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The sixth annual Hamilton Serves took place on Wednesday, Aug. 28, with all 492 members of the Class of 2017 and new transfer students going out to volunteer at 57 community organizations. Hamilton Serves began as an Orientation activity in 2008 with the class of 2012.

Utica has the fourth highest concentration of refugees of all cities in the United States. Many of these immigrants struggle to adjust to American culture and language. Through a Kirkland Summer Associate project, Maggie Haag ’15 is trying new ways to use technology to teach refugees English and help them to understand American culture.

Young, educated women such as those who attend Hamilton College are the target demographic of many egg donor programs. This summer, Hillary Norris ’15 is asking why. Through her Kirkland Summer Associate project, “What Are We Worth?” she is analyzing the criteria that fertility centers and prospective parents use to select egg donors. Her topic leads to complex questions about discrimination and what our society values.

For an aspiring actor, forming connections with an established theater company and prominent actors is a rare opportunity. This summer, however, Brian Evans ’15 is doing just that through an apprenticeship at the Williamstown Theatre Festival. With support from the Kevin W. Kennedy ’70 Internship Fund for the Arts, he is working on sets, taking acting classes and even performing in a major production.

In history books, the accomplishments of black women are among those most underrepresented. Through her Emerson Foundation project this summer, Jorett Joseph ’15 aims to research and recognize the efforts of black women who have promoted justice within their communities.

The bond market is as essential to corporations as is the stock market in today’s complex business world.  Bonds, or securities, offer companies the opportunity to borrow funds at fixed interest rates over an extended time period.  With support from the Joseph F. Anderson ’44 Internship Fund, Ujjwal Pradhan ’15 is learning how to assess the financial risk associated with bonds while interning with Priority Capital Management (PCM) in New York City.

Recent studies have found that the average American lies 11 times a week.  It is, of course, possible to tell a lie that goes undetected or, alternatively, to be accused of lying when innocent.  With the help of Stuart Hirshfield, the Stephen Harper Kirner Professor of Computer Sciences, Nick Brewer ’14 is researching how well people detect lies and accept truths.

The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that there are 215 million child laborers in the world, working on farms and in factories rather than receiving an education.  This summer, Monique St. Jarre ’15 is interning at the National Consumer League (NCL), an organization based in Washington, D.C., that addresses this social injustice and advocates for stricter child labor laws.

Many Hamilton students are hard at work at fascinating internships this summer. A few even managed to do two. Alicia Rost ’15 is going above the call of duty to give back to her community by interning with two non-profit organizations: The Maine Hunger Initiative and the Environmental Health Strategy Center. Her work this summer is made possible by support from the Joseph F. Anderson ’44 Internship Fund.

John DeGuardi ’16 is a chemistry major but spent two months this summer working out the age of Woody Island Siltstone, an unusual black shale found in Tasmania, Australia. He and Adrien Hilmy ’13 were awarded a Dickson-Rodgers summer research stipend and worked in a high tech laboratory at the University of Houston.