Nicole Lemire (left) and Domenica Gomez (right) at the Berkshire Interns award night banquet.
By Nicole Lemire
I spent my summer interning for BCArc in the marketing department, and have found that I have learned many valuable life lessons from the experience.
I discovered BCArc through the Berkshire Interns program, which allows college students to take part in a 10 week internship with local businesses. My friend Domenica Gomez also interned for BCArc this summer in Advocacy.
Domenica and I are both seniors at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. I am a Communications major with concentrations in Public Relations and Journalism, while Domenica is an International Business Major with a minor in Sociology. In addition to our studies, I am also co-editor-in-chief of MCLA’s student newspaper, The Beacon, and Domenica is a member of the women’s cross country team.
Domenica spent her summer working at BCArc’s Northview and Transitions programs, doing various activities with individuals such as going to the library, meditation, practicing social skills and money skills, art projects, and more. Additionally, she helped out with collecting raffle donations for BCArc’s annual golf tournament, and also worked in Family Support.
Domenica decided to apply for the internship at BCArc because of her passion for doing advocacy work for different communities, and the desire to bring equity and diversity wherever she goes. I applied because after spending the majority of my college career focusing on journalism, I was interested in switching things up and learning more about marketing, and felt that BCArc would be a good fit for me.
“The highlight of my internship was working at events like the tie-dye and outdoor games during Summer Series, or Ladies Night where we had individuals make mosaics and another time we played Disney trivia and Jeopardy,” Domenica said. “We really got to connect and have fun with the individuals!”
As Marketing Intern, I was responsible for writing staff stories for the website, designing BCArc’s quarterly newsletter, collecting auction prizes for the golf tournament, taking photos at events, among many other tasks. I also volunteered at BCArc’s Summer Event Series, which allowed me to get to know some of the individuals and take part in various community activities.
This internship pushed me out of my comfort zone in a lot of ways, and taught me so much. I got to have a lot of creative control when it came to my stories and designs, which gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities and made me excited to have a career in Marketing and Communications.
“The individuals that I worked with taught me that it is never too late to pursue your passions and try new hobbies,” Domenica said.
Although the summer internship program officially ended on August 19, Domenica are continuing their work at BCArc. Domenica will be returning as a seasonal staff member during school breaks to help out with the Family Support Programs. Meanwhile, Nicole will be working part-time at BCArc as Marketing and Communications Specialist during her final year of college.
After completing college in the spring, I plan to stay in the Berkshires and pursue a career in Marketing and Communications. Domenica would like to further her education and pursue a Masters Degree in Sociology, and then go on to teach Sociology to high school students.
