Love the healthcare industry but unsure of your place in it? Consider becoming an athletic trainer. Here are just a few of the reasons to think about this rewarding career:
Helping others: Athletic trainers help with a variety of things such as prevention and recovering from injury. They play a special role in helping athletes get better and succeed.
Building relationships: In this role, one works closely with athletes and athletic staff which allows for more and better relationships to be formed.
Flexibility in location: Athletic trainers can work in a variety of settings including hospitals, schools, and private outpatient practices.
Staying involved with sports: In this field, you get to work with athletes of all ages and backgrounds.
Change: No one day is the same and no one patient is the same so there will be a variety of day-to-day experiences and tasks.
Learning opportunities: There are always changes in the medical world that athletic trainers have to learn about. This keeps them on their feet and encourages them to learn more.
Winter break is just around the corner as we come out of fall break, and many students are wondering how they should be spending their winter breaks, as well as what other students are up to. This blog post can provide you with some ideas, depending on your career interests!
Whether it’s a Panera Bread, at a local clothing store, the holidays are a busier time for retailers and mall stores, as people are more free and Christmas shopping. Many students enter Cornell having worked jobs elsewhere, and that is always a way to make some extra cash.
2. Start studying for major standardized tests (MCAT, LSAT, GRE, etc.)
Winter break is the perfect time to take either self-study and look for online materials, or take a prep course, many of which are very long and are more effective if done in one sitting in a focused period of time.
3. Shadow people in fields you’re interested in.
While winter break is a little short for a full internship for career exploration, it is a great time to set up shadowing opportunities with local professionals in fields you’re interested in pursuing.
4. Reach out to alumni for phone calls or informational interviews
Along a similar vein, Cornell Handshake is an option for students to find alumni and send them messages. Many students have used it successfully to set up informational interviews and phone calls.
For students who want to get involved in research either in their hometown, on-campus, and/or during the summer, a lot of the coordination can happen during winter break.
7. Take a class.
Although they are expensive, Cornell offers a winter session with classes that students can take. Some also use this as a way to get ahead on their credits and graduate early.
8. Continue your research.
For students who are already involved in a research lab, many continue their work because they are able to work full-time. For others, winter break is an opportunity to start working on their honors thesis.
9. Work on a hobby.
During the school year, it can be difficult to stay in tune with students’ non-academic needs. Take a break this winter break by engaging in your hobbies!
10. Workout and get into an exercise routine.
Along the same vein, exercise is important for mental health. Habits take time to build, and winter break is a great time to get started.
11. Relax (and maybe go somewhere fun!)
What other opportunity will you have to take an extended vacation? You are important, and you deserve a chance to escape the Cornell bubble and have some fun.
Winter break, the time between fall and spring semester can be a great time to rejuvenate and pick yourself up from the stresses of fall semester, and also to get ahead for the upcoming semester. It’s your choice! Do what fits your schedule best.
Photos courtesy of Unsplash.
Tips for Mastering Your Next Virtual Interview
As COVID-19 restrictions ease and organizations return to in-person work, we find that most interviews continue to remain virtual. Students
appreciate this modality, as it affords flexibility and eliminates travel and housing expenses. Additionally, students now have access to opportunities located anywhere in the world. Whether you are interviewing for internships, full-time jobs, or graduate school, there are universal practices you can use to stand out during the virtual interview process!
1. Set Up Your Interview Space
Here are a few changes you can make to your interview environment to create a strong, lasting impression:
Have a clean, simple background
You don’t have to rearrange your room to achieve this. We recommend finding a space that is free of distractions, for example, a blank wall or bookshelf. Another option is to choose a simple, virtual background. Courtney, a senior career assistant, removes her framed picture behind her desk when she has an interview. Jessica, a career assistant with a very busy room, books an individual study room in Mann library for her interviews.
Create optimal lighting
We advise that you light yourself from the front to avoid being backlit. If you have a desk lamp, position it towards your face. Additionally, research has found that recruiters favor cool light, a light that emits a modern, cleaner, and brighter look, over warm light (Harvard Business Review). If you don’t have a lamp, sitting near a window could emulate this optimal lighting scenario.
