Enroot, Cambridge, MA
I arrived at my internship on the first day not exactly knowing what to expect, or what new knowledge and skills I would come away with by the end of the summer. I started this job with the two other summer interns on one of the busiest days of the year—the Enroot Cambridge End of Year Celebration. We jumped into action preparing for the big party to celebrate Enroot’s students in the Cambridge cohort, along with their families and all of the volunteers and donors who make Enroot’s program possible. Although hectic at times, this was one of the best possible first days because I got to witness “the magic” of Enroot first hand. From students and their families, to volunteer mentors and tutors, to board members and donors—stakeholders from all different walks of life came together to celebrate all that Enroot students had accomplished, and to show them that they deserve to be part of this community and all of the opportunities it has to offer. Although programming with students is limited over the summer, I really valued the opportunities I had to interact with them—preparing them to speak at a volunteer orientation, or attending the last night of mentoring. It is clear that they see Enroot as a second family, and that they have gained confidence and important skills to better prepare them for the future.
One of the other highlights of this summer experience was the small and dynamic team I worked with. Along with two other college summer interns, the office was made up of 5-7 members. From the start, it was clear that we were valued (although temporary) members of the team who were genuinely listened to and respected. I really appreciated participating in team meetings and engaging in important conversations about the direction of the organization, and what criteria are of highest priority when considering a new site to expand to. Every team member was open to teaching us about their specific focus of work, so we could get a fuller picture of how a non-profit functions. Everyone was incredibly dedicated—to their work and to supporting each other on the team—and I was inspired by the passion and thought that went into every day’s work.
I was involved in three primary projects throughout the duration of my internship. The first was the volunteer recruitment process. One of Enroot’s primary programs is providing one-on-one mentoring for its students, and the majority of the recruitment process occurs during the summer, so mentors and students can be matched at the beginning of the school year. My jobs in this area included vetting applications and fielding questions, responding to emails, preparing for volunteer orientations, and conducting phone interviews with potential volunteers.
The other two projects were researched based. For one project, I supported a current staff member’s work on creating a document about youth voice. I compiled research on various best practices for increasing/maximizing the role that youth play in organizations designed to specifically serve youth communities, like Enroot. I then collaborated with the staff supervisor to integrate research findings into Enroot-specific program practices. My third project took the form of an independent research project. I was asked to examine Enroot’s policy for same-gender mentor matching, and talk to similar mentoring organizations about their policies. My project culminated in a two-sided deliverable (to be concise and user-friendly) that examined the benefits and challenges of the current gender-matching policy, and also made suggestions (based on research) for ways that Enroot can be more inclusive and accessible for students and volunteers who do not identify in the gender binary.
This internship experience has helped me develop and hone skills, and gain new insights that are applicable for my remaining time at Williams and beyond. The beginning of my internship overlapped with the end of school-year programming. One of my favorite days of the summer was spent at the Somerville high school program, where I got to meet students, observe a professional development seminar, and help out with the last night of mentoring. Watching the program director interact with the students, facilitating discussion, and checking in with mentor pairs allowed me to imagine myself doing that type of work at some point in the future. That experience combined with my personal interactions with the students clarified that I might really want to work with young people, specifically high school age, in the future. Furthermore, while I appreciated the opportunity to learn about grant writing and the marketing side of the organization (and how crucial/people oriented it is), I feel more confident in saying that I am interested in pursuing explicit people-facing work and opportunities moving forward.
A significant translatable skill I developed was sustainable communication and collaboration. Working within different layers of teams and organization hierarchy required me to be constantly engaged and evaluate what types of communication are necessary in certain situations. It also reinforced the importance of responsibility in active communication. Working on a team with two other interns had its benefits and challenges. On one hand, it was helpful to have people in similar positions sharing the workload and processing the experience with. On the other hand, it made communication all the more imperative so as to make sure every task got covered, and was done correctly. Towards the second half of the internship, the other two interns and I were more frequently responsible for communicating within our team to ensure no tasks fell through the cracks. Looking back, I really appreciate the way we held each other accountable and responsible—these are tools I hope to carry with me in any future collaborative endeavors.
Overall, engaging in conversations and collaborations with the staff and students of Enroot made me think critically about how to be in the work/service of helping others, while not ignorantly imposing what you think is best or assuming what they need. While Enroot has made significant strides in addressing this at an organizational level in the past few years, I hope my research on youth voice can spark a deeper conversation about how to serve constituents by allowing them to have direct decision-making responsibility. This experience at Enroot has helped clarify what it truly means to empower someone along their journey, offering support and confidence as they take their life into their own hands.
This summer has passed by in a whirlwind, and I am incredibly grateful to all who made this experience possible. I would like to thank Mr. Robert Kraft P86, P89, Mr. Jonathan Kraft ’86, and Mr. Joshua Kraft ’89 who sponsored this internship through the Kraft Family Fund for Internships. I would also like to thank the Williams College ’68 Center for Career Exploration for supporting this experience, and everyone at Enroot who made this an invaluable summer.
Megamenu Social