School may have been out of session this summer, but Batesies kept busy with a variety of research efforts and internships.
Students worked in various capacities at companies and organizations around the world this summer. 126 students completed internships with support from Bates’ Center for Purposeful Work. Several students found themselves in New York City for the season, doing everything from shadowing bridal consultants to learning about private markets to researching climate change effects in the Mediterranean bioregion.
In addition to our Purposeful Work interns, many other students filled their time between semesters with fascinating work and research. Below, get to know 11 students and learn about their summer gigs:
Angelina Amastal ’27
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Internship: Legal assistant with Gorayeb and Associates, a personal injury law firm where Jay Gorayeb ’20 is an attorney and Nolan Burgos ’15 is a paralegal, through the Center for Purposeful Work
Location: New York City
Academic path: Politics and philosophy double major
What made the summer memorable: “Working directly with injured workers, many of whom were immigrants or spoke little English, showed me how law can be a tool for empowerment.”
An interesting internship fact: Amastal conducted interviews with clients in both English and Spanish, along with fellow intern Elizabeth Gallegos Rodriguez ’26.
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: “This experience deepened my understanding of how legal systems affect real lives. It connected closely with my coursework in politics and law and society, and it allowed me to realize that law is something that I want to continue to study moving forward.”
What purposeful work means to me: “Purposeful work, for me, now means advocating for people who often feel voiceless in the legal system.”
Isaiah Brown ’27
Hometown: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Internship: Intern at Resilient Cities Catalyst, through the Center for Purposeful Work
Location: New York City
Academic path: Politics major, math minor
What made the summer memorable: After an end-of-summer presentation in front of RCC staff, “I was greeted with a positive response and appreciation for my work. That recognition strengthened my motivation to keep pursuing work that matters.”
An interesting internship fact: Though he was based in New York City, Brown’s summer work stretched across the globe; he worked on resilience plans for communities in the California and Mediterranean bioregions.
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: “I found a lot of similarities throughout this internship with my academic interests. Going forward, I believe this experience will help inform my studies in order to position myself best for my professional pursuits.”
What purposeful work means to me: “I believe purpose can be found in any area. However, for me, I find purposeful work to be working with social issues or climate issues and improving lives. RCC’s work does just that — creating more resilient cities is highly purposeful work.”
Joy Huang ’27
Hometown: Great Neck, N.Y.
Internship: Intern at Inner Child, a home decor company where Michelle Pham ’15 is founder and designer, through the Center for Purposeful Work
Location: New York City
Academic path: Economics major, minors in digital and computational studies, Asian studies, and math
What made the summer memorable: Her first week on the job, Huang traveled to represent Inner Child at a market in upstate New York. “Talking to customers, explaining the story behind our products, handling transactions even though the wifi was really, really spotty — it was all new to me, but I quickly found my rhythm. That experience taught me that sometimes the best way to grow is to show up, even when you don’t feel 100 percent ready.”
An interesting internship fact: “I really appreciated how Inner Child’s brand draws inspiration from cross-cultural and artisanal traditions, which made me think more deeply about how cultural storytelling influences branding and consumer connections.”
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: “This summer experience has provided me with a richer appreciation for how my academic interests can complement each other in meaningful, interdisciplinary ways — exactly the kind of integrative thinking that the Bates education encourages.”
What purposeful work means to me: “I find purpose in work that blends creativity, technology, and business together.”
Hannah Kothari ’26
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Internship: Communications intern at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works
Location: Bath, Maine
Academic path: Politics and religious studies double major
What made the summer memorable: Kothari was part of a team that escorted Janet Wilson Taylor, daughter of the late General Louis H. Wilson Jr., during her visit to see the construction of a new naval ship named in her father’s honor. “Witnessing Taylor’s reaction to a ship bearing her late father’s name was a powerful and emotional experience. I had the opportunity to photograph her as she stepped aboard and touched the ship for the first time.”
An interesting internship fact: Kothari helped with event planning, content creation, press releases, and more during her time at BIW, a shipyard that specializes in creating ships for the U.S. Navy.
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: “This summer has been the perfect balance of creating content/media and engaging in civilian service, and it has furthered my love for and interest in communications.”
