PPA Internships

Jodie Pham, Biology, interned with COPE Health Solutions, a nonprofit health organization that aims to create a cohesive, integrated system of care for the uninsured/underinsured.  Jodie’s focus was on developing the Mobile Echo Project.  The Project’s goal was to bring mobile echocardiograms to local community clinics in a timely, convenient, and cost effective manner.   
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Chemistry

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Economics
Kari Wohlschlegel, Economics, interned with Crossroads, an organization that provides housing, education, support, and counseling in a home-like environment for women who have been incarcerated.  Kari coordinated the Crossroads Advocacy Project, which seeks to raise awareness regarding the Governor’s overturning of parole suitability for women who are in prison for life.
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Geology
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Physics
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Politics
Kelly Hewitt, Politics (Scripps), interned with the Claremont Unified School District.  Kelly aided the Director of Secondary Education in the development of two new district projects – a foreign language program for the elementary schools and a vocational program at the high school level.  Kelly conducted research and created materials to help guide the Planning Committees.

Koko Umoren, Politics, worked with the ACLU of Southern California.  Koko interned in the legal intake department, screening calls and conducting research. 
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Psychology
David Sherer, Psychology, worked for Public Works, an educational consulting group contracted out by schools, districts, and boards to monitor and evaluate various school reform and intervention policies and programs.  David consolidated and summarized survey responses, compiled test performance data, and interviewed teachers and administrators. 
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Sociology
Christina Lee, Sociology, worked for the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness in downtown L.A.  Christina’s work focused on educating others about homelessness; she designed a presentation and fact sheets to go on their website.

Christopher Ramos, Sociology, interned at the Housing Rights Center of Los Angeles.  This organization’s purpose is to give general landlord/tenant counseling and to pursue discrimination claims.  Christopher worked under the lead attorney to conduct research, including networking with other organizations, obtaining reports and testimonies, and writing editorials. 

Karla Ruiz, Sociology, interned with the Neighborhood Partnership Housing Services of Montclair – an organization that provides education on homeownership for low-income buyers.  Her projects included creating a survey, helping with customer intake, marketing, and office duties.
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Lily Muldoon, Biology, worked with the East Valley Community Health Clinics in Pomona and West Covina, an organization that strives to provide quality and accessible comprehensive health care and health education services to low income and underserved populations.  Lily designed and conducted small research studies and created brochures on various health care topics.  
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Chemistry
Nora Becker, Chemistry, participated last spring in the Claremont McKenna sponsored Semester in Washington, D.C. program, where she interned full time in the office of US Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.
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Economics
David McDevitt, Economics, interned with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office in Pomona.  David monitored case files, conducted an independent research project, and sat in on trials.
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Geology
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Physics
Brett Close, Physics, interned with the South Coast Air Quality Management District.  Brett conducted research on solar energy policy around the world.
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Politics
Sarah Axeen, Politics, interned with the Los Angeles Coalition to End Hunger and Homelessness.  Sarah researched and wrote a 'Know Your Rights' guide for participants in the Section 8 subsidized housing program in the City and County of Los Angeles.

Stephanie Lin, Politics, worked with the Orange County Asian Pacific Islander Community Alliance, a service and advocacy organization that works to empower Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders in Orange County.  She recruited and organized volunteers, interacted with other counties on an Asian Pacific Islander voting project, and tutored for an after-school program.

Hala Masri, Politics, interned with the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles, an organization that advocates for immigrant rights through organizing and political advocacy.  Hala worked on several research projects.

Andrew Nourafshan, Politics, worked at Energy Harvester, a company that designs and builds custom renewable energy systems for commercial, residential, non-profit, and government buildings.  His work primarily focused on marketing, doing policy research, and drafting grant proposals for the company's "fold and ride" bike program and the creation of a bike-transit center at the Claremont Depot.

Julie Nudel, Politics, interned at Mediation Resources, an organization that provides low-cost services in mediation, conciliation, and arbitration to the surrounding community.  Julie conducted credit conciliation cases over the phone on a regular basis and developed her own clientele.

