More than pushing paper...
Interning at The Arc means more than collating paperwork. It will provide you with an opportunity to work hand in hand with members of an organization that is widely respected for its accomplishments spanning over 50 years. Some of our interns have been family members of people with disabilities, while others have expressed an interest in one of the many areas that are critical to the ongoing success of our organization. At The Arc, we can guarantee a variety of experience that comes with the territory of managing a non-profit that is heavily engaged in policy, legal, media relations and education around the needs of people with intellectual disabilities. Meet Two Of Our Recent Interns
Laurie Maranian, from Hyde Park, is a senior at Harvard College, majoring in sociology. Her brother, Chuck, is 19 years old and has Down syndrome. Interested in learning more about public policy and advocating for people with disabilities, Laurie's internship involved creating state budget policy and draft language that was incorporated into a bill submitted by The Arc that is currently being debated by the Massachusetts Legislature. She is also involved with both the Massachusetts and National Down Syndrome Congresses, leading workshops for people ages 12-18 who have a brother or sister with Down syndrome. Laurie also spends some of her spare time as a director of CityStep, a student-run non-profit based at Harvard that aims to enhance the self-esteem of Cambridge youth through an arts-based curriculum with a focus on dance.
Adam Tarr is from Westford and joined The Arc as an intern after his second year in the University of Connecticut's Honors Program. His majors are political science and American studies. He hopes to pursue a career in law. Adam was motivated to work with The Arc after working with The Arc community through a family business. During the past spring at UConn, he studied the controversial early history of Supreme Court cases involving the right to live in the community. In addition to his studies, he volunteered with UConn's Community Outreach to bring social programs to rehabilitation and public housing facilities. Adam was eager to advocate for The Arc's constituency through public policy. Like Laurie, Adam quickly realized interning at the Arc defied the stereotype of monotonous clerical work when, during his first week, he found himself in a closed-door meeting at the Massachusetts State House with Arc staff involved in significant policy negotiations with legislators and other community leaders. One of Adam's major accomplishments involved coordinating the development of an online survey, designed to measure the level of unmet needs of people with disabilities.
During the rare, but occasional down-time, both Laurie and Adam were asked to file paperwork, but we doubt that is the image that comes to mind when they reflect back on their experience at The Arc!