Name: Abbie Urban
Class Year: 2026
Major: Sociology, Minor: Education
Hometown: Berkeley, California
Internship Organization: Girls Inc.
Internship Title: Main Facilitator of Adventure Literacy Camp
Location: Philadelphia, PA
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
At my internship, I am the main facilitator for their literacy camp! Girls Inc. has programming during the year and the summer for girls ages 5-19, and I am working with the girls at the start of their Girls Inc. Journey. At camp, we are focusing on literacy, but also do lots of art projects, STEM, and (my favorite part) Social Emotional Learning. As the Main Facilitator, I am the intern who is on-site at camp 100% of the time camp is running, so I plan and execute lessons with the girls, am the main point person for parents, and manage our high school interns. My favorite lessons to teach are the Social Emotional Learning lessons, where we have set up an amazing space for the girls and a special time every day to talk about feelings, what it means to be part of a community, and what it means to stand up for others.
Why did you apply for this internship?
I attended an all-girls middle school and loved it. I had an amazing experience in an environment focused on my growth as a girl, building confidence in ways that would be more difficult in co-ed environments. I valued that experience and wanted an opportunity to give as much of that to other girls. I was also looking for an opportunity to work with a large organization because I am curious about how they function structurally, and the many roles within Girls Inc. I love working with children, especially girls and wanted to understand the opportunities to work with underserved kids without being a formal teacher.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
An unexpected favorite part of this internship has been working with our high school interns. Girls Inc. has programming for girls from kindergarten to high school graduation, and the curriculum flows across the progression of different groups. One program that is particularly impactful on the girls is their middle - high school STEM career exploration program, called Eureka. They begin in 8th grade, learning about different STEM careers, and as they progress, their work becomes more immersive, with the last two years being hands-on internships or college STEM classes. In my classroom at Girls Inc.. I have 3 interns assigned to help with STEM programming. Before this point, I had never been in a mentorship position as a teacher, but I have done lots of fieldwork and had many educational mentors at ÀÏÍõÂÛ̳, and I was excited to get a chance to teach the interns. I have enjoyed sitting down with them at the end of the day and thinking about why I do certain things in the classroom, what makes the age group we are working with unique, and getting to know these smart, capable, and enthusiastic older girls.
What is most rewarding about your internship?
The most rewarding part has been watching the girls make progress and learn to love books. I have loved watching them become more comfortable in the classroom and proud of their work. They are finding book series that they love that I grew up reading, and watching them love Ivy and Bean and Raina Telgemeier as much as I did is so rewarding. I have been going to the library on weekends to get special book requests and find things I know they will like, and the look on their faces when they come in and I have a book they asked for is priceless. Many of these girls have previously really struggled with reading, which is why they are enrolled in camp. When I was a child, I loved to read, and books were my sanctuary, so the gift of being able to give them that has been priceless.
Career & Civic Engagement Sociology Education