Femke Oldham, Politics, worked at Stratecon, Inc., a strategic planning and economics consulting firm specializing in water and other natural resources.  She researched water policy news stories for the firm's private monthly newsletters, wrote weekly memos summarizing major water stories around the country, and discussed water policy issues with the head researcher.

Nora Petty, Politics, also interned at the LA County's Office of Women's Health, an organization that conducts education and policy projects geared towards enhancing access to care for low income, minority women.  Nora worked on policy-related projects, drafted letters to legislators, and helped with preparations for the Women's Health Summit that will take place in May 2007.  She also compiled a weekly memo of health policy and women's health news for the office. 
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Psychology
Christie Canales, Psychology, worked for San Antonio High School, an alternative high school in the Claremont Unified School District.  She worked directly with the Dean of Students/Guidance Counselor.

Elyse Cooper-Smith, Psychology, interned at the Pomona Neighborhood Legal Services Center, assisting unrepresented litigants with family and tenant law matters including paternity, dissolution of marriage, and eviction.

Casey Lamb, Psychology, worked for Public Works, an educational consulting group contracted out by schools, districts, and boards to evaluate the implementation of policies and grants.  Casey worked with the LA Unified School District's Smaller Learning Communities Project, performing a quantitative and qualitative analysis of how 22 LAUSD schools were implementing this Project.

Lauren Mitchell, Psychology, also interned at San Antonio High School, an alternative high school in the Claremont Unified School District.  She worked as the Principal's intern and interacted regularly with the Office Manager, Vice Principal, Dean of Students, teachers, and students.

Katherine Walker, Psychology, also worked at Neighborhood Legal Services in Pomona, assisting unrepresented litigants with family and tenant law matters including paternity, dissolution of marriage, and eviction.
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Sociology

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Biology
Lisa Parrillo, Biology, worked for Casa Colina, a rehabilitation hospital that is mostly focused on physical therapy.  Lisa worked with the research department on a project that restructured a health risk assessment interview.  

Lauren Shaw, Biology, worked with Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden.  Lauren synthesized information on Garden events, conducted research on horticulture therapy, and helped with native plant sales and educational sessions.

Benjamin Spector, Biology, worked for Compassion Net, an organization that provides portable health clinics to the uninsured and working poor.  Benjamin acted as a project manager for a new health clinic in Pomona.  He contacted community organizations to recruit their support, designed a system for patient flow at the clinic, and assisted doctors at the health clinic. 
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Chemistry
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Economics
Jessica Isaacs, Economics (Scripps College), interned at the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice in Riverside.  She helped to write grants to promote community participation in environmental issues such as air and water pollution. 

Shana Yu, Economics, interned at the Children’s School at Claremont McKenna College.  Shana worked as a teacher’s assistant in the first and second grade classroom. 
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Geology
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Physics
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Politics
Megan Cribbs, Politics, worked with the Summer Scholars Enrichment Program at Pomona College – a summer program that seeks to educate first-generation college students, students of color, and students from low socio-economic backgrounds about their opportunities for higher education.  Megan assisted with the development of the program and with the creation of a database of local high schools. 

Becca Gourley, Politics, interned with Sycamore Elementary School in Claremont.  Becca researched and contacted other multi-age elementary schools to assist the principal in establishing a coalition of similar schools.  She also spent time in a 4-5-6 grade classroom.

Katherine Moskop, Politics, interned with Public Counsel, a public interest law firm that provides pro bono legal services to several different segments of the LA population.  Katherine worked in the Homelessness Law Prevention Project.  She processed applications, attended Homeless Court sessions, and participated in legal aid clinics at homeless shelters. 

James Solomon, Politics, interned with Vista Elementary School in Claremont.  He was a teacher’s aide in a fourth and fifth grade class.  He tutored students, taught lessons to small groups of students, and graded assignments. 