Eliminate distractions
Turn off all TVs, put your cell phone on do not disturb, and close any nearby windows. Make sure to tell anyone you live with about your interview to minimize background noise and disruptions.
2.Test Your Technology
Prior to your interview
It is important that your interview location has a good internet connection. If your Wi-Fi is unreliable, consider doing your interview from a different location (i.e, study room in a library) or using a hotspot/ethernet cable.
Additionally, confirm that your camera and microphone work properly. For instance, Zoom allows you to test your video and audio in settings.
Moreover, some organizations could use a video platform that you are unfamiliar with. We encourage that you familiarize yourself with the platform prior to your interview by downloading the program and practicing with its features.
3. Preparation
Pace, gestures, and facial expressions
The optimal speaking rate is neither too slow nor too fast. You want your interviewer to keep up with what you are saying, but you don’t want to bore them. Taking time to pause before important points will help you better connect with your interviewer and emulate confidence.
A Harvard Business Review study found that successful candidates used hand gestures for exciting and important points. When sharing a personal story, you can move your hands closer to your heart. Moreover, keep an open posture by not crossing your arms.
Finally, it is important that you look into your webcam and not at your reflection. This allows you to make eye contact with your interviewer, a key step for building trust. We recommend that you turn on speaker view so that you are not tempted to look at yourself while speaking.
Research and rehearse
Although it may be tempting to have your notes in front of you, you want to appear prepared and ready to answer any questions without scrolling around on your computer. Research the company beforehand and have thoughtful questions prepared to ask your interviewer.
Additionally, you should practice your responses to common interview questions. For instance, most organizations will ask “why here?” or “tell me about yourself.” By practicing in advance of your interview, you can avoid rambling and sounding unprepared.
Finally, virtual interviews are more monotonous than in-person interviews. You can keep the conversation lively by showing genuine interest, asking engaging questions, and finding common interests with your interviewer.
Dress appropriately
It is still important to dress professionally. Dress as you would if you were interviewing in-person. Studies reveal that people feel more competent, trustworthy, and authoritative when they are dressed in formal business clothing.
Overall, engaging in these practices can help you ace your next virtual interview!
Need practice? Stop by the Human Ecology Career Exploration Center in 1203 MVR to schedule a practice interview with a career assistant!
Research in Human Ecology: An Interview with Dr. Tashara Leak
Angella and Professor Tashara Leak in a Zoom call
Focus your energy on figuring out what your purpose is in, and the path will come.
-Professor Tashara Leak, PhD, RD
With a story that takes her from being a pre-med in undergrad to graduate school, then a dietetics program, industry work, and currently, academia here at Cornell, Professor Leak’s path has been far from linear and smooth. This April, Career Assistant Angella was grateful for her chance to speak with Professor Leak about her research, how she got to where she is now by following her purpose, her advice for undergraduate students who are still searching for what they want to do, and actionable tips for getting a research position as an undergraduate student.
Below is a summary of what was shared in the interview, alongside an audio recording of the full interview.
What is your research like? Could you tell me a little about who you are?
Tashara Leak is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell and an Assistant Professor in General Internal Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical School. The goal of her research is to “create sustainable solutions”, building long-lasting relationships with programs, and informing policy.
Are there any specific projects that you would like to chat about?
Advanced Cooking Education (ACE) is a 12-week nutrition education program for 8th graders in New York City that contains nutrition lessons, cooking labs for ethnic dishes, and professional development to explore careers in nutrition. Prof. Leak acknowledges that the field of nutrition is not as diverse as it could be and wants to “show these early adolescents that there are some really cool careers in the field of nutrition”.
What was your undergraduate experience like? What were you involved in during your undergraduate years?
Dr. Leak attended UNC Chapel Hill during undergraduate years, and imagined that she would be a physician as someone on the pre-med track. She was involved in clubs such as the American Red Cross Club, the Minority Association for Pre-Health Students, and did a lot of volunteer work around the community. While shadowing physicians in the MED summer program offered by UNC Chapel Hill, she noticed that no one spoke about nutrition, despite seeing patients with diet-related chronic diseases, such as diabetes and obesity. Determined to understand nutrition further, which she viewed as a form of preventative medicine, she decided to pursue a Master’s in Nutrition before applying to medical school.
