As a part of my internship, we live in a volunteer house with a lot of other people. Because there are so many people to feed the house actually hires cooks to come in twice a day to make us lunch and dinner. Sometimes though, when I want to switch things up, I might go out to eat with friends or even have food delivered to the house. The area our house is in is also residential, and there are street vendors and proper eateries on literally every street, so I can rest assured that I will never go hungry.
Recently, I went out to eat with some of my students. I teach at the Hanoi University of Industry, so the students are actually around my age, so we naturally got along really well. Once I was done with my project and was no longer their teacher, we went out to eat Korean Barbecue as just a group of friends, and it was a really nice experience. They treated me out so I didn’t have to pay anything, and they also did most of the grilling, even though I offered to do it for them (because I actually like to do the grilling!). We ate at a street-food type restaurant, meaning there was no physical building where we sat to eat—just chairs and tables and the grill. It was very cozy, the food was delicious, and the time I’ve spent with them and the other new friends that I’ve made here in Vietnam has all been very rewarding. I look forward to coming back soon and going out to eat with them again!
Date posted: July 30, 2019 | Sabrina Fay | Comments Off on There’s Always Something for Everyone | Education & Access
I and the two other PICS interns at FERC, Lizzie Parker and TJ Li, touring the Conowingo Dam in Maryland on a FERC intern field trip.
This summer, I’ve been working in the Office of Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur ’75 at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C. through a PICS internship. You may think that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or “FERC” as we affectionately call it, sounds really important, but you most likely also have no clue what FERC actually does (I’m actually still trying to answer this one). Think of us as an independent, bipartisan (ha) group of 1,100 energy nerds who spend all day regulating the utilities that provide America’s electricity. When you turn on the lights or the A/C, you can bet that FERC had something to do with determining where the power came from and how the infrastructure to deliver the electricity was built out.
In my specific role in Commissioner LaFleur’s office, I am working on a lot of energy and environmental policy and economics, helping our office’s three legal advisors and one technical advisor to decide how Cheryl will vote on each order which comes before us. While FERC staff can approve or deny some proposals that come before us (e.g., local utility changes its rates), most major proposals are voted on by FERC’s commissioners, of which there are currently four (there are supposed to be five, but the President hasn’t gotten around to nominating a fifth yet, which isn’t that uncommon). About half of our orders deal with changes to the electricity grid and markets (rates, tariffs, etc.), but we also approve infrastructure projects such as natural gas pipelines, liquid natural gas (LNG) export terminals, and hydroelectric dams. This latter category is what I’ve been specializing in during my work at FERC.
On a typical day, I’ll usually be digging into an environmental impact statement (EIS) for a particular project. These documents are prepared by FERC staff to summarize the effects that a project will have on the local environment — anything from removal of vegetation and loss of wetlands to water and air pollution. After I read through these, I talk about the case with Cheryl’s infrastructure legal advisor (and my direct supervisor), Cat Giljohann. We then write up a concurrence (if Cheryl supports it) or a dissent (if Cheryl doesn’t support it). One of the biggest issues we’ve been grappling with currently is the climate impact of fossil fuel projects and how FERC (in our opinion) isn’t doing enough to prescribe adequate mitigation for greenhouse gas emissions. To that effect, I’m preparing a final paper on the Social Cost of Carbon, a carbon emissions pricing tool that FERC could use to require project applicants to offset their climate impacts.
In addition to the day-to-day, working at FERC has been a really incredible opportunity for me to learn about the challenges facing our electric grid in the coming years, especially as we introduce more renewables into the energy mix. I recently finished reading a book, Superpower: One Man’s Quest to Transform American Energy by Russell Gold, all about a renewable energy entrepreneur’s efforts to transform America’s power grid into a national, unified network (instead of the fragmented hodgepodge of regional lines we have now). I’m newly fascinated with the electric grid and am looking forward to taking more energy courses during my time at Princeton. I’ve also gotten to meet fellow interns from all walks of life, go on trips to places like the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant (which is close to my house in Baltimore, Maryland!), and make lasting relationships with Princeton alumni who currently work at FERC (thank you, Tigernet!). I can’t believe that I have only two weeks left in my internship before I head out to Peru with Princeton’s Engineers Without Borders to build a water delivery system for the rural community of Pusunchas. Thank you to Service Focus for providing this opportunity, and I’m eager to bring back what I’ve learned to my cohort this fall!
This is everyone currently in my office this summer (I’m on the far left). Our office has gone through some staffing changes because Cheryl is stepping down at the end of August, and it just so happens that last week we became an all-female office. Cat (my direct supervisor, second from right) bought us all Wonder Woman rings to commemorate the occasion, and we took this group photo.
As I reflect upon my internship at Montefiore Medical Center’s Housing at Risk Program, one particular day comes to mind. That was when I truly understood how diverse a day could be while working with my team, where we help patients with chronic and complex medical conditions find suitable housing. Such a housing crisis becomes especially evident in the backdrop of the rising housing market and public health policy infrastructure of New York City, where I quickly caught on to the jargon the social workers on my team professionally threw around.
