ALUMNI ADVICE

FINDING YOUR FOOTING

Moving to Boston and completing an internship is a big life step for any college student. Below, former Fellows reflect on starting fresh, gaining career clarity, and finding belonging in a different kind of community.

FEELING NERVOUS? YOU’RE NOT ALONE!

From battling imposter syndrome to gaining "transportation confidence", Fellows have faced it. Below, find stories of overcoming self doubt, gaining confidence, and finding yourself as a young professional and changemaker.

SITC AMBASSADORS

AVA BARRY

College: Wheaton
Major: Sociology
Hometown: Westmister, MA
SITC Internship: Intern Advocate at On The Rise
Special Project Details: Created a resource for homeless women, non-binary, and trans folk that focused on Cambridge and Somerville.
Favorite part of Boston: Seaport & Little Italy
What’s next: “After my internship, I realized that working in the social sector is something I want to do for the rest of my life, so now I am focusing on getting the needed trainings and careers lined up for summer!”

CASSANDRA SILVA CARDOSO

College: Wheaton
Major: Business and Management
Hometown: Boston, MA
SITC Internship: Communication and Marketing Intern at Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Extracurriculars: TRYBE Multicultural Dance Group and Paraiso Latino Dance Group
Special Project Details: Worked closely with the Communications team at LDBPI to develop and implement a social media campaign for LDBPI’s 27th Annual Mother's Day Walk for Peace.
SITC Advice: “Take it easy on yourself! Your internship and mentor knows that you may not have a lot of experience. This is a learning opportunity so don't expect everything to go perfectly on the first day. Everything gets easier with time and support.”

AGATHE MEWHU

College: Wheaton
Major: Business and Management, Political Science, and a minor in French
Hometown: Congo and Zimbabwe
SITC Internship: Resource Development at Dudley Street Neighborhood Initiative
Special Project Details: Create Annual Appeal letters to be send out to donors for the non-profit.
Extracurriculars: President for Wheaton African Student Association, Part of May fellows and Voice United to Jam.
SITC Advice: “GO FOR IT!! I did a lot overthinking before doing the program and was worried about so many things. However, it was the best decision I ever made in 2022. I have made long life friends. I was able to go anywhere and use the MBTA without any struggle. I enjoyed living in Allston and exploring Boston. Don't doubt your decision about doing the program, you will have so much fun, learn a lot, and gain long life lessons.”

JOSH COMEAU

College: University of Vermont
Major: Music Production & Business
Hometown: Bridgewater, MA
SITC Internship: Research Fellow at Berklee Institute for Accessible Arts Education
Special Project Details: Conducted a program evaluation on one of the classes offered by BIAAE, which was an accumulation of strengths/areas of improvement based on surveys, interviews and class observation.
Favorite part of Boston: The local music!
What’s next: “I am excited to continue my regular class schedule back at the University of Vermont, where I will continue to pursue music production and continue narrowing down a minor that is more relevant to the social sector.”

LINDSAY BURTLE

College: University of Vermont
Major: Psychology
Hometown: Arlington, VA
SITC Internship: Writers’ Room Fellow at 826 Boston
Special Project Details: I help lead and design the Rubix student literary magazine club and I also planned hosted 3 mental health workshops for students.
Reasons for becoming an Ambassador: “I chose to become an ambassador because I genuinely feel like this program can help a person learn and grow so much. During my time with the program, I've gained a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities, I've fallen in love with Boston, I've met so many incredible people. SITC provides a unique experiences that teaches you skills that you won't learn in any class at UVM and so I want other people to be able to experience this opportunity too.”

ANDY YANG

College: University of New Hampshire
Major: Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing
Hometown: New York, NY
SITC Internship: Resource Development & Social Media Fellow at Phillip’s Brooks House Association
Special Project Details: Designing website and compiling data for analyzing to improve the communication flow of PBHA.
SITC Memory: “My roommate and I got lost on the first day after our launch week session because everyone else had left before we did (that morning I jokingly said, "let's not get lost of the first day"). We first wander around the area till we figured out how to look up the nearest train station using Google Map and traced our steps back. We became close friends from that day forward and we would bring that story up as a remembrance of how our friendship started (and our public transportation skills had improved).”

JULIE-LOUISE ORLIAC

College: University of New Hampshire
Major: Environmental Engineering
Hometown: Durham, NH
SITC Internship: FOUR PAWS International Fellow
Special Project Details: An analysis report on wildlife trade data.
Extracurriculars: Mask & Dagger Theatre Club
Advice for future Fellows: “My advice is to organize your time well. You will be made busy with coursework, but the internships are what will really keep you the busiest. If you organize your time well, however, it can make it easier for finding time to recharge and do side activities that you enjoy.”

LILLY KEMP

College: Wheaton
Major: US History with a minor in Hispanic Studies
Hometown: Kittery, Maine
SITC Internship: Family Liaison Fellow at the Rafael Hernandez School
Special Project Details: I crafted a detailed sample school website to assist the on-going re-construction of the site.
Extracurriculars: Feminist Association
Advice for future Fellows: “Try to connect with as many SITC staff members as you can! They are all there to help you and are really approachable and all hold a wealth of knowledge.”

JORDAN MOYER

College: University of New Hampshire
Major: Business Administration with a dual major in Sustainability
Hometown: Beaver Falls, PA
SITC Internship: Finance, Administration and Human Resources Fellow at All in Energy
Special Project Details: Tasked with creating an employee handbook for my host site that encompassed both legal and mission driven policies.
Favorite part of Boston: Boston Public Garden
Advice for future Fellows: “If you're thinking about applying, do it! Use this as an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone, gain experience, and make amazing friends and connections. :)”

LUKE JODICE

College: Endicott
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Chatham, MA
SITC Internship: Impact and Learning Fellow at YouthBuild USA
Special Project Details: A report that is used by the programs found in the affiliated network of YouthBuild to help improve their funding.
SITC Memory: Going out to eat with a large amount of people in the cohort and trying new and different foods.
What’s Next? “Finishing up my last semester of my undergraduate and hopefully returning back to Boston to work full time.”

HENRY NEUMAN

College: University of Vermont
Major: Environmental Studies with a minor in Community Development/Entrepreneurship
Hometown: Norwich, VT
SITC Internship: Business Marketing Fellow at Green City Growers
Special Project Details: Researched and ran an outreach email campaign to attract new customers.
Advice for future Fellows: If you are wanting some work experience before graduating college SITC is the program for you. You will also get the chance to meet lots of new people and experience city living.