What purposeful work means to me: “The people who serve our nation are sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, parents, friends, and more. This aspect of my internship — recognizing those who serve and the legacies of those who have served — is a powerful reminder of the human element in our work. We don’t just build ships; we build homes for sailors that honor those that came before them.”
Sebenele Lukhele ’26
Hometown: Manzini, Eswatini
Internship: Research intern (INBRE SURF Fellow) at MDI Biological Laboratory
Location: Bar Harbor, Maine
Academic path: Biochemistry major
What made the summer memorable: When conducting research, Lukhele explained, “you might spend a good amount of time only to find out the hypothesis you had was unable to be accepted. For me, this research’s most memorable moment was when we found something that was actually of interest to us.”
An interesting internship fact: Lukhele spent the summer investigating the pluripotency of stem cells — their ability to divide and differentiate into any cell type — in small worms called C. elegans. “This research really applies to our daily lives because insight on this promises the potential to solve a lot of real world issues — for example, serious situations like people lacking organ donors. If we understand how stem cells can be able to divide into any cell, we can even make our own organs to give to those people who need the donors.”
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: Lukhele’s internship “made me more open-minded, which is a skill that I think is very necessary to bring back to Bates. Most of the classes involve collaboration and working with people of diverse cultures and abilities, which is something that is very important to have as a researcher.”
What purposeful work means to me: Thanks in part to his internship, Lukhele hopes to work in public health, with the goal of making healthcare systems more equitable and accessible. “I’m a person who loves biological sciences, and to me, something that’s purposeful work is applying those biological sciences into changing the lives of people in need.”
Jahmir Primer ’26
Hometown: West Hempstead, N.Y.
Internship: Summer program aide at Harlem Children’s Zone, through the Center for Purposeful Work
Location: New York City
Academic path: History major
What made the summer memorable: “Although I faced some challenges on a day-to-day basis, the scholars I had the opportunity to work with made it all worth it. Giving back to the future creators of the world is such rewarding work, and I would not trade it for a thing.”
An interesting internship fact: Harlem Children’s Zone’s goal is to break intergenerational poverty cycles by creating programming and opportunities for families, children, and communities in Harlem.
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: After previously “subbing at my high school in New York and working within the Lewiston school systems, the internship this summer sealed the deal that I would like to for sure be a teacher.”
What purposeful work means to me: For Primer, teaching middle school students problem-solving tools and then seeing them put “these skills into action a day or two after was very rewarding. This informed me that working with youth is where I need to be.”
Elizabeth Gallegos Rodriguez ’26
Hometown: Denver, Colo.
Internship: Legal assistant with Gorayeb and Associates, a personal injury law firm where Jay Gorayeb ’20 is an attorney and Nolan Burgos ’15 is a paralegal, through the Center for Purposeful Work
Location: New York City
Academic path: Sociology major, education studies minor
What made the summer memorable: “One of the most impactful moments was having the opportunity to accompany Jay Gorayeb ’20 to a pre-trial meeting and taking time to prepare.”
An interesting internship fact: “Jay did a fantastic job ensuring our summer was filled with amazing learning opportunities that truly heightened our understanding of the law. Nolan Burgos quickly became a mentor in the office and someone who was always willing to answer a question or help us strategize solutions.”
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: Gallegos Rodriguez grew to understand “the importance of each step in the process” while preparing a legal case, no matter how minute a detail may seem. She and fellow intern Angelina Amastal ’27 spent the majority of their time “marking medical records, a task that I initially found challenging due to the meticulous nature of reading hundreds of pages filled with notes.”
What purposeful work means to me: “Having the opportunity to not only shadow attorneys, but also directly assist in the legal process enabled a clearer understanding of how law can be utilized to uplift individuals, which to me is the ultimate form of purposeful work.”
Sam Scola ’26
Hometown: San Mateo, Calif.
Internship: Summer analyst at Nasdaq Private Market, through the Center for Purposeful Work
Location: New York City
Academic path: Double major in economics and biochemistry
What made the summer memorable: Scola helped NPM develop a plan to launch a new private market fund, which required him to quickly familiarize himself with the ins and outs of private market mechanics. “One of the most challenging and rewarding parts of this summer was being given ownership over a project that was still in its earliest conceptual stages.”
