Name: Amy Tse
Class Year: 2024
Major: Environmental Studies and Literatures in English
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Internship Organization: Fishadelphia
Job Title: Correspondence Intern
Location: Philadelphia, PA
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!
There are four main roles that I fulfill as a part of my internship at Fishadelphia — seafood distribution, writing a report, organizing files, and supporting company events. Seafood distribution is the most hands-on aspect and was a significant part of the work I did in the month of June (Fishadelphia is on a distribution break in July and August, but will start up again in September). Seafood distribution entails transporting and preparing coolers to be filled, portioning out shares of the seafood of the week, packing the coolers with bags of ice and the appropriate number of shares, and then staffing a stand where members pick up their shares. The report that I am writing for Fishadelphia focuses on Fishadelphia’s inclusion strategies — the ways in which the organization strives to reach a socio-economically diverse customer base. The report is targeted towards other community-supported fisheries (CSFs) and alternative food organizations more broadly, with the goal of providing insight and potential frameworks for increasing the accessibility and inclusion of alternative food movements. The other big project that I am working on is creating a filing system for Fishadelphia. I was essentially given a box of loose papers, and my task entails organizing and scanning all the files into a coherent system and then creating documentation so that the filing process is seamless in the future. My final internship responsibility is supporting company events. This is more of a minor aspect of my role, but some of the related duties include organizing a raffle to help raise funds for the organization and creating fliers and outreach for events.
Why did you apply for this internship
This internship is very closely related to my studies at Bryn Mawr — I am a double major in Literatures in English and environmental studies (with a concentration in food studies). As a community-supported fishery, Fishadelphia is a part of the alternative food movement and exemplifies some of the ways in which the food industry can be made more sustainable and accessible. Fishadelphia’s mission closely relates to my interests in the fields of environmental and food studies, and some of my specific tasks as an intern mesh well with my background as an English major.
Was there anything special about how you found this internship?
I found this internship because the professor of one of the classes I was taking last semester is the founder and executive director of Fishadelphia. Dr. Young is a professor at Haverford College in the environmental studies department, and the class of hers that I was taking is called “Intro to Fisheries Science.” We were talking before class one day since I had gotten there a little early, and the topic of summer came up, and she asked if I was interested in working for Fishadelphia. This is a great example of the amazing opportunities that being a Bi-co student offers, both in terms of having access to the resources and classes of two colleges and due to the benefits of a small faculty-to-student ratio.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
My favorite part of this internship has been getting to work with the other Fishadelphia staff members. Whether I am working with the packing team (as a part of seafood distribution), collaborating on the report with Dr. Young and Mimi (Haverford ‘23), or talking through ideas for the raffle with Lindsay (Bryn Mawr ‘25), I have learned a lot from those I am working with. In addition, I love that Fishadelphia is focused on catering to the Philadelphia area since it has given me the opportunity to think about and interact more deeply with Philly — something that I have neglected to spend much time on during my past three years at Bryn Mawr.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.