Saint Michael’s summer: A season of global opportunities and professional and personal growth

During the summer, many Saint Michael’s students choose to engage in different opportunities that contribute to their professional and personal enrichment. From studying abroad to internships, to conducting research and engaging in volunteering opportunities, there are no limits to what students can do with their summer. 

On average, about 55 students complete internships each summer. About 68 percent of any graduating class at Saint Michael’s has completed an internship, student teaching, or a psychology practicum. 

Companies at which students interned this summer included Barclays, EY, MaineHealth, and Sherwin-Williams. While some students completed internships in Boston, Washington DC, and Long Island, others are interned in Canada, Vietnam, South Korea, France, and Norway.

This summer, at least 62 students were abroad for internships or academics. Opportunities included faculty-led academic study trips, the Freeman Foundation International Internship scholarship program, and the French Internship program.

Study abroad with Saint Michael’s professors

Three faculty-led academic study trips were planned for this summer. From May 20 to June 1, Professors Kerry Shea and Peter Harrigan took students to England for the “Shakespeare in Performance” academic study trip. For about two weeks, students experienced performances by the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Globe Theatre Company, studying live stage performances. As a prerequisite for the trip, students took the Shakespeare course at Saint Michael’s, during which they examined filmed versions of the plays they would experience live this summer. 

From May 21 to June 7, Professors Alaba Apesin and Katie Kirby took students, many recent graduates, to South Africa for the “Liberation, Leadership, and Revolution” academic study trip. In the context of the revolutionary fight against apartheid in South Africa, students learned about liberation movements and leaders such as Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Through philosophical explorations of power, oppression, resistance, and liberation, students examined the “social change model” of Leadership Development, comparing movements for racial liberation and equity in South Africa to those in the U.S.

Saint Michael’s students traveled with Professors Declan McCabe and Paul Constantino to Dingle, Ireland, in summer 2024 as part of an academic study trip. (Photo courtesy Declan McCabe)

The third academic study trip took place from July 5 to July 20. Professors Declan McCabe and Paul Constantino traveled with students to Ireland for the “Coastal Biology of Ireland” study trip. For two weeks, students visited a series of important biological field sites on the Dingle Peninsula to gather data for statistics for analysis. While this trip focused on exploring the unique habitats of coastal Ireland from the lens of a life science major, it was also designed to explore and connect with Irish culture and heritage. 

Internships with a global lens

The Global Citizenship International Internship Program is supported by a grant from the Freeman Foundation, which gives scholarships to Saint Michael’s students that fund internships in Seoul, South Korea, and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The scholarships fund the cost of internship placement, professional development support, travel, and housing for the two months. Freeman Foundation scholars each earn four academic credits for completing their internships while getting unique opportunities to engage in cultural exchange and networking while gaining professional experience on a global scale. 

Saint Michael’s College is one of just 30 institutions throughout the U.S. to receive funds from the Freeman Foundation for this purpose.   

This summer, fifteen Saint Michael’s students participated in the program: five in South Korea and ten in Vietnam. Internship opportunities included placements in the tourism, technology, beauty, health, education, and law industries. 

Saint Michael’s student Ava Lavigne ’26 completed an internship in France during summer 2024. (Photo courtesy Ava Lavigne)

The French Internship Program was another wonderful opportunity for Saint Michael’s students to immerse themselves in a summer of culture and learning in Paris. The program allowed students learning French to expand their French language skills while also completing an internship. Students took a course taught by a Boston University instructor, lived with a host family, and were supervised while they completed their internship. With generous financial support from the Center of Global Engagement covering nearly all expenses for accepted applicants, four Saint Michael’s students gained substantial professional experience while enhancing their French language skills this summer. 

In addition to the academic study trips, the Global Citizenship International Internship Program, and the French Internship Program, there are six Saint Michael’s students participating in other program provider opportunities. 

Opportunities were also plentiful on Saint Michael’s campus

Students also took advantage of a number of on-campus opportunities for learning and professional development during the summer. 

Each year, about fifty students receive stipends to conduct full-time summer research with faculty. This stipend is funded through the Saint Michael’s Academic Affairs Office’s Trustee Scholar Program, other endowed college funds, or external grants, such as those from the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, NASA, the Vermont Biomedical Research Network or other private foundations or government agencies. By the spring of their senior year, 31% of Saint Michael’s students have done research with a faculty member, compared with 20% of students on average at other schools included in the National Survey of Student Engagement. This summer, students conducted research on campus on a number of impactful topics, including mental health crisis response, X-MAID, blue-green algae, food preservatives, and climate change. 

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Faculty Gretchen Galbraith addresses students and faculty members conducting research on campus during the summer 2024 during a kickoff event on June 4, 2024. (Cat Cutillo/Saint Michael’s College)

Other on-campus opportunities included employment at the College, including with DEC (Center for Student Diversity, Equity, and Empowerment), the Office of Student Activities, the Marketing and Communications Department, and the Farm. Saint Michael’s Fire and Rescue also had numerous students serving the community throughout the summer.

In addition to research and professional development opportunities, Saint Michael’s campus also offered volunteering opportunities. MOVE (Mobilization of Volunteer Efforts) led two summer volunteer trips the week after Commencement. Six students and staff traveled to Selma, Alabama, to volunteer with the Edmundite Southern Missions on projects that serve the population of Selma. Some of these included preparing and delivering lunches to community members, sorting and organizing donations, and building relationships through the Bullock Community Center activities. 

The Edmundites, who founded Saint Michael’s College have a long-standing presence in Selma, which the group of volunteers also gets to learn about.  Day trips during the Selma visit helped inform the group about the Edmundites’  solidarity and support of Selma throughout the Civil Rights Movement and the impact of extreme rural poverty and systemic racism that still affects Selma today. This year, they visited historical locations such as the Edmund Pettus Bridge, the Equal Justice Initiative, and The National Memorial for Peace & Justice. 

Lara Scott, MOVE director, left foreground, with the student volunteers in Benson. The large image behind the headline shows them at work in verdant meadows of the Ecospirtuality Center.

Seven students and staff also traveled to Benson, Vermont, where they partnered and stayed at Mercy Ecospirituality Center, doing service work in their gardens, fields, and walking trails; barning the animals; and learning about beekeeping. This experience encouraged students to contemplate the link between service, environmentalism, and spirituality while connecting with the land. Groups also visited and did service at Foggy Meadows, a neighboring farm, planting hundreds of seedlings and learning about commercial farming. 

Stay tuned for spotlights on students’ summer experiences, which will be published during the first few weeks of September 2024.