This was the office building where I worked every day–non-descript, yes, save for the big blue sign declaring its affiliation to Montefiore. What I initially thought was a strange outpost of a building to house a Montefiore program was actually quite common–all over the Bronx. It seemed that the entire borough had scatterings of these buildings which seemed like multi-family homes on the outside, but were populated by hardworking individuals dedicated to the care of their patients on the inside.
It was on the third floor of this building where I shared an office with two social workers, my Project Manager Keona Serrano and Madeline Gotay, who I often visited the hospital with.
In fact, on one such visit, Keona and I visited an elderly patient who had been living in his car for the past few years, and who had self-admitted for illness. He was getting close to discharging from the hospital, so Keona and I were educating him on his available housing options, with the goal for him to decide on one that could provide a pathway for him to become stably housed. By the end, however, he expressed his decision to remain living in his car. As this was his choice, we consulted with his attending physician and floor social workers to assess if this was medically safe for him. While it was not advisable in general, we needed to ensure it was at least medically clear for him to continue living in his car. After some speculation, the patient gave us the color and brand of his car, mentioning that he thought he had parked on the second level of the garage over a week ago. With some doubt as to his memory and his car keys in hand, Keona and I went to the parking garage and checked the second floor: no luck. We reasoned he must be mistaken and checked the ground floor, then the first level. Still, the key never fit. We worked our way up all six levels over an hour, hoping as we got to the top that it would be sitting, waiting for us.
We were rewarded with a gorgeous view, but little else. Now we were starting to wonder how the patient could leave if we couldn’t find his car. Our doubt expanding further, we decided to give the other parking garage a shot, though I had little hope given it was two blocks further from the hospital. Yet, there it was, parked on the second floor in the exact color and brand the patient had indicated. We were shocked to have found it, and after a quick assessment, went back to report to the patient on the condition of his car. When we told him we had found his car exactly where he said he had parked it, he responded, unsurprised:
This summer, I am working as a Global English Camp intern for a company called Come On Out Japan. The goal of the program is to help Japanese high school students improve their English speaking confidence and reflect on their future goals with a 5 day curriculum.
So far, my days have been spent navigating the Tokyo subway system during rush hour, exploring cities with my coworkers, and learning more about Japanese culture and education through training week.
Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park Rooftop Garden
Like California, earthquakes are very common in Japan. Due to this, in Odaiba, all of the interns underwent Disaster Training in Tokyo Rinkai Disaster Prevention Park.
Signs like the one above highlight the emphasis Japan places on citizens working together to help each other when disaster strikes. Fun Fact: In the case of an emergency, it is possible to MacGyver an arm sling out of a plastic bag.
Color Coded Trash Bags My House Manager Gifted Me
Speaking of plastic bags, another thing covered during training week was trash. Garbage is sorted according to Bottles, Cans, Plastics, Paper, Combustible, and Incombustible waste in order to be more eco-friendly.
Pro-tips to keep the electricity bill from jumping unexpectedly on your housemates
My Shared House Post Floating-Noodle Party
During Training Week, Come on Out also covered cultural differences related to living in a shared house: Everything from common sense things like not leaving the air conditioning running in an empty room to how to cope with the rarity of dryers in Japan.
Ringing in the end of training week with an overnight trip to Hakone
Overall, Training Week has been fun and informative! Tomorrow is my first day teaching, and I am really excited to meet my students, apply what I have learned, and help them to improve their English speaking confidence as well as think about their life missions.
For the past seven weeks I have been in Marawila, Sri Lanka. It is a small town about two hours away from the capital and it houses the Holy Cross Children’s Home. The Children’s Home is an orphanage where twenty seven girls live. Of these girls is Ayesha, an 11 year old girl who recently started school.
Because of her previous inaccessible to school, she is being pushed to change grade levels every semester. She is currently in the second grade but is struggling in English. We typically either use the attached book or we do simple oral tasks.
Ayesha is now familiar with the alphabet and is able to spell a few words! She is persist in learning and enjoys the lessons.
In my free time I spend time with my family and take my own lessons in Sinhala, the main language spoken in Sri Lanka.
All the images of Ayesha are uploaded with permission from her and the head nun.
Date posted: July 27, 2019 | Tamica Perera | Comments Off on A Day in the Life of an English tutor | Uncategorized
When I was a high school student, everything seemed so confusing when it came to the college application process. My family was not prepared for anything, especially financial aid. Thankfully, I was lucky enough to have amazing teachers and external counselors who guided me through the process.
A lot of students at my old high school go through the same feelings during their junior and senior year. They are not aware of how long the process is, how costly it is, or how much time it would take a student outside of their normal class load. As a result, I wanted to work with the college counseling team at my school to create a summer program.
Most days, a few students come in and ask recent alumni for advice on one of four general topics: SAT, college applications, scholarships, and “how to survive 101”. So far, it’s been a great experience working with these students because a lot of them are siblings of my old friends or I’ve known them growing up. My favorite memory so far is seeing their growth when it came to SAT testing! One student increased by 4 points after doing multiple practice tests per week for three weeks!
