They help the children with their daily routines, tutor them in English and assist with case management. For Heather MacFarlane of Mountain View, the tasks at the Sacramento Zoo are not complicated. In exchange, she gets to be around the animals she loves, learn about their behavior and ask zookeepers all the questions that an aspiring zoo veterinarian has. A vet can't just go up to a zoo animal and treat it like a cat or dog. Staff up keeps internship network Al Harrison, professor of psychology and director of the Internship and Career Center, says a professional staff of 16 work the telephones, make personal visits and do a lot of networking to develop and maintain the diversity of internships for all majors.
Students are also able to propose and develop their own internships.
Internships range from four to 40 hours a week and are 10 weeks to 12 months in length. Many interns, like MacFarlane, are unpaid volunteers. In fact, Harrison says about 80 percent of the internships meet a state definition of community service, including internships involving health education, counseling and other work with nonprofit organizations. Students may have internships noted on their academic transcript and sometimes earn up to 12 academic units toward graduation. Some, like Chris Balaon of Benicia, end up with employment, too.