp—simultaneously child and adult, stumbling upon wonder in every nook and cranny yet maturing rapidly by the moment.

During my two months in Ireland, I scaled mountains and sea cliffs only to gaze down upon villages whose populations boasted more sheep than people. I biked to medieval ruins in the pouring rain—speeding past donkeys, cows and horses until the puddles in my sneakers rivaled those on the road beneath me. I swam underneath cliff-side waterfalls, sheep-speckled emerald towering above me as far as the eye could see. Every weekend, I left behind pieces of myself in landscapes that put the “wild” in Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way—because what story is complete without a dash of adventure? 

The changes that I noticed in myself last summer were infinite—from the minute to the monumental. My tea intake skyrocketed. I grew more independent than ever before—there was inimitable satisfaction in every supermarket receipt, every “Table for one, please,” every successfully executed solo journey. I was the truest version of myself—more adventurous and connected to nature than ever before. There wasn’t anything that could stop me from shimmying through caves, scaling subterranean waterfalls, or rising with the sun to ascend a 2,500-foot mountain. As a solo traveler, I heeded nothing but my own two feet.

When faced with the prospect of solo travel, many wonder, “What would I do with myself?”

What will you do with yourself?

You will climb mountains. You will wander. You will wonder. You will daydream. You will adventure. You will laugh. You will learn. You will grow—more than you ever imagined possible. You will face the world with perpetually glimmering eyes, an unshakeable skip in your step, and the knowledge that you alone are the author of your life story.

You will not be the same.

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Society oftentimes associates solitude with loneliness. But being alone is anything but lonely. It is freeing. It is calming. It is invigorating, inspiring, profound and unmatched. It gives you the chance to see aspects of the world that you would have missed with others in your periphery. There is something so sacred—so serene—about moments when it is just you, the trees, the sky, and the sea. When you’re alone, every bird’s chirp, rustling branch, crashing wave and fluttering leaf catches your attention. All at once, you realize that some can go their whole life without ever truly listening.

On July 15, I found myself scrambling up the slippery rocks of Killarney National Park’s aptly named Cardiac Hill in the middle of a downpour. Finally, having hoisted myself higher than the pines, I reached the summit. All at once, the rain petered out as the sun filtered through the treetops. I stood there, basking in the double rainbow that arched its way over the park’s valley of verdant green, and not a single word was necessary.

I urge you: At least once in your life, be that party of one alone on the mountaintop.

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As I flew west over the Atlantic at summer’s end, it occurred to me that I hadn’t purchased a single souvenir during my two months in Ireland. I don’t need anything to remember what this summer gifted me.

Because when I look in the mirror, she’s right here.

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to work as a veterinary intern at Dolphins Plus, Inc., located in Key Largo, Florida. While last summer I worked with penguins (you can read about my experience here), this time I lived my life-long dream of working with dolphins. (I tried a new format for this post, so we will see how it goes!)

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What are your daily tasks at the internship?

Every day on the job was different, as our samples fluctuate with the animals’ health and the veterinarian’s sample requests. However, in a given week, there was a lot going on in the vet lab that I do or have the opportunity to assist with. I prepared most of the medications our animals are on, created excels for different projects the veterinarians request, and prepared slides and samples to be sent out to various labs for further analysis. In addition, I run all of the in-house blood-work, which includes examining Total Protein (TP) to determine the levels of albumin and globulin (protein) in the blood; checking Packed Cell Volume (PCV), which measures the red cell count in the blood; testing chemistry levels, which explains levels of sodium, potassium and other components of the blood; and making blood smears, which provide vital information about the types of white blood cells in the blood. Occasionally, some of our animals have medical procedures, which I have also had the opportunity to observe and assist with.

What are your takeaways from the internship?

