Summer? Planning?

January has passed and February has begun, and do you know what that means dear class of 2014? It means Yalies, like me, have to begin thinking about the three month stretch called summer. I don’t know if it’s ridiculously early because it is Yale or everyone in college starts the scramble now.

Cancun?

Backpacking through Europe?

I have kept a pretty loyal plan since freshman year about what I do each summer. Home, study abroad, internship. The first summer I went home to Chicago, spent lots of time with my family and worked at an internship in Chicago. This was good because it honestly might be my longest stretch at home for awhile. The second summer I studied abroad at Cambridge University. Junior summertime has rolled around and its time to think about this summer.

First, I may diver a little from my plan, something that can always happen, I had such an incredible time internationally last summer, I want to explore two or three weeks in another country. Yale has an excellent database of fellowships and grants, so I am putting together the paperwork this month. I am applying for 4 or 5000 dollars to travel to the Philippines. I will use that trip to acquire research for my senior project on Daniel Burnham’s work in Manila. Yale’s fellowship money has allowed my friends to travel the world so the research isn’t just written source based.

Yes. Philippines

But I digress. Back to my plan. I want to work in New Haven. This is because it’s what I want to do after I leave Yale. I am an urban studies major and New Haven is a small enough city that I could start at a young age in the city or private development areas. I also like the idea of knowing what summer housing is available and being able to stop into the Admissions Office (J) when I can. I am planning on applying to more internships, but the one I am most interested in is the President’s Public Service Fellowship.

The President’s Public Service is a paid 8-week fellowship where you are assigned to work at a public service job in New Haven. I applied for City Planning or the New Haven Economic Development Corporation. I was really inspired by my tour of City Hall in my class “New Haven and the American City” where I realized a good portion of City Hall were Yale graduates. I would work forty hours a week improving New Haven.

Hopefully my summer destination.

I have an interview this Tuesday so wish me luck! Hopefully everything goes well.