Below is a picture of my old high school! It is a little vacant since I come in one hour early to open the gates and doors for the parents to drop off the kids. I work in my old Statistics classroom. In the photo, you could see some of the doors are open. Teachers come and go, working on their new year’s curriculum or hanging out with kids who are taking summer school.
I have loved being back on campus the past half-summer. I even loved being a ‘teacher’ and having my own set of keys, despite being a student only a year ago even more!
This summer, I’m interning at Memorial Sloan Kettering’s Immigrant Health & Cancer Disparities Service. The work that we do at the IHCD revolves around limiting and overcoming the disparities that vulnerable populations face when it comes to access to healthcare, more specifically, cancer care.
So far, I have two major roles at my internship: I spend my mornings distributing food at our pantries to cancer patients, and I spend my afternoons doing research on the services provided for cancer patients throughout the city and nationwide. At pantry, we provide food that often supplements the patients’ diets, like fresh produce, beans, grains, and fruit. The patients are always cheery and greet us with smiles on their faces. It’s been a really great and valuable way to participate in a tangible form of service in my internship this summer.
At the office, I spend the majority of my time doing research on the different services available for cancer patients, like financial assistance, transportation services, and quality of life assistance. Every week, a seminar is held for the interns, where either one of the staff members or a guest speaker gives a lecture about one or some of the barriers to cancer care experienced by the vulnerable populations that we serve.
A great perk: I’m one of the youngest interns at the office, in fact, the youngest, and it’s been an interesting part of the experience. I get a lot of advice from the staff members and the other interns, the majority of which are either upper classmen, graduate students, or medical students ranging from navigating the intern experience to getting through my undergraduate career and figuring out goals for the future.
This summer, I have been interning at the nonprofit Sustainable Princeton through ProCES Derian. My focus has been on storm water management and flood mitigation. I came into this summer with no experience in this field so it has been a great learning experience. I have been tasked with researching a FEMA program that could lower premiums for policyholders on their flood insurance, studying water infrastructure and manually uploaded coordinates to improve the town’s ArcGIS system, and researching the costs of storm water utilities and green infrastructure. I work between my dorm, the library, and the office in Monument Hall.
Throughout the summer I have been lucky enough to meet with storm water experts from the area. These include individuals from the Watershed Institute, FEMA, and Princeton’s town government. I was also able to attend the 2019 Sustainable Summit, an event put together by Sustainable Jersey that involved 57 organizations and companies coming together to collaborate and share ideas.
The members of Sustainable Princeton have been very supportive and they make me feel like a part of their team. I really enjoy working in the office with them and the other interns.
Everyone’s freshman orientation experience serves a crucial role in shaping their outlook on Princeton. As a Community Action Fellow, I am responsible for organizing the Community Action Orientation experience at the Poconos Environmental Education Center (PEEC) for this year. This includes curating the service projects the first-years will spend their time on, communicating with partners about lodging, dining, and activities, and handling the many logistical aspects that are involved with the trip.
There are 7 Community Action Fellows (3 of whom are in Service Focus) and we all work in the Pace Center in Frist (or the women’s center because the couches in Pace are uncomfortable!). We occasionally have field trip days as well; as a collective, we have visited the Grounds for Sculpture and took a wonderful tour of Princeton’s Campus where we learned more about the African American history behind the foundations of our University. We have also taken a two-day retreat in the Princeton-Blairstown Center which was a fruitful experience filled with team-bonding activities and lessons on humility and leadership.
Sara Gruppo and Maggie Hussar are in charge of the Community Action Fellows. They have taught all of us much about leadership, cultural humility, and organization. They are wonderful role models and I am grateful to be able to work under their supervision.
So far, I am loving my Fellowship here. I have gained experience which I am sure I could not have obtained anywhere else, and have also learned about our campus. I can’t wait for the actual Community Action trip!
All of the CA Fellows with Sara and Maggie on our Retreat
An attempt to grab an object without being near it as a team-building exercise on the retreat
This summer, I’m working as the program coordinator for the amazing Princeton Summer Journalism Program (PSJP). My office space is located right above the U-Store … in a windowless interview conference room.
It’s not much to look at, but it’s quite cozy. Lydia, my co-worker, and I have grown to appreciate our small space. I work on my laptop, making (what feels like) a million spreadsheets that track the progression of the program planning. In addition, I get to read weekly assignment responses from 38 brilliant high schoolers. They respond to two questions every week regarding five articles about current events and regarding one long-form investigative report in our Required Reading Packet. Most recently, we just finished providing feedback on our students’ personal statement drafts! Even though it’s not a super active job, I thoroughly enjoy the work. I’ve also definitely learned how to write better emails.
In my free time, I also enjoy exploring Princeton and taking hikes! Here’s a map of Baldpate Mountain!
I’ve also started cooking a lot. A friend and I meal prep twice a week and that takes a couple hours out of my day. It’s quite relaxing actually.
And then, I like to crawl into bed and enjoy a chapter of a book. Then, I crash.
My days aren’t super exciting or photogenic, but it’s quite nice to have a set of routine during the summer.
