March 17, 2025

At Bennington, students spend six weeks every year taking their skills and knowledge out of the classroom and applying them in the world of work. They use this annual work-learning opportunity—known as Field Work Term—to deepen their studies, challenge and test new ideas, and hone their direction for the future.

How did your Field Work Term relate to (or diverge from!) your studies at Bennington?

I worked two Field Work Term sites this year, split into 100-hour terms each. One of my Field Work Terms was working as an intern instructor at the Young Writers Project, an online platform for young writers, and the other was working as an Afterschool Enrichment Coordinator at the DREAM Program, a mentorship program dedicated to closing the opportunity gap for youth living in low-income housing communities.

My experience at the Young Writers Project resembled my studies at Bennington; in fact, the online workshops I created included lots of information that I learned while studying at Bennington. On the other hand, my experience at the DREAM Program was less related to my studies at Bennington, but similar to the positions I have held off-campus. 

What did a typical day at your Field Work Term site look like? 

Typically, I began my day around 8:00 AM, working on my online workshops for the Young Writers Project. Around 2:00 PM, I went to my programming site for DREAM.

We had three local programming sites that we worked at during Field Work Term, with one day a week assigned to each site. These sites hosted different groups of youth, and we would spend about two hours with them each week. Each site was a bit different, catered to the youths' interests and needs, but we played a lot of games, went on some field trips, and made meaningful connections with our youth.

After programming wrapped up for the night, I would usually go to the library, or just my dorm room, and spend a few hours working on programming plans for DREAM or polishing workshop materials for YWP.

What surprised or challenged you the most about your position?

Honestly, the most challenging part was balancing both of my Field Work Terms. For DREAM, I had a partially set schedule (in-person programming and meetings) and partially flexible schedule (program planning and other assigned tasks). For YWP, I had an entirely flexible schedule with deadlines for completing my workshops.

So, I had to make my own schedule and manage my projects, while also accounting for the obligations I had at fixed times. I relied on time-blocking to meet assignment deadlines, but sometimes sticking to those time-blocks was hard. It's difficult to find motivation on the cold, (mostly) empty campus during Field Work Term. But, over time, I found things that worked and fell into a routine.

What do you hope to do in the future—for your next Field Work Term and beyond Bennington?

I am hoping to do an independent study for my next Field Work Term, but I would also love to work for another youth organization or writers' program. In addition, I am continuing my work with DREAM during the school year!