Cornell Fellows apply the liberal arts to the world. The Fellows Program offers a limited number of students the extraordinary opportunity to do a high-level internship funded by the college for one or two blocks during the academic year or over the summer. This summer, 16 Cornellians are doing fellowships in Washington, DC, Houston, Salt Lake City, Minneapolis, Cedar Rapids, Riverside, Ames, and Phoenix. Here is a glimpse of what some of the Fellows, in their own words, have accomplished.
Read about:
VERONICA CZASTKIEWICZ ’08
Riesen Fellow in Public Affairs
Goldwater Institute, Phoenix, Arizona
 On an exciting day at the Goldwater Institute, I accomplished and witnessed a lot!
The morning entailed an early start as I got ready to head to Channel 12's recording studio to watch Darcy Olsen, President & CEO of the Goldwater Institute, do a recording of the channel's weekly political show "Sunday Square Off." In the preceding days, I had pulled together research to better prepare her for the interviews and discussions. She debated the state budget and fiscal policy, along with a state legislator and a newspaper columnist. The show aired the following Sunday.
Next, we trekked back to the Goldwater Institute, where I was a part of the Communications weekly team meeting with the Communications Director, Starlee Rhoades (I work closely with both Darcy and Starlee). Over lunch, I met with the Chairman of the Board (Tom Patterson) to do a bit of networking and hear stories from his legislative tenure and run for governor. The afternoon was spent designing communications packets geared towards Arizona Chambers of Commerce and GOP clubs which were to include information on the Goldwater Institute and how our staff is happy to speak at any organization events.
When the day came to a close, I, a satisfied conservative, hopped into the car along with two other interns (I carpool, of course - it's good for the environment) and drove home happily.
My time at the Goldwater Institute has been incredibly fulfilling and satisfying. So much so, that I am considering think-tankery as a real career path. Also, we are exploring for ways for me to come back during the winter, when I have a break between Cornell and my time studying abroad in Poland. It's been a great run!
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ANDREW QUIST ’09
Cornell Fellow in Representative Government
Office of Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA), Washington, DC
 On the Friday of our recess for the 4th of July, there wasn't much work to be done. It seems that all of DC takes off that week, and Congress is by no means an exception. I did give a tour in the morning, and the couple I was giving the tour to have a relative who graduated from Cornell, so it was nice to have that connection. They had been to the Capitol before, but they did a self guided tour, and all of my stories were new to them. They enjoyed their tour, and of course I made sure they knew where they were going afterward.
Since the day was so slow Eric (legislative staff) decided that we would leave a little early, which was nice. After work I joined a few co-workers for a quick bite to eat. In that half hour I easily learned more than I had learned through the rest of my internship. I learned everything I would ever want to know about DC culture. More importantly, however, I learned what it takes to get a job on the Hill. That information is the most important thing I will take out of this experience, because with that I can shape my plans for the coming years.
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CHRIS NDJUNGU ’08
Curtis L. Carlson Fellow in Applied Economics
Radisson Hotel Downtown Salt Lake City, Salt Lake City, Utah
 During the seven-day period that constituted my second week in the fellowship, I was assigned to the High Rock Restaurant as part of my three-week rotation in the Food & Beverage department. I started by shadowing the manager to gain knowledge of managerial duties. As a manager of the restaurant, one is in charge of maximizing profits for the restaurant by minimizing expenses and maximizing revenues. The manager places orders for capital necessary for the restaurant and so on. Unlike the regular restaurant manager however, a hotel’s restaurant manager, must always be in touch with the Sales, Front Office, and Accounting departments. A lot of the business in the restaurant comes from the hotel, and most hotel guests will have their meals billed to their room, so communication between the Front Office and the Restaurant is very important. Those are the manager’s duties in a very broad sense.
During my time in the restaurant, I also worked as a host, greeting and seating people following a specific seating chart to allow a good flow on the floor for the servers. I was also supposed to shadow a server for about an hour or so to get a feeling of what it’s like on the floor, but with Rotary International in town, we had over 30 Francophiles eating with us everyday. Since most of them spoke no English and our servers do not speak any French, I waited on those guests every time they came in to eat. Even if I was already off, when they came in, I was summoned back to work. It felt very good to know that the ability to speak more than one language can help bridge gaps. In fact, the week was so busy that even the director of operations was on the floor at some point waiting on tables. I am definitely glad I am getting the opportunity to learn about all positions within the hotel. This way, I am sure that should a similar situation present itself in the future, I too will be able to assist just as did the director of operations.
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HEATHER FRANSEN ’09
Cornell Fellow in Representative Government
Office of Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Washington, DC
 My day in the office begins as any other normal job would; I wait in line to get through security to enter my office in the Hart Senate office building. The morning consists of a normal coffee run, checking the Senate schedule, and getting ready for the morning tour. I get name tags and Senate passes ready for the security check for constituents. My main job in Senator Grassley’s office involves giving tours of the Capitol. Twice a day, the Senator’s office offers tours of the Capitol given by his staff to constituents vacationing in D.C. The morning tour starts at 10:30 a.m. with me giving a brief overview of what one cannot take into the Capitol: no food, liquids, lotions, guns, knifes, or ninja throwing stars. I then lead about 10 to 20 people through the tunnels in the Senate buildings to the Capitol.
