My Davidson | A Student Blog Purpose, Connections & Growth: How Our Students Spend Their Summers

a group of students and some older people at an old castle holding a "Davidson College" banner

Educational Studies students in Northern Ireland with Pres. Doug Hicks '90

Tackling systemic racism in Charlotte. Interning with the Department of Defense. Bridging divides in literacy and digital access. Exploring historic streets of Northern Ireland.

Explore the many ways our students spent their summers.

Through a cross-campus initiative known as Catalyst, students have centralized resources for experiential learning opportunities including internships, education away, community-based learning and undergraduate research. This summer, Davidson students were awarded $2 million for such experiences. Grants come from various sources across campus including the Center for Civic Engagement, the Matthews Center for Career Development, The Chaplain's Office, Dean Rusk International Studies Program and more.

Reconnecting to Self While Exploring Educational Systems in Northern Irelan

Nguyễn Mậu Đức Bình ’27 reflects on his summer trip to Northern Ireland with the Educational Studies Department where he explored the impact of division on educational policies. 

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My Summer Tackling Holistic Transformation in Charlotte’s Freedom Drive Corridor

Dallas Brown ’26 reflects on his experience as a Nonprofit Leadership Fellow interning at Freedom Communities, an organization focused on disrupting intergenerational poverty and transforming the West Charlotte community. 

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Opening Doors to the Pentagon & Beyond: My Summer Internship with the Department of Defense

Political science major Peyton Davis ’25 reflects on her summer interning at the Department of Defense and how it has shaped her career aspirations post-Davidson.

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Building Community, Transforming Careers

Valeria Salgado ‘25 shares her transformative experience interning with the Community Building Initiative, a Charlotte-based non-profit organization dedicated to advancing equity, inclusion and access in the community.

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My Summer as a Sustainability Scholar at Trane Technologies

Jingyan Chi ’26 shares insights from his summer as a Sustainability Scholar working at Trane Technologies where he studied embodied carbon reduction and gained valuable professional experience.

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What Would Dolly Do: Tackling Early Childhood Literacy in Charlotte

Nora Fenn Gilman ’26 reflects on her summer as a Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) Nonprofit Leadership Fellow with Smart Start, an early childhood nonprofit focused on book distribution and literacy equity.  

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Research on Populist Presidents Pairs Student With Prof for DRI Project

Intended political science major Cameron Unice ’27 reflects on her summer research with Dr. Bersch examining and comparing how populist presidents exert control over administrative states, including a case study on former President Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency. 

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Bridging the Digital Divide During My Summer with E2D

Sunny Baek ’26 reflects on her summer internship with E2D, a nonprofit in Charlotte dedicated to refurbishing laptops, providing computers to families and individuals in need at little to no cost and sharing digital skill training. 

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Experiential Learning at Davidson College

Experiential learning at Davidson College starts with Catalyst, an initiative that centralizes resources for opportunities including internships, education away, community-based learning and undergraduate research.

Explore Catalyst

Published

  • September 6, 2024