Anthony Tancredi ’85 took advantage of the 2020 Internship Match to help students find out what it takes to work abroad.
Carleton’s faculty members are renowned for their commitment to fostering curiosity, experimentation, teamwork, and collaboration on campus. They also know that, as our world becomes increasingly interconnected and complex, the meaning of the word classroom has become both more nuanced and more wide-ranging, encompassing a variety of nontraditional learning environments including travel-abroad programs, off-campus field research, and fellowships.
Internships, in particular, have become essential to a well-rounded college experience, especially as students stretch to consider different career paths and avocational pursuits. In the past, these opportunities might have seemed out of reach for some students, largely because many internships provide little in the way of compensation. As hands-on experience has become increasingly essential to prospective employers, however, a number of generous Carls have stepped up.
A prime example: Bill Buffett ’55 and his wife, Susan Kennedy, joined forces in 2018 with Wally Weitz ’70 and Barbara Weitz ’70 to create the 2020 Internship Match: a $5 million fund that matches, dollar for dollar, every gift of $50,000 to $1 million made to new or existing endowed internships until December 31, 2020 (or until all $5 million has been claimed).
For global commodities trader Anthony Tancredi ’85, the match was just the push he needed to establish the Abeona Endowed Fund for International Internships, named for a goddess of ancient Rome who was thought to watch over a child’s first steps. “The world is becoming more global now, but most people’s idea of ‘global’ is the world they see on their phones,” he says.
While Tancredi was at Carleton, he participated in study-abroad programs in both Mexico and Spain. Those experiences taught him that a person’s perspective—especially in regard to other people, places, and ideas—is incomplete without firsthand experience.
The 2020 Internship Match not only helped Tancredi focus his philanthropic efforts, it guaranteed that his financial gifts could be stretched to have the greatest impact. “By doubling my gift, I really felt like I could do something meaningful,” he says.
Je suis en train de travailler!
Meet three students who, after completing a spring Off-Campus Studies program in France, used funding from the Abeona Endowed Fund for International Internships to work in Paris.
“Working with [the migrant/refugee organization] Utopia 56 allowed me to combine my interest in immigration with my pursuit of French and francophone studies in a way that is also relevant to my work as a political science major. I was glad to have an internship where I could be out in the field working directly with people.”
—ROSE DELLE FAVE ’21
Political science/ international relations major from Waxhaw, North Carolina
“I worked at the [Sorbonne University’s] day hospital, where children with autism receive education and specialized treatments. I learned a great deal about how doctors and therapists work together to develop and track treatment plans. Now I’m looking at fellowships and graduate programs that would allow me to continue studying child and adolescent psychopathology.”
—MICHAEL GASIOR ’20
Psychology major from Fort Myers, Florida
“I worked on experiments [at Le Petits Debrouillards education company] that use everyday objects to inspire critical thinking and worked on a book of activities that focuses on LGBTQA+ people. It helped me improve my French, and I also got to practice working with a team, which involved taking initiative and presenting research.”
—LOULOU FERRER ’21
Chemistry major from Plantation, Florida