How does Mount Holyoke Collegeprepare students for lifelong success?

The Lynk reflects Mount

Holyoke’s deep and abiding

commitment to preparing the

next generation of women

leaders for life, professions,

and service.

—Lynn Pasquerella, president

The Lynk connects each Mount Holyoke student’s academic work with practical applications of the liberal arts and sciences.

It draws upon many of the resources that Mount Holyoke regards as essential components of a liberal arts education in the twenty-first century while also offering new curriculum-to-career opportunities. Each student’s Lynk experience is unique, reflecting her values and aspirations.

The Lynk prepares students to face the future with confidence.

Above: Alizeh Zaman ’16 and Subira Popenoe ’16 networked at the 2014 Asian Alumnae Symposium in Hong Kong.

The Lynk

How Lynk works.This summer, Aderike Ajao ’16—a double major in economics and politics—will spend ten weeks in sales and trading as an intern at Barclays in New York.

In October, she was part of a group of MHC students who traveled to New York for networking with alumnae at both Barclays and Goldman Sachs. The next month she attended the Barclays Scholars Bootcamp which led to the offer of the summer internship—her second while at Mount Holyoke.

“When I started at Mount Holyoke, I was interested in litigation,” said Ajao, who moved to Amherst from Nigeria at age 15. “But through my exposure to corporate law during an internship at a law firm in Boston, I found myself drawn to finance.

In College 211, the post-internship course emphasizing reflection and assessment, Ajao developed a presentation for the annual LEAP symposium titled “Grow Where You Are Planted.” It focused on seizing opportunities for personal development and offered advice on finding opportunities to match one’s interests.

Ajao credits Mount Holyoke with helping students discern their career paths by providing the freedom to explore. “From my first-year seminar on African literature and a Community-Based

Learning class in history to the Sophomore Institute and Career Development Center workshops on developing my online presence, wI have been discovering my passions and learning how to build a career that reflects them.”

“. . . I have been discovering my passions and learning how to build a career that reflects them.”

Sixuan Chen ’06 San Francisco, California“With the help of the Career Development Center and a very supportive alumnae network, I took on a different internship every summer over the course of my college years, which was helpful for my career advancement after graduation.”

• Investment analyst, Dodge & Cox, San Francisco• While at MHC, she had internships with Merrill Lynch and JP Morgan

Investment Banking, where she was hired after graduation• MBA, Stanford University

Their Lynk experiences.Rather than follow a prescribed program, students shape their own Lynk experiences. Through rigorous coursework, advising, alumnae mentoring, professional development, and experiential learning on and off campus, students are empowered to achieve their immediate goals while being equipped to navigate a lifetime of career changes and challenges.

Lynk resources for students.

Enhanced advising with faculty, staff, and peer mentors from the first semester to graduation

First-year seminar program introducing students to the academic and intellectual life of the College

Living-learning communities fostering higher levels of academic self-confidence and increased involvement

Embedded practitioners allow students to learn firsthand from professionals

Career Development Center where students learn to map their unique paths to success

Sophomore Institute conference introducing and building professional career skills

Guaranteed funding for all students for a domestic or international summer internship ($3,000–$3,600)

Tying It All Together course connecting learning in the world, learning on campus, and taking action

Learning from Application (LEAP) symposium for students completing summer internships

Nexus offering 8 tracks that enable students to link their liberal arts education with their career goals

Alumnae networking events connecting the global Mount Holyoke community on campus and off

Community-Based Learning linking students with communities and combining learning and analysis with action and social change

Industry and field site visits through Lynk on the Road and Career Development Center trips

Senior Symposium presentations showcasing intellectual passions, independent projects, and scholarly research

• Psychology and Latina/Latino studies double major• Alumna mentor: Attorney Dina Cellini ’78• Community-Based Learning fellowship: Mentor for Girls to Women program,

Springfield, Massachusetts• Summer internship at Broad & Cassel, attorneys at law, Miami• LEAP presentation: “Getting Intimate with the Law”

Julia Montiel ’16Miami, Florida“The Lynk provided the funding for an internship that confirmed my interest in attending law school. Here at Mount Holyoke I’ve found an environment where you compete with yourself and are supported along the way by everyone around you.”

• Environmental studies and architectural studies double major• Faculty advisors from geology, art, and environmental studies• Internship at MIT’s Science Technology Studies program• Five College digital humanities fellowship• Designing and building a tiny house

Sarah Hastings ’15Braintree, Massachusetts“I don’t know where else I could do this. The resources are incredible. There is freedom to create your own education . . . to meld and shape it the way you want.”

Individual and shared components make each student’s Lynk experience unique, and Reflection and Assessment is the bridge that links her curricular pursuits to her career preparation.

C

URRICULUM

CAREER

Faculty Advising

First-Year Seminar

Embedded Practitioners

Community- Based Learning

NexusStudy Abroad

Living-Learning Communities

Major

Sophomore Institute

Summer InternshipsLynk on the Road

CDC Workshops

Alumna Mentor

LEAPSenior Symposium

Reflection&

Assessment

Offi

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om

mu

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4639

0215

417students were awarded Lynk-UAF

funding for 2014

$1,431,489was awarded to students for Lynk-

UAF summer 2014 internships

$3,000in UAF-Lynk funding is guaranteed

to every eligible student for a domestic summer internship

55%increase in summer internship placements since Lynk funding

was introduced in 2013

32international internship partners

463students enrolled in Community-

Based Learning courses during 2013–2014

14,167Mount Holyoke alumnae with whom students can connect on LinkedIn

122seniors presented their research at

the 2014 Senior Symposium

Lynk facts.

Recent summer internships close by and around the globe funded by Mount Holyoke alumnae gifts:

International internshipsCitiBank, Lagos, NigeriaEmbark Energy, Arusha, TanzaniaFulbright Commission, Brussels, BelgiumGbowee Peace Foundation Africa, Monrovia, LiberiaNBC News, Beijing, ChinaUnder the Mango Tree, Mumbai, IndiaVietnam Veterans of America, Hanoi, VietnamWorld Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland

Domestic internshipsAmnesty InternationalBrigham and Women’s HospitalDana Farber Cancer InstituteHarvard Forest Summer ResearchHarvard University Clinical and Developmental Research LabHistoric DeerfieldHolyoke Health Center

Johns Hopkins UniversityL’Etoile French Immersion SchoolMassachusetts Institute of Technology MuseumMarc Jacobs InternationalMiddle East InstituteMuseum of Fine Arts, BostonNational Women’s Health NetworkNew York City Parks DepartmentNOAA HeadquartersNuestras RaicesOffice of the Governor of ConnecticutPhiladelphia Museum of ArtRoyal Caribbean Ltd.Shakespeare & CompanySmithsonian InstituteThe Nature ConservancyUNICEFU.S. Department of Health and Human ServicesVanderbilt Institute for Nanoscale Science and EngineeringWGBH

Lizzy Peake ’15, an environmental studies major, spent a semester abroad studying development and globalization in Thailand and then completed an internship with Vijaya Pastala ’89, founder of Under the Mango Tree, in Mumbai, India. Lizzy’s LEAP presentation was titled “Many Voices, Multiple Communities, One Framework.”