I think one of the main takeaways I have from this internship is an understanding of how connected the different aspects of this field are to one another. Veterinarians rely upon trainers to build relationships with their animals in order to get samples. Trainers rely upon the veterinarians to keep the animals healthy. Researchers rely upon both teams to bring new insight to the scientific community. Coming into this internship, I was uncertain as to whether I wanted to pursue a research career in marine science or attend veterinary school. Now that I have spent three months in the vet lab at a dolphin facility, in addition to a few weeks with the research department, I realize there are ways to do both. I have learned that having some form of additional education is critical in having a successful career as a marine mammal veterinarian. Therefore, my plan after graduation has become clearer. I hope to graduate school with a degree in marine science, acquire additional animal experience, and then attend veterinary school.

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What was your favorite moment?

My favorite moment was the first day I was cleared to go in the water and swim with the dolphins. Being able to look them right in the eye, rub their backs, and interact with them was such an incredible experience. They are magnificent creatures with so much to teach the world, and I love every second I get to connect with them. However, putting the occasional kisses from dolphins and sea lions aside, if I were to just look at veterinary experiences, I think my favorite moment would have to be running the ultrasound machine while we were administering a catheter into one of our dolphins as part of a CT procedure. I was right in the thick of the action with all of the trainers and vet staff. It made me realize that this is what I want to do in the future.

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Any advice for other Princetonians who also share a passion for the unusual?

Don’t be afraid to utilize University resources to find what you are interested in. Even if the opportunity is not presented to you (as will be the case about many internships through Princeton), go hunting for what you are interested in. Before securing my internship at Dolphins Plus, I searched online for veterinary internships and marine mammal internships all over the world. I also visited career services and talked with older students to see if they had any suggestions as well. Plus, if you find an internship, conference or some other interesting opportunity outside the University, Princeton is really good about helping to fund those experiences. All in all, if you have a passion for something and are willing to take initiative to find something cool, Princeton will help you make it possible.

Anything else you would like to share?

One of the main missions of Dolphins Plus is to promote the protection and conservation of marine mammals through education, research and experiential learning. Before every swim experience, we give our guests an educational briefing in which we inform them about basic dolphin anatomy and the importance of protecting these animals through different forms of conservation. Therefore, this interview would not be complete without extending some of that information to you, the reader, because the more people who receive this message the greater the impact on the marine environment and marine mammals. While Atlantic bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are not currently threatened, many other marine mammal species are. Consequently, there are simple things that everyone can do to make a difference in the future of these species such as eat sustainable seafood (http://www.seafoodwatch.org/), do a beach clean up, and even recycle. Small acts of conservation can make a big difference.

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Before starting classes at Princeton, all freshmen participate in an orientation program. There are currently three programs that Princeton offers: Outdoor Action (OA), Community Action (CA), and Fall Athlete Program. All three are wonderful and give students an opportunity to learn about the ins and outs of Princeton from upperclassmen, get acquainted with the school, and most importantly, make friends as soon as you get to campus. Here are some thoughts from three members of the Class of 2020 who recently participated in these orientation programs.

Mashad Arora on Outdoor Action

For my orientation trip, I did an Outdoor Action (OA) backpacking trip through Harriman State Park in New York. Our group consisted of nine interesting and fun incoming freshmen and three truly awesome leaders. During the five days we spent hiking through the park, we bonded over amazing vistas, embarrassing group games, deep conversations, random photoshoots and multiple wrong turns. Without technology or ten thousand events to attend, we played late-night games of mafia, sang spontaneously while staring up at the stars, and ate s’mores around a campfire while listening to each other’s life stories. We went from being a hodgepodge of people from all over the world with different interests to being a tight-knit and warm family that loudly sang our favorite songs during the bus ride back to campus. Today, as I walk to class, it’s great to run into others from the group, as we share a special connection. Even though many of us have different interests and different paths, we all share this as our first experience at Princeton, and it’ll always be special to cherish the friendships that formed during OA.

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Leora Eisenberg on Community Action

I had the opportunity to participate in Community Action (CA) Interfaith, in which we spent five days in Greater New Jersey -- primarily New Brunswick and Princeton -- visiting the holy sites of different religious traditions, such as Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and Christianity. While our community service was not as "direct" as that of other groups (i.e. we weren't building houses or mentoring at-risk youth) as other CA groups were, it was just as valid and important. My CA group was privileged to build bridges between communities, which many of us wouldn't normally frequent.

