ESSYI Summer Program Staff (Returning)
Position Title: ESSYI Summer Program Staff (Returning)
Semester/Year: Summer of 2025
Total Positions Available: 10 Staff Members
Supervisor: Jamie MaKinster
Pay rate: $2,900 (New Staff)
Start Date: July 9, 2025
End Date: July 27, 2025
Each year the Environmental Studies Summer Youth Institute (ESSYI) hires eight or nine college student staff. ESSYI is a two-week, college-level interdisciplinary environmental program for a diverse group of talented high-school students entering their junior or senior years. The program is designed as an introduction to a variety of environmental issues and perspectives. Students conduct research with faculty members in a variety of locations: on the HWS William F. Scandling, in streams, quaking bogs, the Adirondack Mountains, and the Colleges science laboratories. Working in the field, in laboratories, in classrooms, and on a four-day camping trip, students explore a range of topics in environmental policy, economics, and ethics, and come to see the natural world through the eyes of artists, historians, philosophers, and scientists. More information is available on the website: http://essyi.hws.edu.
We are looking for HWS students who possess the following:
- A background or interest in environmental studies or outdoor education
- An ability to work closely and cooperatively with others
- An ability to lead and take responsibility
- An ability to work with diverse high school students in a variety of settings
- An ability to see and meet needs without being directed
- An ability to adapt to schedule changes and help solve unexpected problems
Duties will include attending instructional sessions, assisting Institute faculty, driving vans, overseeing student residential life, and a variety of other tasks. Staff training begins on July 9th with the program running from Sunday, July 13th through Saturday, July 27th. ESSYI returning staff are paid $2,900 for the two-week period and all of your meals and room costs will be covered by the Institute.
Each year ESSYI attracts 50 high school students from 15-20 different states and at least three or four countries. Student participants come from urban, suburban and rural settings. While we share a common interest in the environment, some students are more interested in science and policy, whereas others lean in the direction of creative writing or the arts. On average, at least 50% of our students are racially and ethnically diverse and we strive to recruit students with a wide variety of backgrounds and identities.
http://essyi.hws.edu/studentdiversity
Consequently, we strive to recruit a diverse pool of college students staff applicants as well.
Applications from any and all HWS students are welcome.
Application Instructions
Resume: Please attach a current resume.
Transcripts: Please attach a current unofficial transcript.
Personal Reflection: Please respond to the following questions so we can better understand how you view your experience last summer, what went well, what you’d like to work on, and what suggestions you have for ESSYI in the future.
Please note that only Jamie MaKinster and Macenzie Peters will have access to this information. You can be as honest and blunt as you feel you need to be; both in terms of your own experience and in terms of any suggestions. At the same time, you will need to trust in the decisions we make about whether or not to make some suggested change, either now or in the future.
Your responses should be typed and no more than a single page for each question.
- In general, how would you describe your experience as an ESSYI staff member last summer?
- What went well last summer?
- What didn’t go so well last summer?
- What would you do differently?
- What are two or three goals you have for yourself this coming summer? Describe each goal, what you might do to work on each goal, and what we can do to support you in this process.
- What is one suggestion that you have for ESSYI, which would improve or enhance the student learning experience?
Format: Please submit your application materials as PDF document (Combined PDF if possible.)
If you are interested, please apply via handshake by Friday, March 28th. Please let us know if you have any questions.