What did you do this summer?
School may have started only a month ago, but if you are anything like these SAAS seniors, next summer is already on your mind. We caught up with a few members of the class of 2013 about what they did over the summer, and they had some great stories to share. If you’re looking for ideas for something fun and valuable to do next summer, read about some of their great experiences here!
Jenna Levin-The Cherubs at Northwestern University
Cardinal: Tell us a brief description of your trip/camp/work.
Jenna: Well I went to the National High School Institute Program, fondly called “the Cherubs” program, where you go to Northwestern University for five weeks and it’s a very intense program. It goes from 8:30 in the morning to 10:30 at night every day, and you work on acting, voice and movement, and then different electives. My electives were Docu-drama, Improv, Learning to Learn (laughs), so it’s about acting but it also expands to the realms of things that involve different types of theater. Meanwhile, while you’re practicing acting, every night you rehearse for a show, and at the end of the program you put on a show and there are ten performances going on.
C: What did you like about the program? Dislike?
J: That’s a hard question, there are so many things that I liked about it. I liked that it forced you to get out of your comfort zone and try new things, Cherubs was all about putting yourself out there and being flexible and doing whatever the director, teacher, or program threw at you. I loved putting on a show in five weeks, it is such a great experience to just be thrown into a group of ten or eleven people and just bond with them quickly and produce a show, everything was so quick, we had one day for everything like tech and dress rehearsal. I loved the pressure of having to put on a show so quickly and succeeding in doing so. I loved the teachers, all of the teachers were absolutely brilliant, inspiring role models, and I loved the kids in the program because I had a lot in common with all of them and they were so friendly.
Initially, I did not like that we had to run about two miles every day in the one hundred degree heat, but then I learned to like it because I got very fit and in shape, so that was good. I didn’t like that I had voice and movement first thing in the morning at 8:30, because sometimes we would be doing an exercise and I would just fall asleep.
How long did you do this? How big of a commitment was it?
The program was for five weeks and we worked for over ten hours a day. I would say it was a very big commitment.
Would you do this again? Would you encourage other SAAS students to do this?
Definitely, what’s cool about Cherubs though is that you can’t do it again, and that’s the way it should be. This sounds very corny, but Cherubs is an experience, it’s not a camp, it’s not a program you come back to. You can do it the summer going into your senior year, that’s the only time you can do it, so everyone is the same age, everyone is in the same boat applying to college and trying to think about what they’re going to do next year. I would totally encourage other SAAS kids to go on this program if you are open to trying new things and if you aren’t exactly sure what path you’re going to take. If you have a wide range of interests and you are willing to try new things and work hard, I would definitely recommend it.
What is one piece of advice that you would give to other SAAS students who are interested in doing this?
Definitely the thing that they will stress over and over and over again if you go is that Cherubs is what you make it, so if you go in and put in a little bit of effort sometimes but are mostly just tired and want to eat and hang out with your friends, then that’s what you’ll get out of it. But if you put a ton into it, take risks, and step out of your comfort zone then you will get a lot out of it. I took that advice for the most part, but I was still a bit hesitant because it was still a new situation. So I would say just go for it. There were definitely a couple times when I would get nervous and freeze up, and now I wish I would have. So just take risks.
If you are interested in participating in Cherubs next summer, visit this link: http://www.northwestern.edu/nhsi/
Claire Mason-Oxbridge Program in Paris, France
The Cardinal: Tell us a brief description of your program.
Claire: I did an Oxbridge Program this summer called L’Academie de Paris, and we lived in the dormitories of a boarding school in Paris in the Sixth, which is near the Luxembourg Gardens. We took classes for a month and lived there, but we still had a lot of free time.
C: What did you like and dislike about the program?
CM: I really liked all the free time we had. We had one class a day until 12 and then the rest of the day free, or three days a week we had another class for two hours so we got a lot of free time. That was really fun because we got to explore the city a lot. One thing I didn’t like was that a lot of the other kids in the program were younger than me, so I was slightly more mature and academically focused than most of them. But I liked the amount of freedom, and I still made a lot of good friends. The location was perfect, it was right near the Luxembourg gardens and right near metros which could take you anywhere in the city. And the food! I could go on for days about the food. My least favorite thing was probably the fact that the program itself didn’t have a lot of French immersion, which is more what I was looking for, like a lot of the kids didn’t speak French. But I still had a good time, I just had to take immersion classes to get more of the French experience.
