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COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
COLUMBIA COLLEGE TODAY
CCASSIP
CCASSIP Provides
Hands-On Experience
Columbia College Alumni-Sponsored Student Internship Program
pairs alumni with students for mutual benefit
When Dr. Thomas Nero Jr. ’89 was an undergraduate,
the philosophy-religion major
wasn’t sure what career path he would
pursue. The summer between his sophomore
and junior years, exploring an
interest in medicine, he interned with Dr.
George Hashim ’67 GSAS, a professor at the Medical School studying
autoimmune disease. “It was a transformative experience, and
convinced me I could go to medical school,” says Nero, now a cardiologist
in private practice in Stamford, Conn.
Never having forgotten his pivotal internship, Nero contacted
the College about 1½ years ago seeking to provide a similar experience
for today’s College students. The timing was perfect. He
was told about a program set to debut in summer 2012: the Columbia
College Alumni-Sponsored Student Internship Program
(CCASSIP). Nero happily signed up to take on a student intern,
and Ruth Angrand ’13, an art history major and volunteer with
the Columbia University Emergency Medical Service, landed the
opportunity.
As opposed to a research internship or shadowing experience,
the CCASSIP internship was very hands-on, Angrand says. She
helped Nero organize an event to train lay people in CPR and
B y Shira Boss ’93, ’97J, ’98 SIPA
Michael S. Satow ’88, president and CEO of Nutrition 21, says Corinna
Bertelson ’14 “made a real contribution” during her CCASSIP internship
last summer.
PHOTO: LESLIE JEAN-BART ’76, ’77J
also worked with his patients, interviewing them, taking their vitals
and sitting in during consultations and procedures.
“I had a vague inclination to be an ER doctor, and I’ve completely
changed because of the internship. Now I want to be a
cardiologist,” Angrand says. “Dr. Nero was such a great mentor
and doctor, by the end of the summer I pretty much wanted to do
what he does.”
CCASSIP is the result of a partnership between the Columbia
University Center for Career Education (CCE) and the Columbia
College Alumni Association (CCAA) to provide work experience
and career mentoring for students. Alumni sponsors arrange
for internships at their workplaces; CCE supplies the students
with training and follow-up, including goal-setting workshops
and tips on getting the most out of an internship. In addition,
students attend social and networking events organized by CCE
for all CCASSIP participants and, at the end of the summer, each
submits a project, in the format of their choosing, about their experience.
Some created blogs recording their work experiences;
others submitted a letter, essay or photo essay.
CCE works with the Alumni Office to identify potential alumni
sponsors. A committee of volunteers led by Jonathan Sobel ’88 and
Kyra Tirana Barry ’87 then reaches out to prospects on an individual
basis; potential sponsors also receive a letter from Dean
James J. Valentini, describing the program and encouraging
their participation. “This program has and will continue to
build upon existing alumni engagement in student career
development,” says Kavita Sharma, dean of CCE.
“I found internships to be extremely helpful in guiding
my early career choices and believe that it is my job to help
current students so that they too are able to make educated
decisions about their career paths,” says Stacy Rotner ’99,
corporate responsibility manager at the law firm Sidley Austin
in New York; Rotner was an alumni sponsor both last
year and this year. “CCASSIP provides invaluable opportunities
for students while it helps to build and strengthen the
Columbia College community.”
Last summer, 27 rising juniors and seniors participated
in eight- to 12-week internships at 20 alumni’s workplaces,
including AOL Ventures, NBCUniversal, Public Art Fund,
Peppertree Engineering, The Kitchen and The Jed Foundation.
This year the program has grown to more than 40
interns.
CCE recruits students to the program in part through
information sessions, which cover an array of internship
opportunities, late in the fall semester and in January; administrators
then help them one-on-one to prepare cover letters
and resumes. Accepted interns attend a half-day training
session and are taught workplace etiquette and how to
handle scenarios that might arise: What if you come into
work early and there’s nothing to do How do you handle
water cooler gossip When is an appropriate time to connect
to a coworker on LinkedIn How do you dress Special
emphasis is placed on getting the most out of the work relationships
— getting to know the employer and expanding
one’s network.
To that end, each intern also is paired with an alumni mentor.
The mentors, who don’t work at the same company as the
intern and might not even be in the same field, are recruited
and matched by CCE based on several factors including career
interests, shared majors or shared class activities while on
campus. (Mentor recommendations also come from CCAA
and Columbia College Young Alumni.) The mentors serve as
additional contacts to answer questions and discuss concerns
about working in the real world and life beyond college.
