Life as an Intern

Bronwen Kelly, Riverside Career Services

There comes a time when many college students realize that they have no idea what they want to do with their lives. As the summer of 2005 approached, reality set in and I had to accept the fact that my life as a student was coming to an end. It was this type of thinking that landed me as an intern at Neponset River House in Norwood. I had never heard of a clubhouse before showing up for work on that bright June morning, but by the end of the summer I knew all about the benefits of such an environment. Whether I was helping out in the kitchen, learning new skills in the computer unit or trying to help out with employment, I soon discovered that there is never a dull moment at NRH.
During the first couple of days I wandered aimlessly, trying to help out but overall feeling pretty useless. The staff kept encouraging me to talk to people and learn about which units people like to work in, and to ask them about their goals and dreams.  It was through those wonderful and memorable discussions that I came to believe that a career in human services would be a great career choice for me.

            One of the benefits of being a student intern at Riverside was having the opportunity to visit 2-3 different Riverside programs every two weeks with all of the other interns. By the end of the summer I had a very good understanding of which divisions were in charge of which types of programs. On the last day of program visits, we ended up in a town called Melrose and the site of Riverside Career Services. I enjoyed all of the program visits, but for some reason, the ideals, vision and atmosphere of Careers captivated my interest. I remember calling home and telling my family that I went to a place where I could see myself working someday. I think they were just happy I was even thinking about becoming employed!

            After my summer working at NRH, I went back to Boston College to finish up my Master’s degree.  Around April, I began to experience that similar feeling of uncertainty as my graduation day approached.  I quickly signed up for monster.com and almost immediately got an email indicating that there was a job opening at Riverside Community Care. When I opened the link on the website, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the program hiring was none other than Careers in Melrose!  It a very easy decision to apply after already having met the staff at Careers, and I just had a feeling that it was the perfect place to start my career journey. I have been at Careers for close to a year and I can tell you that they weren't lying when they said you need a sense of humor to work in this office.  I have really enjoyed the positive and uplifting atmosphere as well as the sense of empowerment that I believe flows endlessly. I would encourage any student with an interest in helping others to look into the intern program offered at Riverside. It will not only help you to narrow your job choices but it may just help you to find a job you’ll love going to!

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