From preparing guests for a TV show to designing new computer software, the students are using internships both to gain experience and to bridge the academic and career worlds.

"Our goal in partnering with progressive employers such as ABC Television is to provide our students with an opportunity to apply classroom skills and knowledge to the workplace," said Jose Magdaleno, Lehman's Vice President for Student Affairs. "We're delighted to recognize ABC's exceptional commitment to providing practical career experiences through internships for our students."

In addition to ABC, participating companies and organizations in the Lehman program include the Bronx VA Hospital, Chipset Consulting, Citibank, IBM, the Institute of Applied Human Dynamics, Metro Channels Network, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority­New York City Transit, the New York Public Library, the New York City Board of Education, New York Foundling, the Ralsey Group, and SONY Entertainment.

Among the students recognized were Latina Adams, Luthfa Begum, Carmelo Camacho, Sylinda Charles, Marysable DelCarpio, Lloyd Douglas, Margarita Fadul, Ubaldina Guzman, Jeremy Hutchins, Arooj Khan, Li Li, Hung Mai, Joanna Matos, Angelique McMichael, Dilliana Morris, Yessenia Olivares, Juan Pena, Mildred Perez, Annie Perry-Wint, Christopher Preddie, Jason Rampersaud, Shazia Ranginwala, Walter Rivera, Tapoti Sarkar, Duc Se, Omar Soba, Stephanie Thomas, and Jessica Toplitsky. Several students completed one internship last summer and worked on another this fall.

Altogether, five computer science students worked at ABC over the summer - Marysable DelCarpio, Li Li, Christopher Preddie, Jason Rampersaud, and Duc Se.

Se worked on programming in the SQL server applications division, and Rampersaud was assigned to the Application Engineering Department, where he designed, maintained and distributed application software. DelCarpio and Preddie worked in the same department, helping with hardware and software installations, data entry and inventory. (Preddie is also interning as a systems technician this semester at the Institute of Applied Human Dynamics.) Li, meanwhile, a graduate student, was a programmer in the Department of Information Systems, where she helped to run, develop and update ABC's internet website for many of its affiliate stations.

Several other Bronx computing majors have also been involved in successful internships.

Over the summer, Arooj Khan worked at the Bronx VA Hospital, where she assisted in the day-to-day operations of the Information Resource Management Program, while Tapoti Sarkar was at the MTA, helping in scheduling, as well as in applications, programming and the archiving of data. Carmelo Camacho worked in e-commerce, website development and network installation for Chipset Consulting, and Shazia Ranginwala was a technical mentor for the New York Public Library, helping adults with literacy problems acquire skills through technology.

This semester, Walter Rivera is part of the IBM Medical Web Team, specializing in website design development, while Luthfa Begum is helping the New York City Human Resource Administration with both web and software development.

Juan Pena, meanwhile, is working as a system technician at the Institute of Applied Human Dynamics, where he is responsible for maintaining computer networks along with the installation of hardware and software applications. At the MTA, Margarita Fadul is learning about hiring practices, procedures and documentation as part of the human resources staff.

Two accounting majors also completed internships. Hung Mai provided administrative support for financial executives in the brokerage division of Citibank, while Midred Perez worked this term in the MTA's accounting department, preparing financial documents and analyzing computerized accounting and financial reports.

In the social services, four students worked at New York Foundling, a nonprofit social service agency, where they were childcare supervisors, mentors and disability specialists. These students included three psychology majors - Latina Adams, Sylinda Charles and Ubaldina Guzman - and Lloyd Douglas, a social work major.

Four other students - Annie Perry-Wint, Jessica Toplitsky, Stephanie Thomas and Yessenia Olivares - plan to pursue careers in teaching and worked in different schools as part of the New York City Board of Education's "Summer in the City" program.

Also over the summer, Joanna Matos, a health services administration major, worked in New Orleans in the Health Care Staff Development and Retention Office, a state agency. She secured the internship through a program offered by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities, in cooperation with the Lehman Office of Career Services.

In the news and entertainment industries, Angelique McMichael, a mass communications major, interned on the "Like It Is" show, which is broadcast over WABC-TV. During the fall semester, she was a studio assistant for the Queen Latifah show, where she handled the screening and preparation of guest speakers.

Jeremy Hutchins, also a mass communications major, interned this fall at the Metro Channels Network as a production assistant on the teen program "Studio 4." He divided his time between research for the show and technical setup and production.

At SONY Entertainment, Dilliana Morris, a business management major, worked as a PC technical assistant, learning the different levels of technical management, and Omar Soba, a history major, handled communications between recruiters and potential applicants in the human resources division.