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Robin

As you research Dartmouth's D-Plan, you may come across "off-terms." Students can take these at almost any time in their college career at Dartmouth to pursue internships, partake in research, or take a break and spend time with family. My first off-term is this summer, and I will be interning with the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area in San Francisco, also known as IIBA.

I obtained this internship through the Dartmouth Center for Social Impact. Every term, the Center sets up internships with nonprofit organizations led by Dartmouth alumni all across the United States. This year, the organizations focused on poverty alleviation, public-health, and community outreach in Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA; and San Francisco, CA. Because all of these sounded interesting, I applied to each internship and was fortunate to be selected for an opportunity in San Francisco. 

I am so excited. IIBA is an organization that works closely with under-resourced communities. One of their focuses is legal services, the branch that I will be working with. My job will be to interview clients to collect, shape, and present their story for submission to the court in real cases. This is an awesome opportunity—even though I am just finishing my first year of college, I will be doing meaningful work and gaining valuable experience in the world of social work. 

As you might have guessed, my internship will be taking place remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. I will meet with alumni mentors through Zoom every week, and will conduct interviews with clients over telephone and email. This is the first time that the Center for Social Impact has done internships in this format, so it will be interesting to see the specific schedules and activities that we participate in. It will be different, for sure, but I am really excited! I am fortunate to have this opportunity, and can't wait to get started (though, I'll be honest, I am a little bummed about not spending a summer in California).

This internship is only one of many offered by Dartmouth alumni and community partners. Every term, students are able to find opportunities through not only the Center for Social Impact, but also the Center for Professional Development, academic departments, and professors. So, if you are a Dartmouth student, there are always resources available to help you make the best of your off-term.

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