By design, CCASSIP students do substantive work. Samantha
Peltz ’14 and Christopher Perkins ’14 were placed in the
Newark, N.J., office of the Hon. Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. ’78,
U.S. Court of Appeals Judge for the Third Circuit, who also
is a University Trustee and adjunct faculty member. Their main
project was to help Greenaway prepare a speech to be given at
Columbia in celebration of Constitution Day (September 17),
which celebrates the signing of the U.S. Constitution. “I feel I’ve
read about every civil rights case in the history of the country,”
Peltz says of the research effort. “It was one of my favorite experiences
and opportunities I’ve had through Columbia.”
Greenaway respects the interns’ abilities and wants to ensure
that both he and the interns get the most out of the relationship.
“What I’ve learned is, they have much more to contribute than
you might think,” he says. “The real point of this is: Can Columbia
kids get an opportunity to do something they wouldn’t otherwise
be able to do The question is never, ‘Are they capable’ but
are you going to be able to give them enough to do so they feel
they’re making a worthwhile contribution”
Michael S. Satow ’88 arranged for Corinna Bertelsen ’14 to work
at Nutrition 21, a supplement company in Purchase, N.Y., of which
he is president and CEO. Among other things, she prepared databases
using information from human clinical studies and crafted
PowerPoint presentations to be used for R&D and marketing purposes.
Because of the company’s small size, Bertelsen also was able
to interact with the executives. For example, she joined in on a conference
call with a media consulting firm and the head of sales and
marketing regarding Nutrition 21’s approach to social media, and
subsequently created and ran the company’s Twitter feed.
“It was great having her. She made a real contribution — it’s
good for business as well as good for the student,” Satow says. “I
think if people knew the quality of the candidates they could give
offers to, they’d realize they’d be lucky to have the opportunity
to work with them because they’re so impressive.” He says a bonus
was hearing how campus life today is both different and the
same as when he was in school.
The internship was Bertelsen’s first experience working in an
office. She says she learned how tough it is to handle a 9–5 job,
with a commute, and find time to keep up consistent training
(Bertelsen is a member of the varsity swim team). She says she
also realized the advantages of working for a small company, as
well as her affinity for the field: “This program was illuminating
The Hon. Joseph A. Greenaway Jr. ’78 (center) stayed in touch with
CCASSIP interns Samantha Peltz ’14 and Christopher Perkins ’14 even
after the program ended.
PHOTO: LESLIE JEAN-BART ’76, ’77J
in discovering what I want to do. I might like to pursue something
in pharmaceuticals.” She noted that many of the company’s
leaders have advanced degrees, which has inspired her to think
about getting a master’s or Ph.D.
A successful internship program draws on the talents of both
parties: Students are expected to work hard, and alumni sponsors
must do their part to make sure the experience is meaningful.
“It’s not easy, it’s not like you can get a free employee — that’s
not the point,” Nero says. “I spent at least an hour a day with
them I’d otherwise spend on work. The aim is to get them excited
about the field.” Angrand says she had many discussions with
the doctor, not only about patients and procedures but also about
women in medicine, the business of having a private practice
“and of course Obamacare.”
Greenaway, too, made sure to mentor the interns closely. In
addition to making himself available for daily discussion time, he
arranged for guests from other fields of law. “It gave me specificity
about what options I might have after law school,” Peltz says.
“Judge Greenaway takes mentoring very seriously. How accessible
he was was amazing, especially for how busy he is.”
Greenaway says that CCASSIP is a great example of one way
that alumni can give back to the College that doesn’t involve writing
a check. “No matter what the professional endeavor, there are
opportunities for Columbia students to have challenging and interesting
experiences, and it’s as or more rewarding for the alum
as for the student,” he says. In January, he met with Peltz and
Perkins about possibly turning his Constitution Day speech into
a book and how they might help with that.
Nero believes so strongly in the internship program that he
has been trying to convince fellow alumni to participate, including
his wife, Elizabeth Zimels ’89, a veterinarian. “The more we
get involved with the College as alumni, the better the College
will be,” Nero says. “We should stay involved. Our college experience
should never end.”
Shira Boss ’93, ’97J, ’98 SIPA is contributing writer for CCT. Her
most recent feature, in the Spring 2013 issue, was about faculty members’
experiences with teaching Literature Humanities.
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