Nine Emmanuel students explore Professional Pathways in local summer internships

Landing the right internship can be a crucial stepping stone of any college career – but for students still figuring out how to navigate the professional world, finding the right one requires a number of moving pieces.

This summer, nine Emmanuel students are taking a different approach to an internship through the College’s Leslie Ferrick McCafferty Career Center, which connects them with a summer internship experience that has less barriers and expanded learning opportunities.

The Professional Pathways Program, now in its third year, runs from May through the start of August, and connects students with Boston-based nonprofit organizations such as Fenway Community Center and Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD). While interning throughout the summer, students explore a number of different roles in their organization rather than just one, enabling them to practice more skills and visualize more possibilities for themselves professionally.

It provides versatility that not all internships can offer, explains Kristen Fraser, associate director of career and professional development at Emmanuel College and instructor of the Professional Pathways Program.

“We’re trying to show them the different options, open up different pathways and skills and help them to see that there may be more ways to approach a career than they realize,” Fraser said.

Students participating in the Professional Pathways program receive an introduction to the coursework and internship best practices from program instructor Kristen Fraser back in May. (Photo courtesy Gina Minnucci, career content coordinator at Emmanuel College)

Often it can be a challenge for college students to find an internship that checks all the boxes for them: quality of the learning experience, location, timing, paid opportunities, etc. Similarly, smaller institutions and nonprofits often lack the funds necessary to be able to pay interns, but offer outstanding opportunities for invested interns to learn about various elements of the organization’s operations. The Professional Pathways Program creates a bridge for both sides.

Participating students have the option to reside on the Emmanuel College campus during the summer for free, and also receive a $1,500 stipend and a $500 grocery gift card with funding from the Yawkey Foundation while they complete their internship. Meanwhile, the local nonprofits get to interview and pick from a pool of qualified Emmanuel students who are eager to gain an array of real-world work experience.

"On the ground" work experience

As a nonprofit that aims to build and foster connections between groups and individuals in the Fenway area, having college students on their staff to bring a fresh perspective is a huge asset, said Mallory Rohrig, executive director of the Fenway Community Center.

Erika Blanchard ’27, a marketing major with a minor in graphic design, has been applying her insight at the center this summer and putting her own stamp on the work.

Blanchard '27 pictured at the Fenway Community Center's Boston sports trivia night, an event she coordinated and organized.

“We always love working with Emmanuel,” Rohrig said. “Students get the chance to be on the ground learning things directly. They can come in and figure out the planning for an event, or if it’s one that already exists they can work on the marketing of it – whatever the skill or interest is, the opportunity is there.”

Blanchard has been able to get a feel for working in a small, nonprofit environment and go through the process of planning a community event – the conception, planning and execution of a Boston sports trivia night.

“The Professional Pathways Program provides students with the opportunity to gain experience in a functional work environment that allows for the application of skills gained in Emmanuel classes,” Blanchard said, “and for growth through hands-on opportunities with the support of a supervisor and colleagues.”

While the Professional Pathways Program has grown since starting in 2021, in the future, Fraser said the Career Center hopes to be able to further expand the program by including more participants and internship sites, as well as connecting students with internships that coincide more directly with their major.

Throughout the three-month experience the students are tracking their own hours, tasks and completing modules as part of a Pass/Fail internship course led by Fraser. In addition to the experience with their organization, Fraser is directing students through building professional skills like informational interviewing, elevator pitches, networking and more.

“They’re getting the hands-on internship experience, but this also teaches those transferrable skills and best practices they want to have in the professional world,” Fraser said.

Visualizing career pathways

Nursing major Alexa Sirica ’26 and English major Hanna Huntington ‘26 are spending their summer working with Action for Community Development Boston (ABCD), a community action agency that supports underserved residents in and around Boston. They’ve been helping to coordinate the “YEA!” program, a two-week summer program for 13-year-olds.

Julianna Montero, operations manager at ABCD, said the partnership between the agency and Emmanuel College has been very successful, and having interns like Sirica and Huntington around is a big help.

The value of an internship like this one is immense, she said, especially when opportunities like this one could be an undergraduate’s first working experience. Montero said she makes an effort to walk students through office culture and collaboration with colleagues – and it helps that “their willingness to learn is obvious.”

When working with the interns, they try to provide a teaching perspective, Montero added: “it’s a give and take – they’re here to help us, but we want to make sure they get the most out of it that they can as well.”

Hear from Sirica and Huntington on their Professional Pathways experiences below.

Nursing major Alexa Sirica '26 (photo courtesy Gina Minnucci, career content coordinator at Emmanuel College)

Sirica, who aspires to work at Mass General, was looking for an internship where she could work with young adults and help in the community beyond her required clinical experiences as a nursing student.

Applying to the Professional Pathways Program allowed Sirica to keep her options open, and in turn, it has helped her visualize more career pathways for herself.

“My biggest goal I want to take away from this summer is having an open mind into what path I end up taking after I graduate,” she said.

Previously, Sirica had only envisioned a nursing career within the context of a hospital, but through the internship has begun to realize the full scope of roads she can take going forward with her career.

“Similar to my internship, I can work with the community to make greater changes for healthcare. I feel more open-minded and optimistic about what my future holds,” she said.

English major Hanna Huntington '26 (photo courtesy Gina Minnucci, career content coordinator at Emmanuel College)

Huntington wants to head to law school after she graduates Emmanuel and pursue a career in juvenile law. So far this summer, she has been communicating with local businesses about the upcoming “YEA!” program summer camp and has gained experience working with teens as she aspires to do in her law career.

The exposure to an office setting and practicing with office technology has been “incredibly useful,” to get herself accustomed to the professional world.

Through the application process, Huntington interviewed with a few nonprofits before receiving the offer from ABCD. These were the first professional interviews she’s done – and were valuable practice with interviewing to have under her belt for the rest of her career.

“This internship ended up being the perfect fit for me and my career goals,” Huntington said.