HWS News
18 July 2024 Exploring Careers Around the Finger Lakes By Colin Spencer '19
Students gained valuable experience through local internships.
This summer, 13 students have held internships in a variety of industries and locations in the Finger Lakes Region through HWS’ FLX Summer Internship Program hosted by the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education.
As they explore topics including food security in the City of Geneva, the history of women’s rights and industry in the Finger Lakes, local economic development and biodegradable packaging manufacturing, these students are putting their academic knowledge into practice.
"I am grateful for our Finger Lakes partners and the amazing opportunities they provide to our students," says Brandi Ferrara, Executive Director for the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education. "They are able to connect what they are learning in the classroom in practical ways, while also getting to experience our beautiful region in a way they might not during the academic year."
As part of their internships, students meet weekly with Ferrara to discuss what they are learning as well as cover professional development topics including networking and interviewing. They also read The Island of Four Ps: A Modern Fable About Preparing for Your Future by Ed Hajim. Hajim's publicist is Tracy Goldblatt '95.
Kateryna Romaniuk '26 and Bethany Poirer '25 have been exploring the operations and impact of local government with the City of Geneva. Romaniuk, an economics and media and society double major, is working with the city’s Department of Planning and Economic Development to support local business initiatives.
“My favorite part of the internship has been meeting people and engaging with the community I live in while also contributing to the growth of our beautiful Geneva,” says Romaniuk.
Poirer, a biology major, has been connecting community members to food resources through the Department of Planning and Economic Development as a food and entrepreneurship support intern. This has included documenting potential users for community kitchens, identifying state and regional supports for new and emerging food businesses, and addressing the shortage of fresh food access for Genevans without cars.
Kiera Toussaint '25, a politics and philosophy double major, is working with local law enforcement through the Geneva Police Department.
Jack Norkus '25 and Alden Harchick '26 are learning about very different aspects of the Geneva economy while helping local small businesses grow. A physics and chemistry double major, Norkus has been researching mycelium based biodegradable packaging materials for TerraHeal Solutions at Cornell AgriTech with Malak Fadlou-Allah '24. The two monitor the growth of the mycelium and will later be working on the molding and curing stages to prepare for scaling to industrial application. Harchick, a writing and rhetoric and management and entrepreneurship double major, has been remodeling the e-commerce product catalog via the service Shopify at FLX Goods and Vinifera, in addition to working the Linden Wine Series.
Isabelle Goings-Perrot '25, Heidi Huffman '26, Elisabeth Pedone '25 and Tymofi Trakhachov '26 are spending the summer working on arts-based projects. Goings-Perrot, a French and Francophone studies major, and Huffman, an English major, have assisted with installations and shows at the Dove Block Project in downtown Geneva while Pedone, a dance and movement studies major, is working at the Smith Opera House for a second consecutive summer as an events intern. Trakhachov, an architectural studies major, is designing a tunnel mural in downtown Geneva with Associate Professor of Art and Architecture Gabriella D’Angelo.
“This internship project allows me to take my art beyond the classroom and my easel at home, bringing it to the public to see and enjoy,” says Trakhachov. “I love that part of my design process involves researching the Geneva community and its history, which has taught me so much about this beautiful place.”
Hannah Baker '25, Zooey Gastelo '25 and Maura Smeader '25 have focused their internships on the history of the Finger Lakes region. Baker, a women’s studies and Greek and Roman studies double major, has been leading tours, assisting visitors and conducting research projects at the Women’s Rights Museum in Seneca Falls. Gastelo, who has yet to declare a major, has informed guests on the history and led tours of the Rose Hill Mansion in Geneva. Smeader, a history major, meanwhile, has created signage for underexplained objects, developed ideas for new exhibits and assisted with event organization at the Seneca Falls Tourism Center and Museum of Waterways and Industry in Seneca Falls.
“My favorite part of the internship so far has been working on the concert series the museum runs on Thursday evenings,” says Smeader. “I create a children’s activity every week and get to sit at a table while supervising the craft. This gives me a chance to talk with all the different people coming to the event and to learn more about the community.”
Through her work with the Hobart and William Smith Advancement Office, English major Claire Heaney ’25 has been developing relationships with young alumni and encouraging engagement with the Further Together campaign.
“It has been absolutely fascinating to learn about and experience firsthand all of the work that goes into our college and students’ future,” says Heaney.