In the evenings, we would do group activities that were focused on our fears about beginning college and our trepidations about life in general. Most of the group really opened up--and it was heartening to see what we had in common, as well as what made us different.

All in all, CA was a fabulous experience. I would seriously recommend the program to anyone. (And if you're lucky, you'll go to a kosher Indian buffet on the last day, like we did.)

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Susan Orth on Fall Athlete Orientation

Finding out in late August that all of the freshman got the incredible opportunity to go away on orientation trips, either on CA or OA, and that I was unable to go due to preseason training for Field Hockey, was devastating!  But…of course, Princeton never leaves anyone out. 

We, as freshman fall athletes, got the chance to interact with other fall athletes in a small group orientation group for a few hours over the span of three days.  We discussed our anxieties, things we were excited about for the upcoming year, and everything in between.  Surprise, surprise, many of the people in the room had similar things to say.  It was incredible to be able to be part of an orientation experience like this, while still being able to train for our upcoming seasons.  The pressures of being a Princeton student-athlete are not negligible, and it was so nice to share this time with so many others who experience those same, or very similar pressures.  Also, the leaders of these small groups shared their vast experiences, giving us advice for the year, and sharing some of the many resources that are not only open to us as student-athletes, but all students on-campus.

Not to mention, athlete orientation was fun!  We played fun games, took a trip to The Amazing Escape Room, an interactive, team-building reality game, and I made many friends (who now come to my games, and I to theirs.)

Overall, this experience was such a nice way to start the year … I felt as if I didn’t miss out on any of the great orientation trips that were offered!

I worked at Princeton in Africa, a non-profit organization that sends recent graduates to different countries on the African continent for year-long service fellowships with a variety of organizations.

This past summer I had the unique opportunity to intern at a penguin rehabilitation center in South Africa through Princeton’s international internship program. As crazy as it sounds, I got to medicate, feed, and clean up after African penguins for two months. My days started when I walked into work welcomed by the wonderful aroma of penguins. After getting my assignment for the day, the first job I had was to give the penguins their medications and darrows, which is a mixture of water and electrolytes used to help them regain their strength.

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Then, I let the birds swim while I cleaned their mats. Before working with the penguins, I had always envied firemen since they got to use power hoses, but I can say now that I think I’ve had my fill of spraying penguin poop off mats for quite some time. After finishing cleaning, my next task was to prepare fish. This process involved sticking my hand into an ice-cold bucket of frozen water, trying to collect about 50 fish before my hand became too numb.

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But despite the pain of gathering the fish, feeding was probably the most exciting part of my day. When I went into the pen with my bucket of fish, the little chicks would crowd by my feet, begging me for food, always bringing a smile to my face. I mean, how adorable is it when you have penguins at your feet begging you for food, while you have one in your arms already anxiously awaiting its fish.  After feeding, the rest of my obligations typically consisted of cleaning buckets, syringes, and towels since we went through hundreds of each every day. That part was sometimes dull, but the times I got to play with the penguins definitely made up for it.

The staff also gave me the special opportunity to shadow the veterinarian a few times, assisting in both surgeries and necropsies. Listening to the heartbeat of a penguin (did you know they have incredibly fast heart rates?) was probably one of the greatest moments of the summer. Additionally, I got to assist with fieldwork in a wild penguin colony, where we put microchips into the penguins so that researches can track their migration and feeding patterns. Watching the sunrise from a penguin colony followed by holding baby penguins all afternoon made for the recipe for the perfect day.

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Now that I’m back on campus, my experience with the penguins lives with me every day (and not just because I have the scars on my hands to prove it). My friends call me the penguin girl and with all the posters and photos up in my room I kind of see why. My experience last summer has confirmed my decision to concentrate in EEB and has convinced me that I might want to attend veterinary school after I graduate. As a freshman, I learned very quickly about Princeton’s resources and how eager the university is to send students out into the world to do incredible things. I am already looking forward to this summer’s exotic adventure, wherever that may be.

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