While Dr. Leak was in graduate school, however, she discovered her love for research. With encouragement from her mentor, she realized that a PhD was a better fit for her as she wished to solve systems-level, population-level problems, appreciated the freedom to create, and wanted the flexibility to be a part of many different work environments (being out in the community at times, working at home at times).
Did you have that “eureka” moment with your mentor/professor?
Looking back at her own career trajectory, Dr. Leak advises undergraduates to “Focus your energy on figuring out what your purpose is, and the path will come”. She realizes that while her path changed, her purpose remained with her.
How did you decide to pursue an RD?
Dr. Leak pursued an RD at the end of her PhD program through an ISPP (Individualized Supervised Practice Pathways), an accelerated dietetic internship for people holding PhDs. Now that she is starting a clinical study, she found it helpful to have this RD license. She collaborates with physicians and can work in clinical settings. Says Dr. Leak: “I’m still doing the work that I think I always was supposed to do.” Reflecting on what role she wanted to pursue, Dr. Leak says: “I wanted to be the researcher. I want to be the person who’s creating the interventions with the solutions to the problems”.
Are there traits or internships that you think students could have right now, which could translate to multiple professions in the future?
Dr. Leak encourages undergraduates to pursue experiences that truly bring them joy, even if it has nothing to do with their career. “This is a marathon, not a sprint”. Dr. Leak has been there before and recommends that you still schedule in time for yourself. Says Dr. Leak:“ I often tell students right now this is probably like the least busy you’re ever going to be in your life.” She recommends finding things you truly enjoy because “You’re always going to be busy so you have to make time for things that destress you, [that] can just bring you joy and help disconnect from your work.”
For additional experiences, Dr. Leak recommends having summer internships and exploring different kinds of research to see what things you like or don’t like. Dr. Leak recommends research for these reasons: “I think a lot of students feel like research is like working in a lab of mice and that’s not true! That’s one type of research. Again I’m out in the communities. I’m with real people and then when I’m building relationships before I start studies, I’m helping out with career fairs, at most schools I’m going to PTA meetings. I’m out in the field. And research also just teaches you really great critical thinking skills that help you become a better writer.”
Are there any challenges you’ve faced?
Throughout her career, Dr. Leak has fought to navigate a space that historically wasn’t created for her to exist in for both herself and through her work in communities with people who look like her with similar backgrounds as she did growing up. She acknowledges that it is isolating to see that “the further along [and] the higher up you get in terms of your degree, there are fewer and fewer people who look like me”.
She prioritizes building community, whether online or in-person. Dr. Leak is in a writing group with other women of color who are at different universities and they meet every Thursday from 2 to 5 to write.
Dr. Leak urges many systems, including higher education, to need change as they become more and more diverse. She urges reflection in the university address belonging to aim “not just for there to be people present here representing the variety of different backgrounds” but also “what does it mean to show up as your whole self” in these spaces.
What’s the process like to join a lab and what kind of traits are you looking for? How would you encourage students or maybe just finishing up their schooling to look for opportunities outside of the university?
Professor Leak suggests that students gain or advertise skills that would benefit labs; these skills are often not what people first think of for lab work.
CITI Training
Other training
Bronfenbrenner Center
Survey Research Institute
Mann Library workshops
Other unconventional skills such as Adobe (InDesign, Photoshop), photography, etc.
For entering the workforce, Dr. Leak recognizes that it may be difficult to get that “perfect” dream job, so she encourages you to “give yourself some grace”, especially during these times when finding jobs are difficult for many people. She suggests you to be open to different opportunities and work through trial and error to fine-tune what you truly want to do. She acknowledges that “It’s not going to be perfectly aligned with everything that you want to do” but “you just want to learn all the things you want to learn as much as humanly possible and then from there you can be more selective”.
The audio recording of the interview is below, and the video can be provided upon request.
Opportunties with Professor Sternberg in the HD Department!
Research openings:
1. Positive creativity. The first project is on positive creativity. What is it that leads people to view a creative contribution as positive vs. negative? Was the atom bomb positive? If not, why was so much effort put into developing it? How about facial recognition software? Is it, on balance, good or bad, and why?