Alexandra Wakeman, Politics, worked with Uncommon Good, a non-profit agency based in Claremont that provides social, educational and medical services to low-income and homeless children as well as a loan-forgiveness program for law and medical professional who work in public clinics.  She developed grant proposals, gave organizational support, recruited mentors/tutors, planned fundraising events, and assisted the Development Director with research and solicitation letters.
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Psychology
Gabriel Audant, Psychology, interned with the Ontario-Montclair School District in the Curriculum Planning Department.  He designed pacing guides and grade-specific tests in cooperation with ETS and prepared resource materials for teachers.  Gabriel also had the opportunity to work with children at a local elementary school, providing individual instruction to both advanced and remedial students. 

Erin Haley, Psychology, worked at the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.  Erin worked with the Arts for All Project, which provides a series of policy changes and educational initiatives to institutionalize a comprehensive arts education in LA County School Districts.  Among other tasks, Erin conducted research for an online technical assistance database. 
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Sociology
Veronica Rebal, Sociology, interned with the Healthy Start/Youth and Family Support Center – a school-based resource and referral agency that assists low-income students and their families.  Veronica shadowed community workers, reorganized the office intake system, updated the office resource and protocol manual, and provided research and project development support for community workers.

Julia Unruhe, Sociology, interned with the Inland Valley Council of Churches.  The mission of the IVCC is to empower people through feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, and counseling those in need.  Julia coordinated fundraising events, contacted member churches, and did intake at the food bank. 
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Science, Technology and Society
Matthew Anderson, Science, Technology, and Society, interned at the Pomona Self-Help Legal Access Center, assisting unrepresented litigants with family and tenant law matters. 
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Other Concentrations
Kameelah Rasheed, Africa/Diaspora, worked for the LA Chapter of Critical Resistance, an organization that seeks to reduce the need for policing and incarceration.  Kameelah developed the curriculum to be taught to recently imprisoned women living in a transitional home, developed outreach materials, and drafted elements of the ‘No New Jails’ proposal.
 

Biology
Lamar Lee, Biology, interned with Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles.
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Chemistry
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Economics
Shelagh Cooley, Economics, interned at Pomona City Hall, reporting to the Deputy City Manager. Jessica wrote the policy and procedures manual for the Finance Department and researched and presented an economic report on the station location for the Gold Line.

Nick Dreves, Economics, interned with Eco-Securities Limited, an international, environmental finance firm that works primarily on greenhouse gas mitigation projects. His duties included research, policy analysis, and project preparation and documentation.

Michael Henry, Economics, interned with the Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy – a labor and poverty think tank and activist organization. He researched and summarized topics and developed and translated surveys. He also did direct action advocacy, such as worker training and strike support.

Lisa Merrill, Economics, interned with Pomona Unified School District, in Instructional Services. She helped to organize the data analysis training, which shows teachers and administrators how to use standards to improve learning.

Ryan Tacher, Economics, participated in the Claremont McKenna sponsored Semester in Washington, D.C. program, which fulfilled his internship requirement.
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Geology
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Physics
Daniel Rosenholtz, Physics, interned with the Government Affairs Committee of the US Green Building Council.
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Politics
Kenisha Dilliard, Politics, interned with the Commission for Economic Development in Los Angeles.

Cyrus Dioun, Politics, interned with the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

Ben Feldman, Politics, interned with the Secretary of State, LA Office. Ben organized a voter registration and education campaign at the Claremont Colleges.

Rachel Holben, Politics, interned with the Pomona Valley Center for Community Development. She worked with the Director to develop curriculum, grant proposals, and other details geared toward opening a new charter school within the Pomona Unified School District.

Lucas Holl, Politics, interned with the Pomona Unified School District in the Department of Instructional Technology.

Ellen Smith, Politics, interned with Uncommon Good, a non-profit agency based in Claremont that provides social, educational, and medical services to low-income and homeless children as well as a loan-forgiveness program for law and medical professionals who work in public clinics.
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Psychology
Erica Lai, Psychology, interned with the Public Counsel Law Center, a pro bono law firm in Los Angeles. She ran legal clinics, approached homeless youth, screened clients, helped with legal concerns, and followed-up with clients.
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Sociology
Jessica Case, Sociology, interned at Shoes that Fit, a nonprofit organization that provides shoes and school supplies to needy children in the Inland Empire.

