As summer ends and the school year approaches, it’s a great time for students, whether in high school or college, to reflect on how they’ve spent their break. For many, internships offer a valuable way to explore future careers and gain real world experience.
My name is Josalyn, I am a Marketing & Communications summer intern at Community Health Connections, a nonprofit, Federally Qualified Community Health Center organization, serving all in North Central Massachusetts.
I recently completed my undergraduate degree at Merrimack College and am returning in the fall to complete my Master of Arts degree in Communications. Here’s a look at my own internship experience at a community health center, and how it helped me grow, shift my perspective, and prepare for what’s next.
When I started my internship at Community Health Connections, I didn’t realize how much it would shift my perspective, not just on the communications field, but on my career path overall.
For starters, working somewhere that aligns with my personal values has been incredibly fulfilling. I get to contribute to something meaningful, right in my own community. It feels good to do work that makes a real impact, especially in a space like healthcare, where communication is critical.
Before this experience, I had a narrow view of what communications and marketing roles looked like. Every organization, whether it's healthcare, education, or business, needs strong communicators and creative thinkers.
One of the best parts of my internship has been the support to pursue what I want to learn. Early on, I had the chance to sit down with my supervisor and talk about my personal and professional goals. That conversation helped shape my entire experience and made sure I wasn’t just completing tasks, I was growing.
I’ve been developing both hard and soft skills that directly connect to what I studied in school. It’s been a great way to reflect on that learning and prepare for my upcoming Graduate Fellowship. I’ve also gained real-world experience with professional communication skills, like writing effective emails, following branding guidelines, navigating the onboarding process with required training and dress codes.
One area that’s challenged and excited me has been working with diverse communities. Communicating across language barriers has taught me to be more thoughtful and creative in how I connect and communicate with people.
What’s even cooler? I’ve been able to take hobbies and baseline skills, like making flyers and emails for school clubs and use them in a bigger way. I’ve helped launch social media campaigns and create email marketing strategies that reach schools systems and community partners.
And here’s something that doesn’t get said enough: it’s never too late to do an internship. Doing one after graduation has given me space to try out different types of work environments, like office roles vs. fieldwork vs. production-style settings. I’ve realized that it’s totally okay to not love what you originally thought you wanted. Internships are the perfect place to figure that out before you dive into the job market.
Bottom line: internships aren’t just resume builders. They’re personal growth accelerators. If you find the right one, you’ll walk away with clarity, confidence, and a better sense of where you want to go next.
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(Pictured here: Camron Cooper, LaSalle University Marketing & Business intern with Fidelity Bank and Josalyn Melendez at the Annual HUB Picnic during National Community Health Week, Fitchburg, Massachusetts.)