2. Truth vs. falsehood. The second project is inspired by recent events. How do people in their daily lives determine whether what they see or hear is true or false? Is meaning in what you read or hear, or do you assign meaning, based on your experience? Is there any association between how people perceive truth and people’s political beliefs?
3. This study is on the psychology of musical instruments, in particular, violins. Violins come in very different prices. But do they sound different? Are the higher priced violins better in their sound, or are they just more expensive? To what extent does price even reflect sound? Participants will listen to the same selection of music played by the same person on violins varying in price and age. They will be asked to evaluate the quality of the instrument based on what they hear. Experts (music students) and novices (students who are not musicians) will listen to selections on instruments of widely varying prices. They will then indicate their preferences for the various sounds of the instruments. They will not know, when they hear a selection, whether it is played on a new or old violin, or an expensive or an inexpensive one.
In a time of COVID-19, many students are sheltering in place. Everything that can move online has, including classes, clubs, and internships, but many other activities have been halted. Forms of career advancement that are typically very popular, such as career fairs and volunteer opportunities, have been forced to postpone or cancel their events, and many students have been left with extra free time.
We have all adapted to the situation in our own ways. For some, this period can be a much-needed break! As Cornell students we tend to over-work ourselves, and free time is a luxury to be enjoyed. This is totally okay. There is no expectation that you have to be “productive” during this time. There are so many good ways to take care of yourself, and online classes are an adjustment. However, others may feel that this semester is the perfect opportunity to try or get involved in something new, or that they would like to help their local community to cope with the pandemic. If so, this blog post is for you! Even though many in-person activities have been left on pause, there are still plenty of opportunities that students can engage with from the comforts of their own home. There are still plenty of ways for students to give back to their communities, which are no less satisfying than many in-person opportunities.
The following is a non-exhaustive and continually-updated list of some virtual volunteer opportunities, categorized by interest. Feel free to send us an email of any additional opportunities that you have discovered; we’d love to hear what you’ve found!
Help scientists with their research projects, features a variety of different projects in many different areas of study (including biology, astronomy, etc.)
Looking for a remote internship for the summer? We have highlighted specific positions that may be of interest to you as a Human Ecology student. This page will be frequently updated with new opportunities, so be sure to check back often!
Internship Opportunities from HumEc Alumni
Internship with 22 Interiors
We are a boutique Los Angeles based residential and commercial interiors firm. We aim to educate our interns through a range of activities: assistance with client presentation preparations, updating design library, communication with local LA vendors, shopping at the PDC and various other showrooms / galleries, etc.
Virtual or in-person, unpaid
Schedule: July – August / we are flexible – 20 hours a week / possibly more
Qualifications:
Passionate with all aspects of design
Current enrollment in an Interior Design program of study
Excellent communication; both written and verbal
Multi-task in a high-pace environment
Must have initiative to follow through with pending items
Problem solving skills
Meticulously organized, efficient, and detail-oriented
Manage in-house sample department
Run errands as necessary for design projects and Principal Designer including pick-ups/drop-offs; may require moving and lifting
Shopping trims and fabrics at the PDC and other showrooms
Support Interior Design team as needed
Bonus if proficient in Adobe Photoshop
Driver’s License and Car Required if in person
Please email Lucie@22Interiors.com with a portfolio and email that clearly talks about our required qualifications.
Internship with Maternal Health for the State of Illinois
We are working on a Strategic Plan for Maternal Health for the State of Illinois. This summer, we are likely to need help with an environmental scan of the multiple policies affecting many of the areas where we would like to focus the strategic plan. A PAM major interested in women’s health would do a great job.
Virtual or in-person, unpaid
Schedule: Flexible
Qualifications:
Good fit for a PAM Major
Interested in women’s health/maternal health
Contact Dr. Arden Handler at handler@uic.edu with a CV plus a cover letter about your Cornell experiences and your interests/prior experience in women’s/maternal health.