Carla Hinojosa, Sociology, interned at Oakmont Elementary School in Claremont. She worked as an assistant for two teachers – working one-on-one with students on reading and math skills and also teaching an after-school art class.

Jonder Ho, Sociology, interned with the Healthy Start Program of the Claremont Unified School District. Jonder worked with children in an after-school program, compiled a resource manual of social and health services, and attended community-wide meetings.

Perris Straughter, Sociology, interned with The Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center of Orange County.
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Science, Technology and Society
Claire Rostaczer, Science, Technology, and Society, participated in the Claremont McKenna sponsored Semester in Washington, D.C. program, which fulfilled her internship requirement.
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Other Concentrations
 

Biology
Nate DeFelice, Biology, interned with the Industrial Areas Foundation Los Angeles office. He conducted research into health care for low income residents of the San Gabriel Valley and examined voter registration rates in forty targeted precincts.

Mike Mello, Biology, interned with the Pacific Center for Health Policy and Ethics, based at the University of Southern California/Los Angeles County Hospital. He worked under the direction of the Co-Director of the Center to develop a plan to ensure access to medical care for the county’s uninsured and medically indigent. He analyzed reports, books and journal articles that dealt with county needs and issues of ethical allocation of medical resources. He interviewed several medical professionals to get first-hand insight into the current system.

Jeff Mora, Biology, interned with the San Bernardino County Department of Public Health AIDS/STD Control Programs. He participated in writing grant proposals. He analyzed the federal AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which provides HIV-related drugs to persons living with HIV/AIDS. This research required that he interview recipients, program staff and state and local experts. His work will help the County Health Department determine how they might have to modify their program in light of federal funding changes.

Julie Schulz, Biology, interned with Planned Parenthood Los Angeles. She worked both at their administrative office and at their Pomona Center. She provided research assistance for special projects at the administrative office and participated in oversight of the 12 area clinics at the administrative office. At the Pomona clinic, she observed day-to-day functions and provided education to clients on family planning and reproductive health care.

Jason Woo, Biology, interned with the Healthy Start Program in the Claremont Unified School District. He had two major areas of responsibility: conducting outreach to families to let them know about available options for health care coverage; and organizing recreational and academic after-school activities for children who live at a local hotel that houses low income families.
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Chemistry
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Economics
Tom Krebs, Economics, worked in the Instructional Technology Office of the Pomona Unified School District. He spent most of his time researching issues related to the economic impact of federal funding for secondary career and technical education programs. He used this information to review and modify the school district’s Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Grant.

Elizabeth Redman, Economics, worked with the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership. She had two major areas of responsibility: public policy and business assistance. She had the responsibility to research particular state and federal policy impacts on local economic growth; the information she gathered is being used for planning and development as well as for setting the organization's 2004 policy agenda. She also provided direct client counseling to facilitate the expansion and relocation of San Gabriel Valley businesses.
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Geology

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Physics

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Politics
Pamela Burga, Politics, also interned at MALDEF. She worked with their Los Angeles Regional Counsel to research the effectiveness of charter schools in California to meet the needs of Latina/o students.

Amanda Fein, Politics, interned at the Children’s Rights Project’s Guardianship Clinic sponsored by Public Counsel, a pro bono law firm in Los Angeles. She prepared petitions for guardianship and conservatorship through Probate Court. She also conducted research for an ongoing evaluation of recent legislation affecting children and relative caregivers.

Tony Forte, Politics, interned at Sycamore Elementary School in the Claremont School District. He worked under the supervision of the principal to develop an education program and brochure for parents about the impacts of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Rabiya Kassam-Adams, Politics, interned with the Libreria del Pueblo Calpulli Project, a community based organization in San Bernardino. She translated several information brochures and provided English as a Second Language instruction to members of the community, and compiled a history of the organization and its staff.

