InterN Wall of fame

SUNY Oneonta sophomore Marvin Rodriguez was one of four College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP) students selected nationwide to participate in an eight-week paid summer internship program with the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans
Washington, D.C.

CAMP is a federally-funded scholarship program created in 1972 to meet the special needs of students from migrant and seasonal farm-working families in pursuing higher education. SUNY Oneonta’s CAMP program was established in 2001. 

The White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans was established in September 1990 by President George H.W. Bush to provide advice and guidance to the secretary of education on education issues related to Hispanics and to address academic excellence and opportunities for the Hispanic community.

While in D.C., Rodriguez lived at George Washington University and worked full time performing duties such as greeting visitors, participating in staff meetings, collecting and entering data related to Latino education, assisting the chief of staff in preparing reports, helping to plan upcoming events and responding to constituent inquiries.

It was an unforgettable experience for the computer science major, who knew no English when he came to the United States from Guatemala at age 9. After a few months in California, his family moved to Greenport, N.Y., where his father works in a vineyard and his mother cleans houses.

Rodriguez first visited SUNY Oneonta for a CAMP summer leadership program after his sophomore year at Greenport High School. He liked it so much he returned the following summer as a junior counselor.

“I got motivated and became inspired, and when I came back home I saw my parents’ sacrifices and I said, `I need to do this. I need to go to college. I need to get an education.’”

Determined to become the first in his family to go to college, Rodriguez worked harder than ever—often putting in 15-hour days—to earn good grades and save money. He was accepted everywhere he applied, but chose Oneonta because of the sense of family and support offered through CAMP and the Educational Opportunity Program.

In his first semester at SUNY Oneonta, Rodriguez earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average and was one of 180 students to receive the Susan Sutton Smith Student Award for Academic Excellence.He also got involved ina variety of student activities, including intramural soccer, the Diversity Peer Education Program, the AALANA Mentoring Program and theEOP Student Opportunities and Leadership Committee, for which he served as vice president.

He said he hopes to inspire others—including his younger sister and students at his high school—to pursue higher education and go after opportunities like the CAMP internship.

He attributes his tenacity to his parents, who overcame many obstacles to secure a better life for their family.  “Although I had many sacrifices when I was growing up,” he said, “the journey that I have lived has gotten me to where I am today.”

Akeem Hyland gained real-world experience in both of his career interests—fashion and marketing—during two part-time summer internships in Oneonta this past summer.

A dual major in Fashion and Textiles and Communication Studies, Hyland balanced internships at two very different Oneonta companies: Colone Associates, a sports management consulting group; and Newman & Hall, an online retailer selling vintage and pre-owned clothing.

The senior from Brooklyn, N.Y., said he chose to spend his summer working full time for no pay not just to build his resume, but to apply his skills and test his knowledge. “I wanted to see what I could do outside of a classroom. When you’re actually out there in the real world, you can see what you’ve learned—and what you still need to learn.”

During his nine weeks at Colone Associates, Hyland helped develop strategies to build corporate sponsorship for the Growing Up Soccer initiative and worked with the Greater Oneonta Economic Development Council on efforts to bring jobs to Oneonta. 

At Newman & Hall, he spent six weeks getting an inside look at the world of online clothing marketing. “This was a very valuable experience for me because I want to start my own online retail website with a modern urban brand of men’s clothing that I will design,” he said.

Both internships helped Hyland hone his marketing skills and gave him a sense of what jobs in his field will be like. “I learned how to effectively plan something and execute it. I got to see it inside and out: the finished product, and the bumps you’re going to have to go through to get there.”

He encouraged students who are considering pursuing an internship to go for it.  “Being in a classroom, you’re put in a scenario: `Imagine this; imagine that.’ At an internship, you’re going through it day by day. You’re actually there asking people to hear you out, and pitching your ideas. You get a real feel for it.”

Alex Lubbers had a busy summer.

In addition to holding down two part-time jobs —helping with security at the Cooperstown Dreams Park and as a soccer official for summer league games­­—he spent his weekends as an unpaid intern in the Security Department at Bassett Medical Center.

“I learned a lot and I met a lot of people that I could network with,” said Lubbers, a senior from Davenport, N.Y., majoring in Criminal Justice. “I got to observe and help out the security guys with their routine patrols and paperwork.  I learned how to use the cameras—they have a huge, state-of-the-art camera system there.”

Bassett Security works closely with the Cooperstown Village Police Department and the Otsego County Sheriff’s Department, so Lubbers made contacts there as well. Though he eventually plans to become a state trooper, he hopes to find a job in the criminal justice or sociology field after he graduates in December, and having fresh experience and a variety of contacts in the field will be a big help.

“The most important thing I gained from my internship is definitely the people that I’ve met,” he said. “Over the summer I became really good friends with some of the guys there. A lot of them are former police officers, and it’s great to have their support and advice to guide me in the field.”