WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER!

As the school year gets into full swing, we wanted to share how several Phillips Scholars spent their summers. From studying solar wind to teaching special education to reconnecting with family, our scholars made the most of their time off from school. Scroll down for their stories!

Jardine Allen

University of Michigan

Class of 2025

Major in Aerospace Engineering

Senior Jardine Allen spent the summer conducting research at University of Michigan’s Climate and Space Sciences Department. There, she worked on a model to predict when the solar wind hits the Earth and at what intensity. Jardine shared that this research helped her prepare for her future graduate school studies. Outside of work, she spent time with friends and family.

Jeanelle Roberts

University of Rochester

Class of 2026

Major in Finance

Jeanelle started off summer with an internship at Zevin Asset Management through the Wall Street Diversity Accelerator, where she gained valuable hands-on experience in the finance industry. This experience helped her better understand her interests within the field she is currently studying at school. Afterward, Jeanelle worked as a camp counselor at Brooks Summer Camp, which she reports was fun and perfectly suited for summer. She also took a meaningful trip to the Dominican Republic, where she not only enjoyed spending quality time with family, but also organized and managed a school supply drive for children in a disadvantaged community.

Yongye Tan

University of Massachusetts Amherst

Class of 2025

Major in Computer Science and Applied Mathematics

Yongye Tan recently completed a 10-week internship at Fidelity Investments as an iOS mobile engineer intern, where he developed personal profile-related features for the flagship Fidelity trading iOS app. This role provided the perfect blend of technical challenges and industry insight, allowing him to grow as a software engineer and future fintech professional. Yongye shared that he was treated as a regular employee despite being an intern, and he was able to contribute to projects that will soon go into production and impact millions of customers globally. He appreciated the collaborative office environment, where teamwork was as simple as turning a chair around. One of his favorite memories was a fun-filled day at an amusement park in New Hampshire, where he and fellow interns enjoyed go-kart racing, water boat battles, and a high-speed baseball game.

Catherine Kelso

University of New England

Class of 2027

Major in Physical Therapy

Minor in Special Education

Catherine (Kate) Kelso had a busy summer working two jobs, taking classes, and squeezing in fun activities along the way. During the week, she worked as an Ed Tech in the Special Education wing at a school in Maine. She enjoyed engaging, teaching, and having fun with students. On the other side of the coin, Catherine took a psychology class at UNE to stay up to date with her studies. On the weekends, she worked at a brewery in Skowhegan, Maine, and enjoyed trips to the lake and spending time with friends and family. In addition to all of these commitments, Catherine played on a pick-up field hockey team twice a week, in preparation for her season as a student-athlete at UNE.

Val Chia

University of Connecticut

Class of 2026

Major in Accounting and Chinese

Minor in Analytics

Val worked for years to save up for an epic summer trip to see family in Asia before starting work as an intern at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). To cut costs for her trip, she planned everything out extensively, booking air tickets three to four months early and finding lodging on budget websites. She also made spreadsheets and itineraries of attractions at each of the countries and cities, along with any admission ticket costs and transportation fees to get there, in addition to allocating a budget for food every day. This enabled her to spend several weeks traveling across Taiwan, Japan, China, Singapore, and Malaysia. Val spent the most time in Singapore visiting her grandmother, who had raised her and her sister in the US for 15 years before returning to her home country. Val’s grandmother had recently undergone invasive surgery, so Val prioritized spending quality time with her while she was recovering. She was thrilled to be able to spend this precious time with close family before school and work get busy again.

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