Andrew Tyler, Politics, interned at the Pacific Council of International Policy, the western partner of the Council on Foreign Relations. He conducted original research on the international connections of California’s Central Valley and assisted the Council’s President in research and fact checking for an upcoming book. He also helped organize and attended the Council’s annual conference on foreign policy that was held in Seattle, WA.
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Psychology
Renee Faulkner, Psychology, worked at the YWCA based in Ontario. She worked with the Program Director to develop special projects for middle and high school students in the areas of racial justice, anger management and "youth leading a way for peace."

Abigail Haydon, Psychology, worked in the Policy and Legislation Office of L.A. Care Health Plan, an HMO that serves Medicaid recipients. She conducted research and analysis for monthly reports and developed a policy paper on strategies to expand the Child Health Disability Prevention Program.
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Sociology
Heather Callahan, Sociology, interned in the Department of Pupil Resources in the Pomona Unified School District. She collected data regarding truancy rates and helped develop policy and procedures for intervening with chronically truant students.

Verity Decker, Sociology, worked with Uncommon Good, a non-profit agency based in Claremont that provides social, educational and medical services to low-income and homeless children as well as a loan-forgiveness program for law and medical professional who work in public clinics. She developed grant proposals, gave organizational support, and participated in the mentoring program.

Lindsay Hill, Sociology, worked in the Personnel Department of the Pomona Unified School District. She conducted several special projects related to recruiting and retaining certified teachers.

Leigh Jones, Sociology, worked with the City of Los Angeles Department of Neighborhood Empowerment. She helped the Westlake Neighborhood Council plan and conduct outreach projects to explain the purpose of the council and encourage participation. She also assisted the MacArthur Neighborhood Council organize and conduct their first election for the governing board.

Ryley Share, Sociology, interned at The Media Project, a small organization that provides information, research assistance, script consultation and story ideas on sexual and reproductive health issues to entertainment professionals. She helped to organize their annual awards program, updated their data base of resources, designed their first on-line newsletter and created original story ideas for some television shows.
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Science, Technology and Society
Hilary Papendick, Science, Technology and Society (Scripps College), interned at Kellogg Polytechnic Elementary School in Pomona. She worked with staff, students and parents to restore the schools California Native Habitat Garden. She organized work crews for clean up days, successfully solicited donations of clean-up equipment and new plants for the garden. She worked with parents to create a structure to keep the repair work in place after her internship finished and successfully applied for a $600 grant from the Constitutional Rights Foundation to help the parents in their on-going efforts. In addition, she developed a resource booklet for teachers that integrates California Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics with environmental education.
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Other Concentrations
Laila Bernstein, Latina/o Diaspora, interned at the Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Fund (MALDEF) under the supervision of the Vice President for Public Policy. She researched and analyzed issues relating to needs of bilingual children in preschool and wrote a report on immigration policy that was sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
 

Biology
Susan Caplow
Susan is interning at Mt. San Antonio Gardens in Claremont. In addition to her responsibilities in writing grant follow-up reports and developing suggestions for new signage throughout the gardens, Susan has discovered the joys of working with three-year-olds in the Magic Garden Program.

Nicole Dumas
Nicole is working in the Community Outreach Services Unit of the Los Angeles County Department of Health. She has participated in several health fairs and is assisting in the design and implementation of a formal research project to assess needs of garment industry workers who do not have health insurance.

Kathryn Freund
Kate is conducting research into critical habitat for endangered species at the Riverside County Resource Conservation District. She is learning how to use GIS software by translating information from maps onto the computer. She is also completing a data base on native plant and animal species in the conservation district.

Erin McCarville
Erin is working at The Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice in Riverside. She is gathering data on air, water and ground pollution and evaluating the cumulative health effects in each area. She is also helping to organize a region-wide conference on these issues.

Virginia Mooty
Gina is learning about the multiple strategies to improve air quality being planned and implemented by the Air Quality Division, City of Los Angeles Office of Environmental Affairs. She is devoting special attention to a plan to cut truck and bus emissions near schools. She has learned how to draft policy papers for the city council and has represented the Air Quality Division at regional planning meetings.
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Chemistry
Kirsten Sasaki
Kirsten is working with the Healthy Start Program, sponsored by the Claremont Unified School District. She has conducted research to determine how many students in the district do not have health insurance and is developing and implementing outreach strategies to enroll as many children as are eligible in the Healthy Start program.
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Economics
Albert Tsoi
Albert is interning in the Legislative Affairs office of AIDS Project Los Angeles. He is conducting research and writing a policy paper focused on the use of funds distributed through the Ryan White Care Act. He is also investigating the implementation in Los Angeles County of the California law that allows public agencies to run needle exchange programs.

