UC San Diego Academic Interns
Learn the Ropes, Reap Awards

June 11, 2008

By Jan Jennings

Six academic interns at UC San Diego – ranging in disciplines from politics to medicine and from museum studies to real estate – were recognized for their outstanding performances during the 2007-2008 academic year at a ceremony and reception May 21 in the San Francisco/Santa Barbara Room at the Price Center.

Brian Walsh, left, student intern’s supervisor from Walsh and Chacon Commercial Real Estate, with Nika Rastakhiz, Intern of the Year for Sixth College, and Academic Internship Program faculty director  Steven Adler.

Steven Adler, the Academic Internship Program (AIP) faculty director and Earl Warren College Provost, and AIP staff director Elise Tiregol-Pala, presented recipients with commemorative medals, professional portfolios and commented on each student’s accomplishments.

“Our six interns of the year, selected from among hundreds of potential candidates, have demonstrated both extraordinary aptitude for growth and learning in the workplace as well as the ability to produce a notable final paper or project,” Adler says. “These students are truly deserving of campus-wide recognition for their impressive accomplishments.”

The students, their college, the organizations at which they interned, and their faculty advisors are as follows:

Ariel Peterson – Thurgood Marshall College, Freedom is Not Free, associate professor Martha Lampland, advisor.

Cecilia Yang – John Muir College, Moores UC San Diego Cancer Center, Dr. Georgia Sadler, advisor.

Amy Smith – Roger Revelle College, San Diego Office of Senator Barbara Boxer, professor Samuel Popkin, advisor.

Natacha Tullier – Eleanor Roosevelt College, San Diego Museum of Man, lecturer Michele Goldwasser, advisor.

Nika Rastakhiz – Sixth College, Walsh & Chacon Commercial Real Estate, lecturer Mirle Rabinowitz-Bussell, advisor.

Robert Rishwain – Earl Warren College, Kearny Mesa Veterinary Center, professor William Kristan, advisor.

Student Interns of the Year, from left, Natacha Tullier, ERC; Cecilia Yang, Muir; Nika Rastakhiz, Sixth; Robert Rishwain, Warren; Ariel Peterson, TMC, and Amy Smith, Revelle,

“By the sheer nature of the course offered through the AIP, the majority of our students are quite outstanding,” says Tiregol-Pala. “However, among those participating we find that there are students who display an exceptionally wonderful quality; whether it be their initiative, aptitude, personal growth, or talent.”

To be selected as interns of the year, the students were first chosen as interns of the quarter. Interns of the quarter selection is based on overall performance throughout the internship, as assessed by internship supervisors; the personal/academic/career development of each student, as observed by staff and self-reported by students, and the caliber of their final research projects and papers, as evaluated by the students’ faculty advisors.

The interns of the quarter were then asked to write essays on the topic: What have you gained on a personal, career and academic level as a result of your internship experience? The nomination packets were reviewed by the college provosts, each of whom selected the most distinguished student intern among those nominated from his/her college as the college’s intern of the year.

“Participating in an academic internship is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had over the course of my studies and involvement at the university,” says intern Tullier. “It especially helped me realize my personal strengths, as well as weaknesses in a professional and highly interactive environment.”

Intern Rastakhiz says, “Prior to my experience with the Academic Internship Program, I was unsure, anxious, and basically frightened of my future career goals and plans … my most valuable gain through this internship was the confidence I gained through experience with this field, which has carried over to my personal life as well.”

And intern Rishwain adds, “Having completed this internship, I feel as if a new world has opened up to me. To discover a career that combines my love of animals with my interest in science is a perfect fit.”

Media Contact: Jan Jennings, 858-822-1684