Beyond the academic school year at Cornell University, there are many opportunities that await in the winter, spring, and summer breaks. Whether you want to venture halfway across the world to teach for the summer, engage in a community service project, or stay in another city for a summer internship, Cornell has many opportunities to fund your travels. Check out some of these resources below to learn more!
All Semesters:
Community-Engaged Student Travel Grant Program
(Deadlines: October, February, March)
The Community-Engaged Student Travel Grant Program provides funding to Cornell students participating in service-learning and/or community-based research domestically or internationally. The travel grants are intended to support student travel that enables participation in: faculty-led course-based service activities; team-based learning and research projects; mentored internships; and team-based consulting projects. It is NOT meant to support undergraduate research or conference travel. Awards go up to $1500 for winter and summer breaks, and $750 for spring breaks. Applications for summer travels are usually due in October (Winter), February (Spring), and March (Summer), and students are notified within the month. More information regarding this grant can be found at Engaged Cornell’s website
Human Ecology Alan D. Mathios Research and Service Grant
(Deadlines: October, March)
The Human Ecology Alumni Association (HEAA) awards grants annually to qualifying students in the College. The grants are available for students use in furthering the three objectives of the College: research, teaching, and outreach. The grant program is competitive in nature. Examples of grant applications that might receive rewards include but are not limited to: independent research, academic project, service project, community/extension application of course or research work, travel and/or registration expenses to attend conferences to present student research, and expenses related to summer coursework that are not available at Cornell. Any student who receives HEAA grant funding is required to submit a short formal report and receipts documenting expenses no later than 6 weeks after the conclusion of the project/event. More information can be found Human Ecology’s website.
The OADI Individual Student Funding Program provides funding opportunities for active program participants of OADI programsand general participants. Active program participants may be members of the following OADI Programs: Pre-Professional Programs (P3); OADI’s Opportunity Programs (HEOP/EOP and POSSE), McNair Scholars Program, OADI Research Scholars Program, OADI First-in-Class Mobilizers, and Gates Millennium Scholars Program. More information regarding eligibility and application timeline, please visit the website at OADI’s website .
General funding (within the US):
The OADI General Funding Application provides sponsorship for local research/professional development experiences and graduate preparation opportunities with the United States. Sponsorship covers items such as: Graduate School Exam and Application Fees; Domestic conference expenses (registration, transportation, meals, accommodations, etc.); and costs affiliated with local internships, externships, research experiences, and community-based and service learning opportunities.
Summer:
Student Assembly Summer Experience Grant (SASEG)
Deadline: April
This grant is designed to aid students to complete summer unpaid or minimally paid career-related experiences. The funds are drawn from the Students Helping Students fund and are open to first-years, sophomores, and juniors in all 7 undergraduate colleges. Each college’s career office will be reading their own students’ applications. A maximum of $3,000 could be awarded for eligible students. Prior to applying for this grant, students must have already secured a summer internship. Certain summer experiences, such as fee-based programs (any program that charges a tuition or a fee, including Cornell in Washington, Urban Summer, etc.), personal research projects, and taking summer classes are not covered. Applications open mid-spring semester are are usually due in April. More information regarding the important dates, eligibility, and application process can be found SASEG website.
Robinson-Appel Humanitarian Award
Deadline: April
The Robison-Appel award was established to recognize and honor students who have had significant involvement in community service by providing support for their projects (which must address a community’s social needs or problems). Three projects are selected every year and each receives a $1,500 grant. More information can be found at Robison-Appel website
Human Ecology Summer Research Stipends for Undergraduates
Deadline: February
The College of Human Ecology provides a limited number of $4,000 stipends to CHE undergraduates who will be involved in full-time summer research with a CHE faculty member. Both the student and the faculty member must be in CHE.
Fall:
Community Partnership Funding Board Grants
The Community Partnership Funding Board (CPFB), a student organization, seeks to foster leadership and social responsibility by encouraging students to take action against social problems. The CPFB assists students in developing grassroots community action projects and administers grants from the Community Partnership Fund to make these projects possible. Funding for up to $2500 per project, per year. More information can be found CPFB website.
International :
The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies
The Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies will offer up to $300 to provide organizations for activities that are approved by Cornell’s Office of the Dean of Students. More information regarding how to apply can be found Mario Einaudi Center website .