Susan Yoon
Susan is also working with the Claremont Unified School District Healthy Start Program. She is researching grant opportunities for the program and participating in community outreach activities such as “back to school” nights at local elementary schools.
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Geology
Anna Motschenbacher
Anna completed her internship requirement during the Spring 2002 semester by participating in the CMC Washington D.C. Semester program. She worked at the Center for Science, Policy and Outcomes, a think-tank affiliated with Columbia University in New York City. She participated in planning a conference, “Living with the Genie” and conducted research on “extreme events” such as natural disasters and bio-warfare.
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Physics

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Politics
Lauren Akitake
Lauren is working at the Los Angeles Coalition to End Homeless and Hunger in downtown Los Angeles. She is indexing resource information for clients and developing a data base of bill summaries for legislation pending in Sacramento that will have an impact on the homeless population.

Samuel Gaines
Sam is the third PPA senior who is working with the Claremont Unified School District. He is interning in the Office of the Superintendent, researching and suggesting updates to various district policies. He has also analyzed and developed graphs showing STAR English test scores that will be presented to the school board.

Noah Helpern
Noah is learning about the complexities of providing a quality education through his internship at the Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a new charter school in its first year of operation. Noah’s primary responsibility is to research possible permanent sites for the Academy – a task that has led him to discover more regulations than he ever thought possible about building codes for schools.

Matthew Muller
Matt is interning at the Public Counsel Law Center, Immigration Rights Office, downtown Los Angeles. Matt screens applicants for political asylum who come to the Law Center seeking legal representation. He then writes a summary of their request and makes a preliminary recommendation to the attorneys as to whether or not they should accept the petition. Matt also attends some immigration hearings.

Sara O’Neil
Sara is receiving a comprehensive look at municipal government through her internship in the office of Los Angeles City Councilman, Tom LaBonge. Sara has helped prepare briefing materials for council members, attended council meetings and visited the multiple field offices in Councilman LaBonge’s district.

Alexander Volberding
Alex is working at the Witness for Peach Regional Office in Sherman Oaks. He is organizing a speaker’s tour for the Southern California area and is also helping to plan a trip to Colombia that local representatives of WFP will take next spring.
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Psychology
Sara Bernstein
Sara is evaluating Head Start programs in the L.A. region for WESTAT, a research firm based in Washington, D.C. Sara began working for WESTAT in 2000 and actually helped to design the research protocol that she’s now helping to implement. The experiences have offered her a valuable opportunity to understand the implications of both research development and implementation.

Sara Palmer
Sara is one of two PPA seniors who had to change their internship placement after the start of the school year. She is now working in the Legislative Affairs Office of AIDS Project Los Angeles. She is assisting in the planning for World AIDS Day in December and will soon have other responsibilities as well.

Elizabeth Widmar
Elizabeth is the second PPA senior who was faced with an unexpected need to change internship placements. She is now working for Pomona Unified School District in “The Village” education center. In addition to getting an overview of the breadth of programs and services they offer, she is doing critical analytic work in looking at how certain grant monies are being used and making recommendations for improvement and modifications in the next grant cycle.
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Sociology
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Science, Technology and Society
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Other Concentrations
Michelle Wilson, Religious Studies: Michelle is interning with Pomona Access to Social Services (PASS), a program run by the Pomona Inland Valley Council of Churches (PIVCC). This program is designed to assist families in need of emergency vouchers for food and shelter. In addition to working directly with clients, Michelle has designed an “attitudes and values” survey for clients that attempts to discern what services they expect from PASS. She has just begun to conduct the interviews and will analyze the results and present findings to PIVCC.