The Center for Community and Global Health offers funding for health and humanities internships with Portland-area partners. Whether over the summer or during the school year, L&C students benefit from paid internships that turn career exploration into action.
Experiential Learning
December 13, 2024
The Center for Community and Global Health connects students with paid health and humanities internships in Portland, building experiential learning connections to the city we call home.
This past summer, six Lewis & Clark students worked at the intersection of health and the humanities through funded internships with Portland-area organizations. After locating internships with community partners, each student applied for and received Health + Humanities Internship funding through the Center for Community and Global Health and a grant from the Mellon Foundation. Along with guidance from the center’s staff, students gained valuable career skills while building connections in their fields of interest. We caught up with four of them.
Mack Mae BA ’25
Major:Psychology Internship Organization: Project Koru (PK), a nonprofit that supports young adult cancer survivors.
Any surprises?
I was surprised at how much trust PK put in me and my work! It really felt like I was making a valuable contribution to their success, and they trusted my ability to apply my skills to what they needed done. It was an excellent professional experience with an excellent team, and I received really useful feedback that I can add to my future toolbox.
Outcomes in growth and understanding
I’ve never had any professional experiences in my field (psychology) before, and it was amazing to see my work being directly utilized by the organization. So much of my worry about entering the psych field after graduation stems from not being able to witness the impact I’m making—but with PK, I did. I also have a deeper understanding of what applied psych work looks like when it’s not something like research or counseling, and it’s great to know that my career options are wider than anticipated!
Advice to other L&C students
Have faith in your talents! At first, I was nervous that my abilities wouldn’t measure up to what PK wanted me to do, but I just had to trust that I was capable and could figure out whatever I needed to. Just know that you’re a problem solver and a learner, and you can ALWAYS ask for support when you need it.
Maya Halpern BA ’25
Major:Sociology and Anthropology Internship Organization: Northwest Narrative Medicine Collaborative (NWNMC), a diverse group of professionals, physicians, instructors, writers, artists, caregivers, and patients who explore narrative as it pertains to health, illness, and caretaking
Connections with other roles and academic work
As a sociology and anthropology major with a focus in health studies, this internship directly aligned with my academic interests. Taking medical anthropology and social theory classes has taught me the necessity in health care relationships built on reciprocal trust. NWNMC similarly seeks to foster these kinds of relationships by bringing storytelling, listening skills, and art into practice. Attending narrative scribe training with NWNMC through my Public Health class originally inspired me to pursue this internship. I’m very grateful that I had the opportunity to participate in this meaningful experience.
Outcomes in growth and understanding
This organization sits at the center of the connection between health and humanities. In short, NWNMC brings humanity into health care settings and relationships. Through this internship, I have gained a clearer insight into the importance of the collaborative; this work is not only intended for patients and practitioners, but also caregivers, artists, and anyone touched by stories of illness and healing.
Future plans
This experience has inspired me to be further involved with narrative medicine work in a hands-on way in the future. I am interested in exploring public health after college but hope to bring the valuable humanity, arts, and collaboration into whatever work I do.
Kate Milne BA ’24
Major:Sociology and Anthropology Internship Organization: Rose Haven, a day shelter and community center serving women, children, and gender nonconforming folks experiencing the trauma of abuse, loss of home, and other disruptive life challenges
Any surprises?
I was pleasantly surprised by the number of individuals at Rose Haven I got to know during the course of my internship. My main assignment was to write a blog post for the website, and I figured that would be a pretty solitary task. But over the course of writing it, I talked to many different staff members, guests, and volunteers about the organization, and those conversations shaped the final product.
Outcomes in growth and understanding
I think about health more holistically now. While there are services provided at Rose Haven that are directly linked to health (like good quality food and the medical services desk), the importance of clean clothes, showers, and mental health are now much more obvious to me, and Rose Haven offers all of those.
Advice to other L&C students
Use the experience as a networking opportunity! Ask lots of questions and show enthusiasm.
Corryn Pettingill BA ’24
Major:English (Creative Writing) Internship Organization: Unsolicited Press, a womxn–owned, all–volunteer small publisher that focuses on the works of the unsung and underrepresented.
Nature of the work
I familiarized myself with the staff and current authors, attended virtual meetings, read and edited manuscripts, checked in with authors, and created action plans for authors.
Any surprises?
I was most surprised by the openness of the authors and how willing they were to work with an intern, including accepting my questions and suggestions. I hadn’t thought that they would value my opinion as much as a weathered editor, but they took all my suggestions to heart!
Outcomes in growth and understanding
This experience was a lot different from simply reading already-published nonfiction stories since I was involved with the editing process and actively talking to the authors about their experiences. Rather than changing “plotlines,” I talked a lot about the messages and how to properly portray them. I was surprised by how moved I was by the stories, and I am glad I was able to discover this position.
For more information on Health + Humanities Internship funding, consult this webpage. Applications for spring 2025 are open through January 31, 2025.
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