Owen Bauer-Lepofsky (second row) with Treasurer Goldberg and OEE staff members at the commencement of a tabling event at the Massachusetts State House. Courtesy of Owen Bauer-Lepofsky.

Careers & Internships

Expanding the Meaning of Education

How an internship is reshaping a BU Wheelock student’s understanding of education and equity

At BU Wheelock, we pride ourselves on the wide array of professions and opportunities that span education and human development. Although there is often a perception that careers in education mean mostly working in schools, I want to share one example of education work unrelated to the classroom. 

This semester, I’ve had the pleasure of interning in the Office of Economic Empowerment (OEE) at the Massachusetts State Treasury. OEE serves a crucial role in the ecosystem of financial education in Massachusetts, bridging the gap between historically disadvantaged and marginalized communities and access to financial literacy resources. 

Just like BU Wheelock’s commitment to “transforming the systems that impact learning and human development for a thriving, sustainable, and just future,” OEE aims to close the financial literacy and wealth gap by combating inequities in information access. For example, their BabySteps program allows any baby born in Massachusetts to receive a $50 seed deposit in a 529 Qualified Savings Account, and the free Worth and Wealth webinars they offer provide financial literacy topics like credit, debt, and consumer protection.  

Coming into the internship, I was unaware of the many ways the government works to support and educate its constituents, and how closely such work aligns with the professional interests of many of us at BU Wheelock. My work at OEE lies at the intersection of public policy, government, and education, all driven by an equity lens. 

Recently, I had the opportunity as part of my internship to attend a financial roundtable at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The event brought together professionals from across the financial empowerment space to discuss ideas and research relating to closing the financial access gap. It was a privilege to learn about the many ways that leaders are working to create more equitable financial access, from innovative mortgage products to studies on trust in banking. 

Michael Neal, a researcher from the Urban Institute, presented on a pilot program for a mortgage product called Inspire100, which aims to support first-time home buyers from disadvantaged backgrounds. I was reminded immediately of the work I did last spring in HD 265 with Dr. Linda Banks-Santilli on housing inequity in Roxbury. Michael spoke to many of the issues we discuss in the BU Wheelock classroom, illustrated by real study results, such as the glaring lack of systemic access for low income families of color to participate in wealth building through home ownership–something we know at BU Wheelock to be linked with inequitable educational opportunities and social mobility. 

Similarly, my internship has deepened my understanding of, and belief in, the importance of culturally responsive education, even in a non-classroom context. At OEE, we hire 10 community ambassadors who each represent a different historically disinvested city across Massachusetts. Through these ambassadors, we can extend our reach to communities we otherwise would not contact by providing already trusted and culturally competent community leaders with the resources they need to engage their local networks. Until this internship, I had not reflected on the power of culturally responsive education as a means of increasing the breadth of outreach beyond the classroom—I now see its benefits right in front of me.

As I look forward to continuing my internship with OEE for the rest of the spring and summer, I hope to continually embrace the opportunity to draw connections between BU Wheelock and the work at OEE as I observe a practical application of the ideals we truly do—and must—believe in. As summer internship season approaches and many members of the BU Wheelock community will be working in various roles across education and human development, I hope you will join me in reflecting on the way we can apply our commitment to equitable access for everyone to whatever work you find yourself doing.