Each year they attend the College, Bennington students must go out into the world to complete seven-week winter internships in areas that fascinate them and complement their studies. Field Work Term, going strong since the College's founding, brings new stories each year. Here's one such tale from FWT 2006.

Kaley McMahon '08, Law and Order: Criminal Intent
Carly Whitaker '09, Law and Order: Special Victims Unit

Kaley McMahon '08 worked in casting and costumes for Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Now a sophomore, she spent her first-year FWT as a writer's intern on The West Wing.

"My favorite duty in the casting office was videotaping the sessions. I found it interesting to watch ten people read the same line over and over, or to see how the actors took direction, or to hear the casting director, prepping director, writer, and executive producer discuss an actor once he left the room. On occasion, I'd get a thrill from taping the audition of an actor I recognized.

"Working in costumes was even more exciting. The women in the costumes department started by taking me along as they shopped for costume pieces, and after a while they started sending me out on my own to shop. At first it was for very specific items with certain style numbers, or for undergarments the camera would never see, but then they'd ask me to shop for items for certain characters. I'm proud to say that episodes 16 and 17 will contain a pair of shoes, three pairs of gloves, some corduroys, and a t-shirt selected and purchased by yours truly.

"One of the best moments from this FWT took place during my final week. I started to reminisce about my first FWT--how the professional environment I was in seemed so new and strange and impossible to master, how I was sure I'd never make it in the real world. After just one summer job and one more FWT, I've already come so far, and I'm not even half finished with college yet. If I were going to school anywhere else, I'd be having those difficult first work experiences when I was 22 or 23, but going to Bennington has already put me so far ahead of the game."

Carly Whitaker '08 worked as a production intern for Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She is pictured on the home page in the squad room on the Law & Order set.

"I've always been interested in film and television, so I decided to use my first Field Work Term to try it out by working as a production intern. Despite the long hours, I discovered that I really do enjoy working in this field.

"I also discovered that I hate office work--cubicles and I don't mix--but now I have the knowledge and connections to try for an internship in the art department or camera department, or working on set. Already they've offered me the chance to come back and possibly work as a set PA (on-set production assistant). Several people asked for my phone number to possibly do work for them in the future, and I now have a recommendation letter from my boss on Law & Order stationery.

"Although I did my share of answering phones this time around, I got the chance to work on location, too. One night I saw a log cabin explode. On another day, I was working on location at the George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal in New York City. I was directing the background actors, and then all of a sudden Ice-T was next to me. I looked up at him and he winked at me. That was pretty cool. Ludacris was there one day…. I met Lou Diamond Philips, who plays a child molester in an upcoming episode, and Dr. Romano from ER, who directed an episode. I also met all of the cast members from the show. It's pretty wild when the talent knows you by name.

"Of all the experiences I had there, though, the most worthwhile part may have been learning about television and film from a business aspect. That sort of knowledge is really valuable, because when I begin my career, I'm not going to be naïve about the industry."

Ask Bennington alumni to recount their most remarkable tales from their college years, and you're likely to hear tales like these from across the country and across the globe--set in political campaigns and research laboratories, law offices and art museums, hospitals and theaters, newspapers and national parks. This is the last story in our series, but be sure to check out the previous stories on Sonia Muscatine '08 at the Stanford Psychology Lab, Alex Katz '09 at the Jim Henson Company, and Owen Lubozynski '07 at the Buffalo Field Campaign.

Click here to view an archive of past campus feature stories.