Asian Studies Undergraduate Travel Grant
Students have the opportunity to spend part of a summer in an Asian country on an Asian Studies Summer Study, Research, and Service Travel Grant that provides funding for travel and living expenses. Applications are due in mid-February and decisions are made before spring break. At the end of summer, recipients must provide documentation of travel and submit a 10-page report summarizing the summer language and cultural experiences. Applicants may be from any college or major, but must have a proposed project that relates to their area of study. Priority will be given to students who have completed 2 years of language work in the relevant language prior to departure, have no prior travel experience in the area of travel, and are Asian Studies majors or minors. Grants are eligible for up to $3,000. More information regarding the grant and the application process can be found Asian Studies website.
OADI Off-Campus Opportunity Fund (International)
OADI is now part of a Cornell streamlined Off-Campus Opportunity fund and is a common application that can be found on Cornell Abroad’s page. The fund consolidates the application and awarding process of four previously distinct grants offered through the following central units: Cornell Abroad, OADI, Engaged Cornell, VPIA & Einaudi. This funding is primarily for short-term programs when financial aid is less available.
Stuck at home over the summer with nothing to do?
Stuck at home with nothing to do over the summer? Don’t let your summer go to waste! Here are a couple suggestions to help you stay productive.
Volunteer with your local community! Lend a hand to someone who needs it! Volunteering is a great way to connect with people in your community and to become more familiar with the causes that matter to you
Learn a new skill! Think: all those things that you wanted to learn throughout the school year but never got to. These skills can serve as topics of discussion during interviews, but more importantly, they are an important part of developing yourself as a person.
For lessons related to software development, design, business, web development and photography, check out lynda.com. Being a full time student at Cornell gives you full access.
Develop your passions! What fills you with energy and makes you smile? Perhaps it’s painting, tree climbing, swimming or ventriloquism… summer is a great time to develop those skills.
Learn a new language! Are there relatives that you’ve always wanted to communicate with more fluently? How about the language of that country that you’ve always wanted to visit? If you haven’t been taking courses at Cornell, and are intimidated by learning a language on your own, checkout language learning softwares/ apps online.
More ideas include: picking up a new sport, a new instrument, learning to skateboard or making your own clothes! The sky’s the limit…
Work at a local business. In addition to equipping you with the skills to sell yourself and the service/products you represent, working in a café or in retail, for example, will help you to hone your communication and customer service skills. Future employers will likely look favorably upon these skills and experiences.
Read a good book! When was the last time that you picked up a book that you couldn’t put down? Grow your imagination, your vocab, your reading and writing skills, and stay updated with the world! Tip: the HECEC blog’s Book of the Month section (linked here) is a wonderful resource for finding great career-related books.
Edit your resume. What have you been up to in the last year that should be included for future employers to see? Do you have a running resume (a running, extended list of all your accomplishments, skills and activities for you to pick and choose from for future resumes)?
Get to know your personal heritage. Who are you? Where do you (and your family) come from, and how has this heritage shaped you and the way that you view/approach the world? Thinking about these things may be helpful for future personal statements or interviews. Remember, however, that the point of these reflections are to be honest with yourself and to understand who you are, not merely to impress your future employer/graduate school.
Get out of your comfort zone, try something new and stretch yourself! Plan a trip with your friends, train for a triathlon, or approach strangers and have deep (respectful/curious) conversations about your/their world-views. Stretching yourself means growth!
Reflect on the past year, how you’ve grown and where you aim to go in the future. What are you thankful for? What do you wish you had done better? What are your goals for the coming year?
Rest! The academic year can be tiring (understatement of the century); relax, breathe, and give your body/mind/soul a break. Rest for what is up ahead! Get excited about the next school year (Or work year, seniors)!
Happy almost-summer!
Service Mindset & Opportunities
With less than a month left, there is no better way to finish the semester strong than to volunteer at local organizations off campus! Volunteering may lead you to a new passion and possibly develop a service mindset.