After my morning tour, I come back to the office to find a pile of invitations for the Senator. My job is to call back these organizations that have offered invitations and give them the Senator’s response. This job usually takes me up until lunch time. After my lunch, I usually walk around the office asking staff if they have anything they would like me to do. Most of the time I would get something to fax for them or a note to run to another office, but sometimes I would get cool, fun projects. One time I was given a project for the Drug Caucus, a committee that Senator Grassley co-chairs.
I also had the pleasure of listening to Senator Grassley’s voicemail and taking down messages. While he doesn’t listen to the messages personally, he does look over all the messages we take down for him in paper form to get an idea of what constituents in Iowa want from him. These tasks would take me up to my second tour of the Capitol in a day. After my second tour was given, I would go up to the mail office in the Senator’s office. There I would receive stacks of comments from constituents who did not leave a return address for comment from the Senator. Unlike most senators, Senator Grassley answers every comment from Iowa constituents if we have a return address for them. I would take these stacks of comments and go through our constituent database and the trusty White Pages to find these addresses. Going through addresses takes me to the end of the work day. I would then pack up my things, grab my lunch bag, and take my hour journey through the Metro and D.C. buses to my home in Georgetown, only to do it again the very next day.
Overall, participating in a fellowship over the summer has been very beneficial to both my professional and academic plans. It has given me insight into a field where now, I know, I want to spend a significant amount of my life in. Also, having first hand experience of representative government and the legislative process was extremely interesting and something that I never could have achieved in the classroom.
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NATE OLAFSEN ’08
Dimensions Fellow in Bioscience
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas
 A person making a career in lab work is no stranger to long days with too much to get done and short days where it can be difficult to find something to do. I experienced both types of days while at Baylor, however, my most interesting day was anything but slow-paced. Knowing I had much to accomplish, I arrived at work forty-five minutes early in hopes of being able to still go to the Houston Astros game as my friend and I had planned. The final part of my research consisted of run PCR plates to look at the RNA of certain genes. This process can be very taxing mentally and physically because each plate can take about an hour of pipetting and then nearly two hours of running the plate in the machine. I had three of these plates to look forward to today. Everything was going smoothly, but then my eyes and hands began to tire. I was thinking “great, I have three plates to do and I’m getting tired on the first one.”
I got through each plate and had three half-hour breaks. Rather than surfing the internet, I still had work to do. I worked on adding animations to my presentation and editing my medical school application. Then I would go back to another plate. Another short break; another plate. Somewhere in there was lunch, but I don’t remember when. In the end, the results turned out great and my lab work for the summer was finished. After meeting up with my friend, we rode the light-rail downtown and walked to the stadium. With a long day’s work out of the way, it was great to sit back and enjoy one of my favorite sports. Thankfully the players rewarded us with three homeruns, two of which could be some of the longest I’ve ever seen in person. After getting back on the light-rail and then to my house, I collapsed knowing I had accomplished a lot and only had a bit left to do before I was done at Baylor.
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AUDREY SAUNDERS ’09
Anderson Fellow in Public Affairs
National Association of Chain Drug Stores, Washington, D.C.
 Chris, my fellowship mentor, is the senior vice president of media and communications. In the last week I put together a memo that went out to the entire association about the language changes I have been put in charge of. There is a problem with the language that the policy council and our lobbyists use when discussing the ramifications of public policy with congressional staffers. We talk about the consequences such as loss of jobs, decrease in patient care, drastic losses in profits, and store closures. These are all true and possible outcomes of the policies. The problem comes from the companies we represent; when the lobbyist or the policy council discusses these problems, it devalues the member company's stock.
My job is to rework the language so that stock values are less affected and that NACDS can still lobby effectively. My job for was to put together a 1 to 2 page memo that goes out to the entire association and its member companies explaining the problem and laying out a plan of how I am going to fix it. I created six versions of the text, each with a slightly different focus or purpose. I have begun contacting stock analysts to come in and meet with me about the ramifications of the language I am writing. The last few days I have also been writing press releases. In addition, I attend staff meetings and proof read any document one of the executives wants to send out. I am really enjoying having constructive work to do. I am improving my writing skills and I feel that the press releases in particular will be a valuable skill to have in the future.
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KATIE FRANK ’08
Riesen Fellow in Applied Economics and Business
UBS, Minneapolis, MN
I am working closely with the regional lending consultant and so I have attended his meetings with financial advisors as well as office meetings and educational events. I have also attended and helped prepare a presentation on Securities Backed Lending for a branch office in Rochester. I recently helped the regional lending consultant develop a 6 month marketing plan for a branch office in Minneapolis to help advisors become more familiar with the lending products UBS offers as well as make them more comfortable with the application process.
One of the most interesting days I had was when I went to an all day conference that UBS put on for their financial advisors about their structured products. Having no idea what 'structured products' meant or what kinds of investment options that UBS offers, I learned a lot in the 6 hours that I spent there. More importantly though, I got to meet and talk to many financial advisors and I was able to participate in the round table discussions and case studies. This experience helped me to better understand the financial industry and the demands of this type of job.
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