Cassidy Pawul ’22

International Language Institute of Northampton, Northampton, MA

As an intern at the International Language Institute of Northampton (ILI), a non-profit language school, I worked in a broad sense to fulfill its mission: promoting intercultural understanding via high-quality language instruction and teacher training. In a practical sense, this meant I had more tasks than I could name: duties that were “both meaningful and menial,” as ILI’s Executive Director Caroline Gear often said. One of my more meaningful projects was helping engineer three Google Ad campaigns: one for ILI’s WLP (World Language Program), one targeting potential IEP (Intensive English Program) students in Brazil, and one advertising our Workplace Spanish program for medical professionals in the Holyoke/Springfield area. After researching how Google Ads work, I tested dozens of keywords associated with each program in Google Trends, attempting to find the ideal balance between search popularity and relevance. I also identified patterns in Google Trends’ search data to determine when we should run our ads in Brazil. I can’t say yet whether my project proved “successful”—my report will be evaluated by ILI’s Board of Directors soon, and the campaign hasn’t been launched yet—but my work was warmly received by Caroline, so I have high hopes!

A second major project of mine, which I consider arguably even more meaningful, was happily something I did every week: organizing weekly lunches with ILI’s IEP learning community of immigrants, refugees, and foreign exchange students where they could talk and practice their English in a low-stress environment. Once I chose a location, I created an aesthetically pleasing flyer advertising the event and posted multiple copies in well-traveled areas of ILI. Providing students frequent opportunities to bond with each other outside of class—to make sure students really believed ILI’s mantra: “You are welcome here”—was the important part. I’d like to think I helped make that happen.

Through working on these and other projects, I became familiar with ILI’s culture and discovered I not only loved what ILI stood for, but what it was. The work environment was comfortable and low stress. My fellow staff members communicated in a refreshingly straightforward, transparent manner, and never let their professionalism get in the way of their humanity—which was much different from the coolly formal climate I imagined. It was also more chaotic than I expected. ILI is somewhat understaffed and “everyone does everything,” and like many non-profits, there wasn’t a budget for the newest technology, and so the speed and efficacy of internal communication was not ideal. Fortunately, ILI’s climate is incredibly compassionate. I was struck by how everyone went out of their way to make me feel appreciated. Though my mix of “meaningful and menial” tasks sometimes seemed skewed towards the latter, I rarely felt frustrated because people always thanked me—and on my last day of work, my office mates threw me a surprise party. I was so touched I almost cried. Perhaps it is because ILI is small—or more likely, because of its business model and mantra—that it recognizes the importance of being recognized, even for the little things…I hope it keeps that quality no matter how big it grows.

Working at ILI also helped me internalize some “big picture” ideas: for one, the importance of teamwork. ILI may be a place where “everybody does everything,” but regardless, everyone has their specialty. When fielding calls, for instance, it was often more helpful for me to redirect someone than to assist them myself. In a similar vein, I began to accept that it’s okay to ask questions. Most of my workplace mishaps stemmed from assuming I knew how something was supposed to be done when it wasn’t specified, thinking the answer was self-evident, and doing what I thought was best while pushing down feelings of uncertainty. In retrospect, I realized my questions were logical, and no one would have thought worse of me for asking them. I would’ve likely come off as even more considerate and detail-oriented rather than needy, and my tasks would’ve been completed more efficiently and effectively. In short, I learned that occasionally relying on other people just meant I was human—and that was a good thing to be.

Most importantly, though, I realized that communication really is key. The success of ILI is almost entirely dependent on effective communication: communication between teachers and students; between fellow teachers; between fellow office workers; between ILI and prospective donors/students. I also realized how important communication is on a sociocultural level. From my daily lunch conversations with students, I learned how frustrating and debilitating it can be to lack full mastery of English. I was thus deeply impressed to see ILI’s students of different races, creeds, and cultures regularly break through this barrier through sheer determination, connecting with me and each other via a common language. Witnessing this reaffirmed my belief that improved intercultural understanding and appreciation in America is indeed possible.

These broader ideas have also helped narrow my career trajectory. It has solidified my belief that I should continue taking French and go abroad for at least one semester to become fully fluent. I observed by interacting with ILI’s IEP students how language was truly the password to unlocking American culture: to fully enjoying American movies and literature; to making American friends. Without feeling completely at home speaking English, it was hard for students to feel at home living in America. Likewise, I would love to someday feel at home in France. I also feel more set on pursuing a communications-based career path and would like to explore professions which prioritize different aspects of communication (such as editing, publishing, or journalism) to get a feel for what suits me personally.

I am truly grateful for the Kraft Family and the ’68 Center for Career Exploration. It is your support which gave me the opportunity to work with this exceptional institution, and I am certain this experience will positively reverberate throughout my life. Thank you.