ACHIEVEability, Tutor

Theater major Anya Opshinsky, wanted to use her time in Philadelphia to explore her varied interests in professional theater and in social work, public policy, and social justice. After interviewing with a regional theater company and a couple of non-profits, she decided to put performance on the back burner for a semester, and accepted a position with ACHIEVEability, a non-profit that, according to their website, "strives to permanently break the generational cycle of poverty...through higher education, affordable housing, supportive services, community and economic development, and accountability."

While at ACHIEVEability, among other responsibilities, Anya helped people whose utilities had been shut off for non-payment file for a grant to zero the balance and start anew. It was a satisfying project that allowed her plenty of personal contact and a clear sense of accomplishment when her clients received their much-needed grants.

"They really trusted me to take on work that an employee would do," said Opshinsky. They were willing to let me try something new and I was surprised and grateful that they gave me that freedom. They really looked at me as an equal. A lot of my coworkers expressed that they wish they'd had this experience so they let me see a lot of different aspects of the organization."

Kara Robart, Hope College

North American Publishing Company
Publishing Executive and Book Business Editorial Intern

In some cases, interning in Philly presents professional opportunities and potential career paths that students never would have considered otherwise. After working with NAPCO this semester, Kara Robart will be returning to her home campus with published bylines and one novel (thanks to NaNoWriMo) tucked into her portfolio -- as well as with plans to add a writing emphasis or minor to her undergraduate transcript.

"Learning that I enjoyed writing was huge. It's strange to think that I could have gone through the rest of my life not knowing that writing was so important to me," said Robart. "I really enjoyed everyone's willingness to work with me. They were very engaged in what I was doing. There was a lot of discussion about what I wanted to learn and they spent a lot of time giving me tasks to accomplish that."

Emilee Roberts, Hanover College

Kirkbride Center, Intern

Emilee Roberst, a studio art and psychology student at Hanover, wasn't quite sure what she'd do in Philly, but she was pretty sure it would involve art and kids. She was close....kind of. After interviewing with one organization that worked with young children and another with adolescents, she decided to challenge herself and accept an offer from Kirkbride, where she spent her semester working with an adult population struggling with drug addiction and mental health issues.

"I worked with an art therapist and facilitated art tasks. My supervisor taught me about different indicators in the art - it was really valuable. I worked with a wide variety of people and helped with art therapy, art as therapy, discharge paperwork, treatment plans, psychosocial assessments, and learning how to use the DSM," marveled Roberts. "The people are fantastic. The staff is incredibly supportive. They're willing to sit down and talk about what motivates them. My supervisor has helped me become more confident and assertive in dealing with people and clients."

Wenchang "Linna" Zhou, Denison University

Philadelphia Soul, Accounting Intern

When Linna Zhou arrived in Philadelphia, she worried that her liberal arts background (which didn't include specific accounting coursework) would limit her internship options. After several interviews, she accepted a position with The Philadelphia Soul's accounting department.

"I was so proud that my supervisor once said that I 'was their accounting department for the semester!' I had the opportunity to perform daily journal entries using QuickBooks, assisted in month-end closing, and performed bank reconciliations and account analysis. I was also able to assist my supervisor in the creation of the monthly budget for next fiscal year. I've also gotten to learn about football and to learn more about American culture. As a Chinese student, that was very valuable!"

By Rachel Lehr

Rachel attends Albion College, in Albion, Michigan, and is interning at International House Philadelphia and Prevention Point. To read more about current student experiences, visit our student blog at DiscoverTPC.

In my high school drama class we were taught that the primary rule of improvisational acting is "Yes, and..." meaning that you accept the situation/themes/ideas presented to you and then add in your own ideas. You don't like the setting your partner established? You can't find anything funny to say about organic eggplant farming? Tough cookies because you can't fight it or ignore it, you can only work with it. The longer I live and work in Philly, the more obvious it becomes that, "Yes, and..." is not only the foundation for a good improv, but the foundation for getting the most out of life.

Admittedly, the "Yes, and..." attitude does not always come easily to me. Every now and then in a frail and often fruitless attempt to gain control, I want to shout out "Noooooo" in the face of new or potentially awkward experiences and curl up in bed with my Netflix account... [But] "Yes, and..." teaches you more about yourself than your "no"-centered comfort zone ever could...

One Thursday evening my roommate and I had just finished our customary 50 cent pierogies when we were reminded that the last  Night Market of the year was happening in Chinatown. Now, for those of you who have never eaten ten pierogies, it can prove to be a sleep-inducing feat. After calculating the distance between South Street and Chinatown, we decided it was too early in the semester to turn into grumpy and predictable old folks, so yes, we were going.

Now this is the point in the story where, if you knew anything about me and my inability to keep time and my failed attempts at musical theatre, some surprising events occur. With a little bit of peer pressure I was convinced to partake in a TPC karaoke rendition of Journey's Don't Stop Believing." Really. Then, when our ragtag crew passed a deli blaring the "Cupid Shuffle," I willing partook in the corresponding line dance, during which our group of less than ten TPC students grew exponentially as passersbys joined in.

I cannot stress how uncharacteristic this behavior is, or how much fun I had. Yes, I freely admit that I, Rachel the rhythm-less, enjoyed line dancing flash mob style in the middle of street while complete strangers stood and stared. "Yes, and..." can be the difference between being the person telling the story and being one of the people that the story is about. Similarly, adopting this attitude has also given me better skills to cope with a hectic work atmosphere, a night of salsa dancing and a multitude of delicious foods that I had never thought of.

Opportunities to do new things and experiment are always around, especially in Philadelphia, and you can't let a lack of confidence or fear of being immensely awkward rob you of them. Yes you're going to do it and you're going to be fantastic/hilarious/creative. "Yes, and..." is instant confidence.