Dwight Hall Summer Interns

Nine Yale students have been designated Dwight Hall Summer Interns for 1997, working at a variety of local social service agencies. Established in 1967, the program is sponsored by Dwight Hall, the center for public service and social justice at Yale College, with support from local nonprofit organizations. Summer Interns are selected based on the strength of their proposals, which address critical issues facing New Haven and provide realistic solutions that will lead to volunteer opportunities for Yale students in the future. Stipends and organizational support are provided.

During the summer, Dwight Hall interns implement their proposals, attend weekly meetings, and write mid-summer and final reports. They also serve as ambassadors for their programs during the following academic year. Stephen Murray, Divinity School, Class of 1998 is director of the Summer Internship Program.

“It is terribly exciting to see Yale students so passionate about creating positive change in the New Haven community,” says Mr. Murray. “None of our interns is native to New Haven, or even New England, yet they have invested themselves with the call to be actively involved in this city. Their projects cover a range of social justice concerns and community service opportunities. This exhibits the classical commitment of Dwight Hall as a center of student activity dedicated to reforming, educating, aiding and mediating – to being a bridge between the New Haven and Yale communities.

“The opportunity our interns share is mutually beneficial to New Haven and to themselves. To New Haven they act as ambassadors of Dwight Hall and Yale, giving their energy and dedication to the institutions in which they work. In return, New Haven offers them a chance to learn new skills, to work and live with those who call this community home,” Mr. Murray notes.

The interns and their projects follow:

Eileen Burke, Class of ‘98, of Golden, Colorado, works with New Haven Enterprise Communities, an association of six neighborhoods that are implementing youth service programs and training child care providers. Ms. Burke is compiling a database identifying the services required for children in these communities. Her undergraduate major is Ethics, Politics, and Economics.

Jimmy Byun, ‘97, of Glen Cove, New York, works with New Haven Land Trust, helping establish a community garden for Columbus House, a resource center for homeless people. He lives at the Cesar Jerez Catholic Worker House on Columbus Avenue, a residence for people working in the community. Mr. Byun majored in biology at Yale.

Jane Chen, ‘98, of Holmdel, New Jersey, works with the Downtown Evening Soup Kitchen, and organized the Homeless Theatre Troupe. At the International Festival of Arts and Ideas, the troupe performed six original skits about homeless life in New Haven at the Art on the Edge. Ms. Chen is pursuing a joint major in American Studies and Theater Studies.

Eunice Cho, ‘00, of Tempe, Arizona, works with Citizens for Connecticut’s Children and Youth, a welfare advocacy program. She is working on the Welfare Reform Watch Project, collecting data on how current welfare policies affect New Haven’s children Ms. Cho is majoring in political science.

Randy Ellis, ‘97, of Illinois, works with Camp 2000, a sports camp for city children held at Yale. A former varsity football player, Mr. Ellis is the football instructor. He majored in psychology.

Sarah Hammond, ‘99, of Oberlin, Ohio, works with Caring Cuisine, a segment of the AIDS Project New Haven that provides meals to people who can no longer cook for themselves. She is creating a database that keeps track of dietary restrictions and other information on agency clients. At Yale, Ms. Hammond is a religious studies major.

Sara Marcus, ‘99, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, works as a union organizer for the Federation of University Employees. She is majoring in political science at Yale.

Jennifer McTiernan, ‘99, of Sayreville, New Jersey, works with New Haven Ecology Center’s West Rock Environmental Center in setting up curriculum, course outlines, and extracurricular programs for the Common Ground Charter School, scheduled to open in September. She is an American Studies major.

Shayna Silverstein, ‘00, of Spokane, Washington, works with Yale Hunger and Homelessness Action Project, establishing new food pantries and soup kitchens within New Haven’s churches. She is also researching homeless-assistance programs outside New Haven. She is majoring in history at Yale.