Senior Aubrey Orloff spent her senior year internship fulfilling a dream.

A psychology and criminology/criminal justice major, Orloff spent 10 weeks this summer in Washington, D.C. in the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

“I have been interested in being a federal law enforcement agent for as long as I can remember,” said Orloff, an Adams Center resident. “I always had an interest in the FBI and thought it would be incredible to be part of the organization in any capacity.”

So Orloff, who worked in the J. Edgar Hoover Building, began researching ways she could gain experience with the FBI prior to the completion of her senior year, and discovered the summer internship program on their Web site.

But it took more than research to land the internship.

“Aubrey went through an extensive, highly competitive application process,” said Janine Bower, assistant professor of criminology/criminal justice and sociology. “She was selected among hundreds of applicants across New York, and thousands of applicants across the nation. Her selection for this opportunity is a prestigious recognition of her ability and potential.”

Orloff requested information June 2007, but it took nearly a year before Orloff knew what her summer 2008 plans would be. She traveled to the FBI’s Buffalo Field Office for an initial interview, drug testing and a polygraph test. In addition, the FBI conducted an intensive background investigation on Orloff, which included interviewing her current and former friends, acquaintances, employers, and educators.

Orloff was selected to participate in the FBI Honors Internship Program, which offers outstanding undergraduate and graduate students an insider's view of FBI operations, and provides an opportunity to explore career opportunities within the Bureau.

Once in Washington, Orloff was assigned to the security office, which is responsible for the physical, technical, and personnel security matters of the FBI employees, contractors, and other government agencies.

Among her responsibilities, Orloff assisted in the physical location of computer equipment and other items utilized by persons assigned to the CID; created an administrative filing system of personnel records; prepared inter-office communications for dissemination to appropriate personnel; participated in the preparation and delivery of security awareness briefings for newly assigned personnel to CID; and handled the appropriate destruction of classified media materials.

“Besides my regular daily responsibilities, I was able to participate in other activities that are exclusive to honors interns,” said Orloff. “I had the opportunity to participate in executive briefings, field trips to the FBI Academy in Quantico, and the FBI Laboratory, and take special tours of FBI Headquarters. Some of my most exciting experiences were to the indoor firing range where I was fortunate enough to take target practice with government issued weapons.”

One of the things Orloff learned is that only 40 percent of FBI employees are special agents.

“The FBI has a broad range of positions from which to choose,” said Orloff. “Now that I’ve had a taste of being employed by the agency, it has only confirmed my career aspirations. While working in many of the divisions would probably be as interesting as my work in the security office, I think being a special agent would be the most fulfilling for me.”

Orloff credits her Keuka Field Period experiences in early childhood development, elementary school psychology, and the probation arm of the criminal justice system, and her classes for giving her a solid foundation for her internship.

“Unlike students from other undergraduate programs, Field Periods provided me the opportunity to integrate the knowledge I’ve gained through my coursework, with hands-on work experience in a variety of agencies,” said Orloff. “Specifically, the experience in the field gave me opportunities to learn from, and collaborate with, staff members from diverse backgrounds and skill sets; acclimate quickly to different organizational structures; be accountable for various responsibilities related to the demands of the position; and work as a professional with the unique clientele of each agency.”

Said Orloff: “My classroom experiences, private studies and relationships with the faculty of Keuka equipped me with the foundation to participate in the internship with the FBI with confidence.”

-- Gretchen Parsells