June 23, 2014

Intern Profile: Molly Sobel ’15

Meet Molly Sobel ’15, a psychology major and intern at City of Refuge Orphanage in Accra, Ghana. 

Molly Sobel ’15
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Marin County, California
Can you tell us what you’re doing this summer? What are your basic duties as an intern?

This summer I am an intern at City of Refuge Orphanage in Ghana. The orphanage houses and educates more than 60 children who have been rescued from child slavery in Lake Volta’s fishing industry. I am working as a teacher at the on-campus school, Faith Roots International Academy, which is a K-12 school with more than 250 students from the orphanage and surrounding villages. As an intern, I have my own class of children ages 12 to 16 who cannot read and need extra help in all subjects, with an emphasis on literacy. I also have reading groups of about six children who are beginning readers. After school hours, I help out with tutoring and leading activities for the kids. I especially enjoy leading sports games and art nights when they don’t need help with homework. Another one of my favorite tasks is fetching buckets of water from the well and bringing it to the houses for the kids to bathe. I am just starting to get good at carrying the buckets on my head without spilling.

How has Lewis & Clark supported you in the process of finding, securing, and funding your internship?

The Fowler and Levin internship award I received from Lewis & Clark made it financially possible for me to work in this internship. The generous grant covered the cost of my flights and housing, which allowed me to work here instead of working a paid job at a summer camp in California like I usually do in the summers.

How do you see this internship leading to a career in your chosen field and aiding in your overall career development?

After I graduate next year, I hope to go on to get a master’s in social work so that I can work for Child Protective Services in group homes with foster children. This internship is offering me extremely valuable experience working with children who are former slaves by allowing me to work directly with these kids both as their teacher in school and in their orphanage as a sort of mentor figure. I am learning so much from all of the children and from the social workers and other staff who run the organization. This internship has made it clear to me that I am on the right career path and has given me the chance to work with my favorite population of children in many different ways. I feel so lucky to have this opportunity and to have seven more weeks to spend working here.

The Stephanie Fowler and Irving Levin Summer Internship Award was established by Stephanie Fowler MA ’97 and Irving Levin, generous donors committed to ensuring that Lewis & Clark students are able to have meaningful and enriching summer internship experiences.  

Career Development Psychology Department