C: How long did you do this? How big of a commitment was it?
CM: It was 28 days long, so basically a month, for all of July. It’s a big commitment in terms of time. Academically, you do have pretty intense classes, like your major is six days a week for three and a half hours except you just spend half the class time in class and the other half exploring the city or seeing the sights. But then you have minors three days a week for two hours, which is a pretty big commitment. You have Sundays off, no classes, which is nice. You can do a lot on Sundays, except everything is closed which is annoying.
C: Would you do this again? Would you encourage other SAAS students to do this?
CM: Well, I can’t do it again because I won’t be in high school anymore. I probably wouldn’t do it again because I’m too old. I would recommend it for younger kids who want more freedom, probably like rising sophomores or juniors.
C: What is one piece of advice that you would give to other SAAS students who are interested in doing this?
CM: Well, the program isn’t a total immersion in French, so if that’s what you’re looking for, do a home-stay. But it was really fun, it was right in Paris, so you got to know the city pretty well. I would say if you want to be in Paris but also want to improve your French, take immersion classes because you actually do learn a lot of French and you’re able to speak French in restaurants and places throughout the city.
C: What process did you go through to make this happen?
CM: I had to apply, but it wasn’t very hard. It’s not very selective in terms of admissions. They make you write an essay, but I don’t think they really deny anyone. For the immersion classes, you did have to write something in French but your French teacher will edit it for you if that’s what you want to do. And then I got an e-mail later saying that I was accepted.
If you are interested in participating in a global Oxbridge Academic Program next summer, visit this link: http://www.oxbridgeprograms.com/index.php
Leora Radman-Nordstrom Summer Job
The Cardinal: Tell us a brief description of your job.
Leora: I worked at the Bellevue Nordstrom, and basically I was an employee in the Men’s Sportswear department-woohoo men’s clothing! It was actually really nice because if I saw something I wouldn’t be like, “I need that!” because it was all men’s clothing that I didn’t need. So I was a cashier and I worked in the back room, cleaning and organizing and putting away all the “dump,” as they call it, which is basically when people don’t want their stuff and they just leave it for me to put back on the racks. I also helped people find clothes that they were interested in, or not interested in, and I showed people where the bathroom was, got people coffee, the usual.
C: What did you like about the job? What did you dislike about it?
L: Wow, I really liked interacting with the people. I think it’s really interesting to see what people like about certain styles and what they don’t like. I loved meeting all the employees, they’re actually really nice and always willing to help you and answer questions. They’re like these completely different people when they’re in the backroom, so it was really funny to see both of their personalities come out. It was a nice contrast, they’re actually really silly. What I disliked was the fact that I had just come back from Zambia, and it was kind of a culture shock for me. It was really frustrating for me to see people pick up a shirt that was hundreds of dollars and they would buy it right away. It was really uncomfortable to see all the clothing and how expensive it was having just come back from such a poor place where they cherish dirty, second-hand shoes. It was really disheartening, and really eye-opening too.
C: What process did you have to go through to make this happen?
L: Well, I had to apply online and then I had to interview, and then I had to go through a cashier process so I could learn how to use a cash register. That took a couple days, and I had to learn some things about the company.
C: How long did you do this? How big of a commitment was it?
L: I did it over the summer, so it was about a month and it was every other day for five to nine hours. So, it was long. But it varied depending on how much they needed me, and people have been cutting back a lot in the malls so they have been laying off a lot of salespeople.
C: Would you do this again? Would you encourage other SAAS students to do this?
L: For sure! I would definitely do it again, I’m actually hoping to do it over Thanksgiving just for a week or so. I encourage other people to do it, it’s a great way to not only learn about retail but to learn about Nordstrom as a company and about what they pride themselves in. You also learn about how to work with people and how to interact with people in retail.
C: What is one piece of advice you would give to other SAAS students who are interested in doing this?
