Yesterday I packed my life up and moved it across campus!
I am one of a few students that will be on campus this summer. What each individual does varies from work-study, to research, to internships.
I will be in Memphis this summer participating in the Summer Service Fellowship. In its basic element, the fellowship allows a number of students to live on campus while serving the Memphis community in some element. My “element” this summer will be at ArtsMemphis. I am really excited about serving as their summer intern. For me, this lets me get a foot in the door with the arts community here in Memphis and allows me to make even broader connections for when I graduate. Did I mention that it will also look great on my resume?
Current students and upcoming students, keep an eye out for these opportunities. They are literally everywhere in a city like Memphis! If you know what you want to do after college, or just want to explore your options, go ahead and experience it first hand by staying at Rhodes for a summer and volunteering or interning in your field.
I’m going to keep my blog rather short today, I have a long 4 hour drive back home. Before my internship starts on June 1st, I am going to spend a little time with my family back in McMinnville, Tennessee. I was born there, and spent 17 years of my life living and learning in my small home town. It was definitely a bit difficult making the switch from small town to large urban city, but it was worth it! Now, don’t get me wrong, I love my home town, but the experiences you gain from going to and living in different places amazes me. When I go home, I am able to comment on different points of view than before and I am able to give a different perspective on many issues that are brought up at family get-togethers and discussions with my friends. Rhodes was a great choice for me. I wanted to stay in state (not only for the financial benefits, but also to be close to my family), but I wanted to get a top-of-the-line education. I’m happy to say that I have found both here at Rhodes.
When I get home, I’ll be lazy for a week. Just sleeping, watching TV…gaining a few pounds. Then we are off to Gulf Shores for a week of vacation. I’ve told myself that I will leave the laptop at home and keep my Blackberry turned off, but… that’s going to be hard! I was able to spend 4 days without any kind of electronics a few weeks back and it was hard, but amazing. Instead of texting my friends, I actually talked to them. Instead of spending my day reading funny articles on the web, I actually spend time walking around and enjoying the earth. I really hope I can do this again while I’m in Gulf Shores, but I don’t know if I can make it. Nonetheless, it should be a great trip and a great time for me to get closer to my family.
On Wednesday I came to Rhodes to talk with a few professors and community leaders about the Clanjamfry festival that is held yearly at Evergreen Presbyterian Church across the street from Rhodes. Evergreen is really generous about their space and allows Rhodes to use their sanctuary for large gatherings such as convocation at the beginning of each academic year. I was honored to be asked to participate in the planning of the festival, my job being to get Rhodes students involved! I am taking on my duty and starting to spread the word now. Take a look at the link above and keep the festival on your mind until the big weekend in September (19-21). I promise that you all will hear more and more about it as the date gets closer!
Today’s link is one of the coolest pieces of art I’ve seen in a long time. It’s called “Monroe or Einstein”. I wish I could tell you the artist’s name, but unfortunately the site doesn’t list it. The site has some pretty vulgar advertisements on it, so I decided just to put the picture directly in the blog. First, look at the picture close up, then step away from your screen and walk farther and farther away. I think you will see what the title means. After you have stepped away, start walking toward your screen again…that’s when it gets really freaky!
Have a great summer!
Signing off,
Tyler
tyler… that picture.. officially creepy!
I will be around campus too this summer… it will be fun!
How can you get the internship and will you be paid for the intern?
Hey cat2:
I am doing the internship through the Summer Service Fellowship that I described above. I got the Fellowship by applying at Rhodes College. The great thing is, you get to pick where you volunteer your time in the Memphis Community.
Now, I do get paid a stipend by the Fellowship to participate. However, this covers my summer living costs and makes up for not being able to save money that I would have saved if I had a summer job instead.
But, it’s really not about the money. The money is just an extra benefit to an amazing opportunity to give of your time. I have FREEDOM from academics and Rhodes gave me a great chance to spend my time working in the community to make a difference. This, rather than money, is about growth…both personal and in the community.
More specifically, I was chosen for the ArtsMemphis internship by asking! I was looking for a place to volunteer and contacted ArstMemphis to see if they had any ideas for me. As it turned out, they were looking for a summer intern and I was a good fit for them. You will find that that is how many opportunities work around Memphis, especially volunteer opportunities. Many times, places don’t seek out volunteers because they haven’t thought about needing volunteers. If there is a place where you want to volunteer your time, most likely, they will allow you to do so. Now, there are exceptions to this. Many large organizations like St. Jude and the MED have prestigious internships that are fought over. However, the best way to find out about those is the same as finding out about the smaller opportunities…ASK! Email around, place some phone calls…before you know it, you will be interviewing for summer opportunities and getting offers for jobs after graduation.
Thanks for your question,
Tyler
Great reply Tyler and glad to hear you are going to be involved with Clanjamfry. I have to miss that festival each fall because I am in GA at college fairs, but it always seems like a fun time!
I’m looking forward to Clanjamfry as well!
Also, the “Monroe or Einstein” picture- WHOA!