“Reaching Your Dream” series tells stories of Northwestern alums who found their dream careers thanks to Chicago Field Studies, an academic internship program that matches over 500 students every year with over 250 employer partners. CFS participants receive guidance on choosing internships based on their passions and values. Students navigate applying and interviewing and develop skills to succeed in the professional world. While interning, students process their experiences in weekly CFS seminars, where they reflect on the place of work in their lives and the role of their industry in society.
By Nina Wieda
Jessica Wain is the Associate Director of Development at Latin School of Chicago and a Northwestern 2014 alum who majored in History and minored in Sociology, Jess discovered a new direction for her career while interning with the CFS employer partners YouthMuse and Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art.
Jess grew up in St. Louis, Missouri and has always been passionate about learning. Her mother came from the United Kingdom, and family trips to visit the European side of the family fueled Jess’s fascination with history. Jess spent her childhood absorbed in books; Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte were her main companions. The first time she visited Northwestern, she immediately felt at home. The tour guide described Northwestern students as passionate about learning many different things, and Jess thought, “I belong here!”
Jessica Wain
Growing up, Jess assumed that her path was to get a Ph.D., do research, and become a professor. This seemed to match her elevated drive for learning. After her sophomore year, she secured an internship in the archives department of the Missouri History Museum. She thought it would be her dream internship, and in many ways, it was: she worked with fascinating records from the Prohibition era, got to translate documents from French, and received rare access to invaluable historical documents, such as Lewis and Clark’s original journals.
At the same time, Jess learned something new about herself: human interaction mattered to her a lot. Archival projects were exciting, but she missed talking to people. Jess realized that she didn’t want to spend a significant portion of her life doing research in solitude, so a doctoral program was probably not the right path for her. No longer sure about her professional future, Jess returned to Northwestern determined to figure it out. That was how she discovered Chicago Field Studies.
Jess was not sure that she could afford the time to do an internship. She learned that many public arts internships are unpaid, and Jess relied on her work-study job at Northwestern to pay for books and rent. She was relieved to find out that CFS offered a scholarship to support people in her position. “It made it all possible; otherwise, I wouldn’t be able to do an internship and discover a new career.”
Jess didn’t know what other opportunities existed for her, and CFS advisors walked her through the options. With only one internship under her belt, Jess wasn’t confident about her resume, and CFS advisors helped her highlight her skills and boosted her confidence. They matched her with an organization called YouthMuse, which helps museums establish and fund youth programming. The interview with YouthMuse founder Debra Kerr felt like a meeting of minds. Jess accepted the internship with Youth Muse and found a life-long mentor in Deb Kerr. “I can’t say enough how great of an experience it was,” Jess recalls. She received an introduction to the world of cultural institutions, fundraising, and program development. She learned to write grant proposals and helped to secure her first grant. Intuit, which provides a platform to intuitive and outsider artists who create art without formal training, was a collaborator on the project. Jess felt proud to support such an important cause and started realizing that she found her calling. Fundraising and development work allowed her to engage with exciting causes while meeting interesting people and helping them realize their ideas. Jess enrolled in another quarter of Chicago Field Studies with an internship at Intuit. The experiences launched Jess’s career in fundraising and development.
Jessica Wain
Since then, Jess has worked for some of Chicago’s finest organizations: the Chicago Architecture Foundation, Shedd Aquarium, Openlands, and, now, the Latin School of Chicago. She has worked closely with experts in fields ranging from microbiology to architecture, learned a lot, and worked on many exciting projects. One of her favorite memories is a collaboration between Openlands, non-profit music group Spectral Quartet, and celebrated composer Tonia Ko. With support from a national funder, Ko created a piece to be performed by Spektral Quartet, inspired by the Openlands Lakeshore Preserve. At the premier performance, the musicians played the piece while leading the audience through the preserve’s wooded ravines and along the bluffs over Lake Michigan. Jess greatly enjoyed planning the event, developing the relationship with the musicians, and securing support for Openlands and their mission to restore and protect fragile native ecosystems.
“I really owe my career start to the experience I had through CFS,” Jess says. She is still involved with Intuit: she serves on the Young Professionals Board there. She still regularly talks to her former CFS employer Deb Kerr. Deb works at Intuit these days and serves on the Advisory Council for the CFS Program while continuing to host CFS interns. Thanks to CFS, the cultural world of Chicago has gained an enthusiastic advocate, and Jess Wain has found a profession that satisfies her passion for learning and her desire to help people. Chicago Field Studies has proven to be a good match-maker.