L: I would definitely say if you want to do it, I would highly encourage you to apply. But don’t be discouraged if you don’t get it because we all go through that sometimes…this sounds so cheesy. Just follow your dreams! And try new things and new places.
If you are interested in applying for a job at Nordstrom next summer, visit this link: http://about.nordstrom.com/careers/
Alexa Strabuk-Intern for the Jay Inslee Campaign
The Cardinal: Tell us a brief description of your job.
Alexa: Well, I guess I’ll start from the beginning. Initially, they were looking for a very specific type of person: someone young who hadn’t had much experience. For me, the main attraction was just getting my foot in the door to the professional world. As far as the actual work experience, I was working on Rainier Avenue South, so it was very interesting to explore that part of the city and see what kind of things were going down in the area. At the actual campaign headquarters, I was a Field & Public Outreach intern. There were various different sects of the campaign that you could be a part of, like Communications or Accounting and a couple others that I can’t really recall. I was working with several other interns in my sect. A lot of college interns ended up working for the campaign too so I was actually one of three or four high school interns which gave me a different perspective on politics. Most of my work was doing phone banking and voter contact, responding to e-mails from the public that were organized into different categories on a big email database, as well as doing a little policy work like planning events and canvassing for Jay...and that was pretty much the way it worked.
C: What did you like about the job? What did you dislike about it?
A: The best part of the internship was the opportunity to work with a lot of interesting people, nobody was slacking off and everybody kind of had their own story or reason for being there which was cool to hear about. And then just being in the middle of all the action was really exciting. Obviously this is a really important, nationally monitored election, so just being in the middle of it all and experiencing campaign life was a one-of-a-kind experience. Observing how people on the Inslee campaign reacted to the outside attacks from our political opponents or making sure our public image was what we wanted it to be was also very interesting to watch and learn from. My least favorite thing was probably being yelled at a bunch on the phone...that was not ideal. But I guess if you really believe in something you kind of have to take one for the team.
C: What process did you have to go through to make this happen?
A: Well, I did an interview which I had to initiate. I’ve been interested in politics for awhile, both my parents were always politically involved. Also, Jay Inslee lives on Bainbridge so I had heard about him before, he’s been our representative for many years now so I knew what he'd been doing in Washington D.C. I also support many of his beliefs and policies. Of course, in politics, you’re not going to agree with everything that your candidate believes in but as long as you believe that he/she is the best suited to lead people through the good times and bad, that’s what’s really important. So yeah, that was basically it. I went through an interview process, and then a lot of e-mail correspondence with my supervisor.
C: How long did you do this? How big of a commitment was it?
A: I did it for the entire summer, and I did it for about 21 hours a week. So it was a pretty big commitment, especially still living on Bainbridge everything in Seattle is kind of a commitment for me. There wasn’t really any at-home work, so that was kind of nice being on a break from school and not having to do work at home. But outside of the job there were a lot of work events that I had to attend as well, like luncheons or parades and things like that.
C: Would you do this again? Would you encourage other SAAS students to do this?
A: I personally would not do it again. I want new experiences. I think this was a good experience in terms of getting me where I may be headed later down the road, like maybe writing, maybe communications, maybe international relations. It taught me how to work with people and how to work under someone productively. Also knowing how to be a representative of a bigger cause and working towards a common goal which is a really useful skill to have if you know how to utilize it properly. I mean like I said, it was great work experience and getting to work in a professional environment but it wasn’t really something fun to do during the summer. I would encourage other SAAS kids to do this but only if you’re really into politics.
C: What is one piece of advice that you would give to other SAAS students who are interested in doing this?
A: My one piece of advice would be that you have to be truly willing to commit, you can’t really be half-hearted about politics because you’ll just be miserable if you’re working on a political campaign and you’re not really passionate about it, you have to have a lot of drive to do the work because it is a huge personal commitment to make. It takes a certain stamina. I don’t think I actually had that in the end... like I love knowing what's going on and what kind of things our government is doing but some of the work I had to do was too invasive. Nonetheless, I’m glad I had this work experience to reflect upon what I do and don't want to do in the future...but yeah, definitely not going into politics anytime soon.
If you are interested in working for a political campaign like Jay Inslee’s, you can send an e-mail to info@jayinslee.com.
Article by: Izzy Bank