BU Internship Programs Help CGS Alums Serve in Government and Nonprofits
Thanks to the internship programs at Boston University, College of General Studies alumni served in nonprofits and government agencies across the United States last summer. Through the Yawkey Nonprofit Internship program and the Santander Sophomore Internship Program, six CGS students were awarded stipends that gave them the opportunity to work in unpaid internships.
Demeisha Crowley (CGS’16, SAR’18) participated in the Yawkey Nonprofit Internship Program, a fund that supports student internships at nonprofit organizations. Crowley worked in Boston as a summer advocate with Health Leads at Massachusetts General Hospital, a program that connects patients to food, transportation, and healthcare benefits. The internship was energizing, Crowley said: “One of my biggest takeaways from my Health Leads Summer Fellowship is that every action taken as an advocate, volunteer, or healthcare professional, whether big or small, is important and meaningful.”
Five more CGS students participated in the Santander Sophomore Internship Program, a program that gives a stipend of $3,000 to a select group of students working on an internship during the summer following their freshman or sophomore year.
Kaitlin Cronin (CGS’16, COM’18) worked in the recruitment department as a intern at Year Up, a nonprofit that provides urban young adults with the “skills, experience, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through professional careers and higher education.” Courtney Hagle (CGS’16, CAS’18) worked as a district intern for Congressman Alan Lowenthal (D—CA) in Lowenthal’s office in Long Beach, California. Jade Williams (CGS’16, CAS’18) applied her sociology studies as a recruitment intern at Project Achieve, a project that works to “identify innovative and effective HIV prevention strategies.”
As a legislative intern in the Massachusetts State House, Lola Adeosun (CGS’16, CAS’18) conducted research for State Representative Carole Fiola, met officials in the Massachusetts government, and improved her research, public speaking and networking skills. “My summer experience interning in the House of Representatives was one of the best working experiences I have had thus far,” she said. “I learned to be more proactive in my goals, and I know that will serve me well in whatever career I find myself in the future.”
Kevin Chen (CGS’16, CAS’18), a history major, was accepted for an internship at the National Archives at Boston even though the internship is typically reserved for graduate students. Chen spent his summer in Waltham, Mass., caring for historical documents and helping researchers to access archival materials. It was exciting to be the first person to examine some of these documents in decades, he said, especially when it can “change the historical meaning of what we originally knew” and even affect our interpretation of history. He curated a Google Arts and Culture digital exhibit on Alert America!, a 1951 federal education program that counseled Americans on how to defend themselves from an atomic bomb.
For students interested in applying for the programs, deadlines are approaching! November 14 is the priority application deadline for the Santander summer internship program, and November 21 is the application deadline for the Yawkey internship. Attend Application Prep Day on Saturday, November 5 to find out more, or direct questions to yawkey@bu.edu or santandr@bu.edu.