An interesting internship fact: Scola’s summer with NPM “gave me exposure to how private markets operate and how capital actually reaches growing companies. I was able to sit in on conversations with venture capital firms and hear about their investment strategies, including how they think about entry points, liquidity, and value creation.”
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: “Working through problems helped me become more resourceful, confident, and comfortable with ambiguity. I came away from the experience with a much stronger ability to think independently and drive a project forward without needing a step-by-step playbook.”
What purposeful work means to me: Scola plans to use his dual interests in economics and biochemistry to support investment in early-stage biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. “I’m drawn to work that creates value for others, and helping to grow life-saving technologies by leveraging both of my skillsets feels like a meaningful way to do that.”
Karsten Stiner ’26
Hometown: Wasilla, Alaska
Internship: Gather to Grow summer fellow, through the Harward Center for Community Partnerships
Location: Lewiston, Maine
Academic path: Chemistry major, physics and mathematics minor
What made the summer memorable: “I had really wonderful interactions with the community. People would occasionally spark up a conversation with me, usually about cooking, but I really enjoyed connecting more with the Lewiston community. Hearing about their days, their ideas for recipes, or just some small talk really reminded me of what a wonderful community we are surrounded by at Bates.”
An interesting internship fact: During his internship facilitated by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships, Stiner assisted with Gather to Grow’s youth programs, gardening and cooking efforts, and food pantry.
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: “Though I am not a biochemist, getting involved in the gardens really made me more interested in aspects of environmental chemistry and how it can impact the plants and animals around us.”
What purposeful work means to me: “I really enjoy cooking, though I am usually more of a baker. Getting to cook more in the kitchen, often improvising recipes, was enjoyable. It was very fulfilling to know that I was helping others while doing something I genuinely enjoyed.”
Paloma Rodriguez Thorne ’26
Hometown: Lima, Peru
Internship: Research assistant in Assistant Professor of Physics Ryan Cole’s Bates Laser Sensing and Spectroscopy Lab
Location: Lewiston, Maine
Academic path: Physics major
What made the summer memorable: “Our instrument needed to be incredibly precise, able to measure changes in the wavelength of light at or below one part per billion. Even small things like the temperature in the room or how cloudy the sky was could impact our measurements. It became a process of trial and error, adjusting our laser and other components, waiting for the right conditions, and testing again and again.”
An interesting internship fact: Rodriguez Thorne was building an instrument to precisely measure the spectrum of sunlight, work that could one day improve our ability to detect and study exoplanets
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: “This summer taught me that progress doesn’t happen all at once; it’s about small improvements and being persistent when things get complicated.”
What purposeful work means to me: “It was great to gain more hands-on experience in optics and laser spectroscopy, and learn how physics research can be applied to other areas such as astronomy and earth and climate sciences. It helped me see how what I study in classes and labs can contribute to help address larger questions and challenges in the world.”
Raegan White ’26
Hometown: Duxbury, Mass.
Internship: Bridal stylist assistant at Kleinfeld Bridal, through the Center for Purposeful Work
Location: New York City
Academic path: Rhetoric, film, and screen studies major
What made the summer memorable: “One challenge I’ve encountered involved helping a bride who had a very limited budget, was getting married within just a few months, and was also pregnant. We maintained honest communication and prioritized her comfort and vision. In the end, she left with a dress she felt confident and beautiful in.”
An interesting internship fact: “No bride is the same, and every appointment is a unique experience. At Kleinfeld, we meet brides from all walks of life. Many come in with insecurities or anxiety, and it’s our responsibility to create a welcoming space where they feel completely comfortable.” Read more about White’s internship in our Exposure documenting her experience.
What I’ll bring back to Bates with me: “Rhetoric — the art of effective communication — is a skill I’ve come to appreciate on a much deeper level through my work at Kleinfeld. While I’ve studied rhetorical techniques in the classroom, this internship has shown me how essential they are in the real-world.”
What purposeful work means to me: “This work is purposeful because a wedding is one of the most important days in a person’s life. The dress a bride chooses is often tied to her identity, her values, and how she wants to feel in that moment. Helping her feel seen, understood, and celebrated isn’t just retail — it’s emotional, human work.”
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