Hello! My name is Emily Kang, and I am a Meiklejohn Fellows Peer Ambassador at the Loeb Center. I am also a senior majoring in Biochemistry & Biophysics on the pre-med track. The MJPA role is a new addition to the Loeb Center that comes along with a new revamp of the Meiklejohn Fellows Program, so I wanted to use this blog post to share what I do as an MJPA, how I can help, and some perks of joining the Meiklejohn Fellows Program!
I am also a Meiklejohn Fellow! When I joined the program in Fall 2020, I was automatically enrolled because I was identified as a low-income student. I was assigned a peer mentor, but I remember only meeting my mentor once during my freshman year. I wanted to get more involved with the FLI community through the Meiklejohn Fellows Program, but I wasn’t sure what resources and support were available or who I could even talk to. If you join the Meiklejohn Fellows Program this year, your experience will probably be vastly different from mine.
The Meiklejohn Fellows Program became an application-based program this year. If you are identified as a FLI student by the Office of Financial Aid, you are eligible to apply! The application will ask you reflection-based questions that will get you started on thinking about your identity as a FLI student and how it might fit into your career trajectory. Even though there is an application, it is intended to serve as an “opt-in”, meaning you will not be turned away from the program if you are eligible! If you are unsure of your eligibility, you can contact Sherry Gomez, the director of the Meiklejohn Fellows Program (shgomez@amherst.edu), or the Office of Financial Aid (finaid@amherst.edu) directly. The application deadline is coming up soon on October 18th, so make sure to submit your application soon!
Now, why would you want to join the Meiklejohn Fellows Program anyways? I always found my FLI identity coming into conversation when I am thinking about my career. Questions like what if I can’t afford housing or meals if I get a really great unpaid internship opportunity? and how does everyone know how to write a resume? always seem to come up. Looking back, I wish I had a program like the Meiklejohn Fellows Program that can help answer these questions and prepare me better. The Meiklejohn Fellows Program is specifically tailored to FLI students, with workshops that address topics like resume writing, finding internships, and even imposter syndrome. You will have direct access to advisors like Sherry, who can help you get started, wherever you are in your career journey. There are also the Meiklejohn Fellows Peer Ambassadors, like me! and Aaron, who are just regular college students like you that share the FLI identity and trained to help you with your career exploration. Sometimes, it is intimidating to speak to an advisor or a professional, so the MJPAs are here for when you just need advice from a student who has been in your shoes but also been through the process.
Another perk of joining the Meiklejohn Fellows Program, other than the amazing community you will join and the resources you will have access to: if you secure an opportunity for an internship, but it is unpaid, you can receive a stipend from the Meiklejohn Fellows Program if you complete all the requirements. As a FLI student, sometimes I feel like I can only apply to very competitive internships that offer a stipend. Not only are these internships intimidating, it feels disheartening when I feel like I can’t work at an internship that I am really passionate about because I can’t afford to be unpaid. I didn’t end up using the stipend, but I felt relieved that I could apply to internships knowing that I have the option to request a stipend from the Meiklejohn Fellows Program.
If you want to come find me, I hold drop-in hours at CARC (Class & Access Resource Center) on the second floor of Keefe Campus Center on Mondays from 11am-1pm. You don’t need to make an appointment, just drop in and say hello! I also hold appointments at the Loeb Center for the Clothing Closet, where you can borrow professional clothes, on Thursdays 2-4pm. Appointments for the Clothing Closet can be made on Handshake. I hope you will drop by, I am excited to meet you all!