A service mindset is the thought of giving to others before yourself. With minimal sacrifices on your part such as your time, the community is improving. Volunteering is a great way to develop this mindset because you are treating this as a mutual learning experience. Not only will you be able to help someone, but you will also gain a valuable experience by learning from the people you interact with. Viewing each other as peers/mentors, such conversations may teach you more than you expected.
Behind this service mindset, those in need of service are not labeled as disadvantaged individuals; rather there is no sense of hierarchy because everyone is recognized at the same level. For the volunteer experience to be appealing, preconceptions are cast away in order to build a foundation based on mutual respect for each other. Perhaps, at the end of the day, you will leave a volunteer experience thinking, I have realized something new about life.
This is a nonprofit organization at a Christian ministry that serves free meals and provides a place for those in need, regardless of their background, religion, beliefs, and other circumstances. Visitors come to satisfy their basic needs, as well as for hospitality and companionship. Volunteers often help out through food preparation, cooking, dishwashing, and cleaning up the dining hall.
Greater Ithaca Activities Center (GIAC)
This is a center that provides multicultural, educational, and recreational programs focused on social and individual development of all ages, especially youth and teens. By implementing its own programming and using available resources, GIAC improves the quality of life for youth, families, underrepresented, etc. Volunteers can choose to help out as academic tutors, web designers, cooks, and a variety of other positions. With room to grow and expand upon different positions, being a volunteer here holds endless opportunities.
Tompkins County Public Library (TCPL)
In the integral Ithaca community, this library offers a plethora of services including access to public spaces, language learning, and outreach programs in addition to borrowing resources. Volunteers hold many positions here and can choose to help out as a circulation assistant, shelf-reader, gardener, etc.
Ithaca Health Alliance
Hoping to facilitate access to healthcare for all, this is a volunteer organization that offers free service sessions at the clinic, which include conventional and holistic medical services as well as health insurance counseling. This organization focuses on the needs of uninsured and offers sustainable models of community drive solutions to alleviate the current health crisis. Clinical volunteers assist healthcare providers with simple tasks and may assume receptionist duties such as scheduling appointments during busy times.
Ithaca Children’s Garden
This is a three acre public children’s garden that develops, implements, and evaluates a wide range of educational programs for childrens, teens, etc. A variety of community events are often hosted and volunteers are welcome to table at outreach events, support education programs, garden volunteer afternoons, and help with office support.
Wild Things Sanctuary
If you are interested in working with animals, this sanctuary helps nature wildlife animals prepare for rehabilitation. Orphaned/displaced animals are often rescued until they are ready to be released into the wild again. Volunteers are able to educate the public by placing an emphasis in improving the wellbeing of wildlife. Responsibilities may include transport of animals, outdoor work, help with fundraising and public relations, etc. For eager individuals, tasks may include building outdoor cages for animals and maintaining paths to various outdoor cages.
If you’re ready to get going on an internship, many summer internship applications are already open in the winter.
During the school year, it can be difficult to stay in tune with students’ non-academic needs. Take a break this winter break by engaging in your hobbies!
:
research projects; mentored internships; and team-based consulting projects. It is NOT meant to support undergraduate research or conference travel. Awards go up to $1500 for winter and summer breaks, and $750 for spring breaks. Applications for summer travels are usually due in October (Winter), February (Spring), and March (Summer), and students are notified within the month. More information regarding this grant can be found 
competitive in nature. Examples of grant applications that might receive rewards include but are not limited to: independent research, academic project, service project, community/extension application of course or research work, travel and/or registration expenses to attend conferences to present student research, and expenses related to summer coursework that are not available at Cornell. Any student who receives HEAA grant funding is required to submit a short formal report and receipts documenting expenses no later than 6 weeks after the conclusion of the project/event. More information can be found 
: 
service by providing support for their projects (which must address a community’s social needs or problems). Three projects are selected every year and each receives a $1,500 grant. More information can be found at 
: 
:
documentation of travel and submit a 10-page report summarizing the summer language and cultural experiences. Applicants may be from any college or major, but must have a proposed project that relates to their area of study. Priority will be given to students who have completed 2 years of language work in the relevant language prior to departure, have no prior travel experience in the area of travel, and are Asian Studies majors or minors. Grants are eligible for up to $3,000. More information regarding the grant and the application process can be found