Photos by Peter Julian
Boston College undergraduates gained valuable work experience, and an insight into their potential career paths, this past summer through the support of the Eagle Intern Fellowship Program.
Established by the Career Center in 2014, the program provides financial assistance to BC students interested in unpaid summer internships. Recipients work with a personal career coach provided by the Career Center and are required to check in with them at least twice over the course of the summer.
Seventy-one Eagle Fellows were on hand at a September poster session in the O’Neill Library Reading Room to talk about what they had learned this past summer and how their internships have influenced their future plans.
Matthew Alvarado, a Carroll School of Management student from Los Angeles, applied to the fellowship program so he could continue in his role as an enrollment intern at Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay, which has already offered him a full-time position for when he graduates in 2020.
“I couldn’t have done this internship without the Eagle Intern Fellowship,” he said. “What they do for us is amazing. I really couldn’t have stayed here in Boston and built the connections I have now without their support. I am really appreciative of all they do.”
His summer job entailed matching children ages seven to 12 with a volunteer mentor and recruiting for a new Big Brother site. “Being able to build an office and construct two programs down in New Bedford, looking back and seeing the growth of 28 matches in three months, and seeing it all come together was my favorite part,” he said.
“Before my internship, I was unclear in what field I would want to work,” said Donald Gummow ’19, a computer science major and chemistry minor, reflecting on his internship with Affect Mental Health at Harvard Innovation Labs. “Now, I know for certain I will be working in the mental health field. It is something important to me and I really found a passion for it this summer. I am also exploring master of public health degree programs that would allow me to have a better understanding of the mental health field and ways that I can improve the mental health landscape.”
Career Center Assistant Director of Career Engagement Nicholas Paschvoss stressed the career-driven focus of the fellowship program.
“The program brings into conversation two key questions at the heart of BC’s approach to career exploration—What brings me joy? What am I good at?—and makes them salient for the students participating in the program.”
The Eagle Intern Fellowship was the first experience with the Career Center for political science major Amanda Alberda ’21, who interned at the Lewiston District Court in Lewiston, Me. “I would encourage BC students to reach out to the Career Center as early as freshman year for advice on majors and interests," she said. "The center is one of the most valuable resources on campus.”
Applications for summer 2019 open in January. More information is available at the BC Career Center website.
—Christine Balquist | University Communications