Williams Alumni Sponsored Internships Help Students Learn, Grow in U.S. and Abroad

12:00AM / Friday, January 05, 2007Print Story | Email Story

Just before leaving to begin last summer's internship at Glacier National Park in Montana, Williams College student Matt Wibbenmeyer '07 received an email from one of the park rangers with whom he would be working with for the next few months. Wibbenmeyer was touched by both the warmth and enthusiasm of the note, which spoke of the ranger's own experience as an intern just a few years earlier. "The naturalist correctly forecasted the love for Glacier that working as a park interpreter has caused in me," Wibbenmeyer wrote in his evaluation of the summer. "Whether or not I come back to Glacier National Park to work sometime in the future, I will remember and value the growth I have achieved here." Wibbenmeyer was one of 123 Williams students who participated last summer in Williams College Alumni Sponsored Internships across the country and around the globe. In fields as diverse as art and politics, health and economics, students spent eight weeks gaining first-hand experience in a selected project or career. The program is made possible annually by a number of generous grants that support the students' experiences with up to $3,200 of funding. Uzaib Saya '08 spent his summer at the Aga Khan University Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. Changing responsibilities almost weekly allowed Saya to shadow doctors as they responded to different health issues in the rural village of Rehri Goth. Saya also worked closely with organizations dealing with problems of prenatal care, family planning, and substance abuse. "Overall, the experience at the clinic at Rehri Goth was unbelievable because of its uniqueness and my opportunity to be closely involved with doctors and public health specialists and researchers," Saya said. Christina Perron '07, found her internship at Boston's United South End Settlements "challenging, frustrating, but ultimately extremely rewarding." The organization mentors adolescent girls in challenging life circumstances. Perron provided skill-building opportunities in the arts while also helping a homeless teen in her transition to independent living. She said that the program, in general, and the communication skills she learned, in particular, was a great skill-building opportunity for her, too. Last summer offered Nontombi Kraai '09 a chance to work in HIV/AIDS education at YMCA Botswana. Kraai learned the importance of grass-roots non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in dealing with HIV/AIDS, especially in the counseling of teen mothers and in helping youths struggling with the virus. Brenda Perry '07 divided her summer into two different education-related internships, one shadowing an elementary school principal and the other working with children in a special needs summer school program. Her time with the principal confirmed her career. "This is it!" she wrote. "I experienced so much of the profession that I now know it is right for me. This internship was priceless," Perry said. The Alumni Sponsored Internships' goal is to provide funding for Williams students to experience an educational and personally-fulfilling challenge by working with professionals in a variety of fields.

iBerkshires.com Text Ads

RIBCO Supply

Check out our great lineup of Boss Plows, and spreaders. 2 Locations Clarksburg & Pittsfield!

ribcosupply.com

rk MILES Blding Materials

Are You Ready to Update Your Home? Start With rk MILES. 4 Locations (800)670-7433

www.rkmiles.com

If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.

Williamstown Looking at How to Enforce Smoking Ban for Apartments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
05:24AM / Friday, January 09, 2026

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Board of Health and town health inspector are consulting with town counsel on how best to enforce a ban on smoking in apartment buildings passed by town meeting in May.

Although the meeting overwhelmingly approved the new bylaw, the Attorney General's Office in Boston took until December to rule that the restriction, believed to be the first of its kind in Massachusetts, complied with state law and precedent.

On Tuesday, Health Inspector Ruth Russell told the board at its monthly meeting that the town's lawyer told her to work on an enforcement policy.

She indicated that counsel said some things need to be clarified in the smoking ban.

"Their understanding was the bylaw was very clear when it came to enforcement of common areas but very unclear when it came to non-common areas [i.e., residents apartment units]," Russell said.

"That would be the issue. If we got complaints about smoking in someone's own unit, town counsel had concerns about how it would go forward. … Could we even get a warrant to inspect, and how do we go down that road."

Russell said she would investigate as soon as practical after a complaint is lodged, but given the ephemeral nature of smoke from cigarettes and discharges from vaping products, it would be difficult to prove violations of the ordinance.

View Full Story