Hobart and William Smith Colleges

1 July 2025 From Arts to Analytics: Interning in the Finger Lakes By Sadie Herr '27

Students in Hobart and William Smith’s summer program gain valuable experience through local internships.

The FLX Summer Internship Program is in full swing, with 20 students gaining real-world experience and exploring 14 sites across the Finger Lakes Region. Operated by the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education, students are exploring fields such as the arts, wildlife conservation, psychological science and data analytics.

Psychological Studies major Colleen Quirk ’27 is interning with Finger Lakes Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. Quirk’s work includes promoting health and wellness in the Geneva community; she hopes to broaden her knowledge about children’s mental health. “The entire idea of the internship inspires and resonates with me,” says Quirk, who is co-founder of Morgan’s Message Club—an HWS organization dedicated to raising awareness for student-athlete mental health.

“Simply knowing we will help improve or at least draw attention to the importance of health in Geneva is such an honor and something I feel extremely lucky to be a part of,” says Quirk, adding that working with children is her greatest joy, and having an opportunity to apply her love for psychology to this demographic is “beyond rewarding and exciting.”

Ryan Behar ’26, a business management major, is serving as a Film Intern with the Geneva Business Improvement District. He’s helping to promote the upcoming FLX Film Festival, reviewing submissions with his team, and independently building a new festival website. Behar also enjoys contributing to meetings and strategy sessions focused on creating effective advertising plans for local Geneva businesses and organizations.

Gabby Wall ’27, a politics and writing and rhetoric double major, is working with the HWS Office of Advancement, where she is gaining hands-on experience with higher education fundraising, alumni relations, donor engagement and institutional support efforts.

Wall was drawn to this opportunity by her strong connection to Hobart and William Smith and its community. Her work centers on creating strategies to increase philanthropic engagement among current students and recent graduates. “I am excited for this opportunity to help strengthen student involvement and connection,” she says.

Executive Director of Annual and Athletic Giving Dulcie Meyer P'20 says the position works two-fold. “Explaining our work and its impact to our interns reminds the professional staff of the importance of what we do and how it makes a difference to our students.”

Fellow students, who are interning in Geneva and throughout the Finger Lakes Region, include:

• Lilay Abadi ’26, Olufisola Babalola ’27 and Liliana Chavez ’27 are developing community-based projects that explore mental health in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry through the University of Rochester's Research/Project Experience program;
• Jackson Abreu '26 is providing education and outreach opportunities to the general, including children/youth specific programming, at Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association;
• Maya Alvarez ’28 and Andrew Pilet ’26 are curating a research-intensive exhibit with the Geneva Historical Society Archives;
• Andrew D’Amato ’26 is doing a range of work from caring for animals to assisting with educational programs and special events at Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge;
• Emily Echavarria '26 is welcoming visitors, leading tours, assisting with programs and research at Women’s Rights National Historical Park;
• Belendjy Geneus ’26 with the FLX Group in Geneva, is focusing on website management and marketing support for local businesses;
• Heidi Huffman ’26 is a Gallery Docent summer intern assisting with educational activities, leading tours and fielding guest questions with the National Women’s Hall of Fame; 
• Niko Lutz ’26 is addressing individuals with low-incomes and their ability to access the legal system at LawNY;
• Rob Maulicci ’26 is a bi-disciplinary Community Engagement intern working to enhance consumer experiences in Geneva with the Geneva Business Improvement District;
• James Nelson ’26 is helping teach children to read, with STEM initiatives and advancing creativity skills at the Geneva Public Library;
• Anna Pedone ’27 and Azure Sage '27 are learning about event management with the Smith Center for the Arts;
• Sean Roos ’26 is learning about museum operations with the historic Rose Hill Mansion;
• Isabella Ruiz ’27 is supporting summer art camps and workshops at the Dove Block Project.

Throughout the program, students live on campus and meet weekly with the Salisbury Center staff to reflect and discuss workplace trends and challenges. Spanning more than 15 academic disciplines, the students apply their classroom learning and interpersonal skills in real-world settings.

Central to the program’s meetings is the book, The Island of the Four Ps, inspired by Wall Street Executive Ed Hajim’s experience as the son of a Syrian immigrant, kidnapped by his father and abandoned to foster care. The story is told as a modern fable inspired by that experience and the success Hajim went on to achieve.

In 2015, Hajim received the Horatio Alger Award, given to Americans who exemplify the values of initiative, leadership, and commitment to excellence and who have succeeded despite personal adversities.

Students use the book as career development tool to guide their reflection, explains Executive Director of the Salisbury Center for Career, Professional and Experiential Education Brandi Ferrara.

“The Finger Lakes Summer Internship Program is a transformative experience,” Ferrara says. About the internships, she adds: “These collaborations are essential in preparing students to not only develop professional skills, but to become thoughtful, engaged professionals who are ready to contribute to their communities from day one.”

Ferrara extends gratitude to the “wonderful, dedicated community partners and the commitment of the HWS staff and faculty,” without whom this program would not be possible.

Top: Students in the FLX Summer Internship Program pose on the steps of Trinity Hall.