Brandeis Stories

By Kennedy Ryan
Photography by Dan Holmes and Gaelen Morse
August 18, 2023

Overseen by the Hiatt Career Center, the World of Work (WOW) Fellowship provides a stipend to students participating in unpaid summer internships.

Since its founding in 2008, more than 500 Brandeis students have participated in this competitive program, experiencing the summer of a lifetime in internships across the world.

This year, 45 students received stipends of up to $6,000 to participate in internships at a wide range of workplaces across the globe, from the Jewish Public Library Archives in Montreal, to the Massachusetts State House and the New England Aquarium.

“Hands-on learning during internships plays a critical role in helping students discover what comes next in their careers,” said Jon Schlesinger, Director of Hiatt. “We’re incredibly thankful to our donors who’ve made these vital experiences more attainable for so many Brandeis students.”

Bringing the coursework to the sea

Each day throughout the summer, about 6,000 guests enter the doors of the New England Aquarium. Declan Tsuyuki ’25, is there to answer any questions about the exhibits, conservation efforts, or the many sea creatures found throughout the aquarium.

Being an environmental studies major, Tsuyuki constantly found connections between his coursework and the questions that came his way.

“So many of our guests had this genuine curiosity about ocean conservation. It was really rewarding to deconstruct my coursework and make it accessible to all ages,” said Tsuyuki. “Talking about climate change and conservation can be complicated. You need to break it down to make it approachable.”

Tsuyuki shared his gratitude for the support provided by the fellowship.

“Getting the support I needed from Hiatt really pushed me to experience and learn as much as I could from this internship,” said Tsuyuki. “In short, having the money to pay for my commute, meals, and other supplies (which really adds up fast!) made me worry less about how I am paying for my expenses and worry more about what I can learn from my internship.”

In the room where it happens

In professor Jill Greenlee’s Gender in American Politics course, Aviva Gornick ’25 met her future mentor.

Nora Bent, the executive director of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators, visited the class and shared her experiences working to advance womens’ issues at the Massachusetts State House. Gornick, a politics and sociology major, reached out to Bent shortly after her visit to inquire about internship opportunities. After a conversation and interview, Gornick was asked to join the team.

Her experience was made possible by the Hiatt Career Center's World of Work (WOW) Politics and Public Service Fellowship, funded by the Alexander P. Heckler/Governor Ann Richards Internship Fund. She spent the summer living on campus, commuting into the city, and spending three days a week at the Massachusetts State House.

Gornick participated in daily speaker series for interns, drafted memos and policy briefs, created social media content, and interacted with local organizations. The team participated in numerous fundraising efforts, such as a drive to donate menstrual products to a nearby overnight shelter, Rosie’s Place.

“I’m not sure if I’ll work on legislation in the future, but I know that I want to do my part to advance women's issues in any way that I can,” said Gornick.

Connecting to the past, discovering her future

Dina Gorelik ’24, a double major in anthropology and linguistics, spent years learning to speak Yiddish as a way to connect with her family’s heritage.

Feeling confident in her abilities and looking to immerse herself in Yiddish culture, Gorelik decided to reach out to Jewish archive networks across the globe to find an internship experience in archival work. She eventually connected with the Jewish Public Library Archives, located in Montreal, Quebec.

Through the Hiatt Career Center's World of Work (WOW) Jewish Service Fellowship, funded by the Earl and Shirlee Katz Endowed Internship for Jewish Communal Service, Gorelik spent the semester abroad.

Most days, she found herself looking through donated collections, identifying dates, translating information, and updating the online database catalog. In both her archival work and the surrounding city, she felt immersed in Jewish culture.

“I spent an entire week going through archival Yiddish correspondence from people around the world,” said Gorelik. “It’s been really cool to see how interconnected Yiddish culture is.”

Take him to the river

After taking an environmental monitoring course in the Fall of 2022, Lucas Forman ’24 was determined to get hands-on experience that applied the skills he developed.

The environmental studies major found an opportunity at the Hoosic River Watershed Association, a conservation group dedicated to monitoring the Hoosic River in western Massachusetts and restoring habitats. His World of Work Fellowship included a stipend to participate in a 12-week internship program.

Every two weeks, Forman could be found at any of the nine testing sites along the river, collecting water samples with the team. After collection, each sample was processed at the Berkshire Community College lab. Through this experience, Forman discovered the importance of time management, detail, and process.

“Time is of the essence in water sampling,” said Forman. “You’re traveling to multiple locations, but need to get the samples to the lab within a specific time before they’re not good anymore. It’s challenging, but rewarding.”

While he hasn’t determined the exact field he’d like to pursue upon graduation, Forman is confident in his passion for environmental monitoring. He contributes this to getting hands-on experience.

“I really wanted to get that experience doing the actual work,” said Forman. “I now have a sense of what a career in this position would look like.”