Bulldogs by the Bayou '08

The Yale Club of Houston is looking forward to launching a second successful summer of Bulldogs by the Bayou, a summer internship program for Yale University students. The competitive Bulldogs program provides Houston employers access to highly-motivated Yale students who might otherwise not consider looking in Houston for 10-week paid internships. Bulldogs by the Bayou is patterned after successful programs in six other cities - Louisville, KY, Cleveland, Denver, Minneapolis, New Orleans and San Francisco. To date, over 500 Yale students have experienced the best summer of their lives through meaningful work, social and cultural experiences coordinated by Yale alumni in each city.

Originated 10 years ago in Louisville, the alumni-sponsored format is a staple of campus life at Yale. “Where will you spend your Bulldog summer?” is a frequent refrain among students. It also engages alumni in a meaningful way. “This is the perfect use of our alumni’s local network to create opportunities for our students,” says Mark Dollhopf, Executive Director of the Association of Yale Alumni. For Bulldog participants, the program offers a great experience in a unique, and typically unfamiliar, part of the country. "It is also a catalyst for participants to return permanently," notes Phil Jones, Director of Yale Undergraduate Career Services.

Yale alumni in Houston are seeking employers who can offer meaningful paid internships for the summer of 2009. Here’s how it works. Employers will post their job description on Bulldogs by the Bayou website (www.bulldogsbythebayou.com), receive applications from students, interview them and then select from the applicant pool (although they are not required to select anyone). “Because candidates typically apply for multiple jobs we always have a robust applicant pool,” says program founder Rowan Claypool.

Summer Feedback

Employers:

Rob Brodsky, Sabre Marketing. Intern: Justin Jannisse. “Assume your Bulldog can do more work than you expect. Pile on the work. Keep your Bulldog fed.”

David Young, Company: Fisher HealthCare – part of Thermo Fisher Scientific. Intern: Sally Tan. “The Bulldogs by the Bayou program provides access to some of the brightest minds of our young people today. They will challenge the way you look at your business and bring a tremendous energy to their role.”

Ryan Dolibois, YES Prep Public Schools. Intern: Lauren Dunn. “This is a terrific program that benefits both the students and the organization. We were thrilled to have a “bulldog” this past summer and look forward to participating in the program in the years to come.”

Interns:

Mansur Tokmouline - Groppe, Long & Littell. “Mentors are incredibly important. They provided advice about moving to a different part of the country (not NY), adjusting after college, etc.. More events with mentors would be great…Bulldogs by the Bayou introduced me to a different type of city, a different type of environment that I really like. Houston’s a very spread out, less hysterical, more family-oriented place than traditional cities. I found the lifestyle very attractive and I’m seriously considering moving here after graduation. That last statement shows just how amazing this program is.”

Michal Benedykcinski, Element Markets. “Being Bulldog by the Bayou means to me being part of a greater Yale family. And it’s probably one of the biggest lessons I took out of this summer. Thanks to the hospitability of the Yale alums and their openness to young bulldogs I was able to learn how the Yale network reaches far beyond our campus. I met some really amazing people that despite all their different interests and personalities had one thing in common. They were all bulldogs at their heart which always came out whenever they had a chance to share with their fondest Yale memories. In a new city and environment I had a chance to feel like at home right away thanks to all three bulldogs working at Element Markets and all those hosting us or organizing different events. I’m really proud to say I’m running in such a great pack!”

Sally Tan, Thermo Fisher Scientific. “Splashtown was one of my most memorable days in Houston. We would go on this water slide again and again, singing Yale songs at the top of our lungs all the way down. Everyone went on this scarily tall water slide with a vertical drop, and the only thing pushing me to go on was their cheering. We had a deliciously overfilling barbeque lunch, and afterwards felt so full that we couldn’t move. The true Texan experience. This day really epitomizes what was so great about the Bulldogs program—having memorable experiences and school pride with Yalies, being challenged by my peers and at my internship, and discovering all the crazy fun things to do in Houston.”

For more information, contact Leslie Goldman at leslie.goldman@thermofisher.com or Bulldogs Across America Program Administrator Ann Curtis, 502-459-3876, ann.curtis@yale.edu.