INDIANOLA, Iowa — The school year is in full swing at Simpson, and as the campus looks forward to autumn weather — wearing sweatshirts, leaves changing color and all the other exciting holidays and fall activities — some may be mourning the loss of summer.

No more free time or grilling. But maybe, just maybe, summer wasn’t the break from reality it used to be because of work or an internship.

Hard work can wear on a student, but internships provide meaningful experiences. Many Simpson students had neat opportunities over the summer and here are just a few.

Erin Magoffie interned in the offices of Sen. John McCain and Rep. Trent Franks in Phoenix.

Magoffie enjoyed her time in both offices but preferred McCain’s office. She said the office had stricter procedures and a busier schedule, but Magoffie was able to meet McCain, which was one of her favorite moments from the job.

She was able to meet constituents, participate in a fair for the homeless and other activities. Not discussing business outside of the office was something new she had to keep in the back of her mind.

One thing she noticed was how slowly issues moved through government. Franks’ office had a more relaxed environment that allowed Magoffie to pick the brains of the people around the office on political issues.

For Bobbi Fogle, there was no typical day this summer. Fogle worked as a resident assistant with the Youth Emergency Services and Shelter in Des Moines, known as YESS.

The services listed on their website include counseling, an emergency shelter, a nursery and programs designed to help the kids. The programs are designed with the trauma the kids have been through in mind, and helps them work through it.

Fogle’s work hours were far from regular, around 4 p.m. to midnight. On a bad day, Fogle was chasing kids who had run off somewhere, talking with suicidal kids or calming down aggressive kids. Despite the emotionally stressful parts of the job, Fogle remained in awe of the resilience of the kids she worked with.

One of Fogle’s highlights include a letter she received from a girl who said Fogle helped change her life.
Fogle, a junior majoring in political science and psychology at Simpson, said the experience has shaped where she wants to go in her future career.

Jackie Cullinan, a senior majoring in forensics and biochemistry with a criminal justice minor, interned with the Center for Forensic Science Research and Education as a forensic toxicology intern.

Despite D.A.R.E.’s warnings, Cullinan spent the summer in the lab with drugs. Cullinan specifically screened, quantified and extracted drugs ranging from workplace urine tests to postmortem drug tests.

Learning the new instruments was a challenge at first, but Cullinan took away many techniques as well as furthering her comfort in a lab setting.

One of her highlights was visiting the Vidocq Society, an exclusive group of scientists, psychologists, FBI profilers and the like who investigate cold cases.

As classes keep rolling for another academic school year, don’t let them get you down.

Who knows? What you’re learning now might lead you to senators, helping the youth, cold case investigators or whatever it is you are passionate about.