This summer, The New England Center for Children® (NECC®) welcomed 47 students from colleges and universities across the country to its summer internship program. The students spent the last 10 weeks (from June to August) working alongside direct care staff as well as in the Occupational Therapy and Speech and Language departments. Summer interns hailed from 13 U.S. states, while four international interns (from Ireland, the UK, and Spain) began one-year internships in Southborough.
Below, meet a few of this summer’s interns, and learn about how their internships at NECC have impacted their career aspirations.
Chloe Chiota ’24
Hamilton College
Biology with a minor in sociology on the pre-med track
Hometown: Southborough
Intern with IIP Cohort G
Why did you choose to do your summer internship at NECC?
I decided to be a summer intern with NECC because I was looking for a volunteering opportunity for the summer and NECC seemed like the perfect place to make a difference while learning a lot and gaining valuable experience. I was inspired by NECC’s incredible mission and innovative teaching practices, and I’m so glad I get to be a part of it.
What are you hoping to get out of your internship?
I’m hoping to gain skills in communication and problem solving, as well as learning to see from a different perspective and to tailor my approach to who I am interacting with.
What are your future plans? Do you hope to work with children with autism or a similar field after graduation?
I am not planning to pursue a career specifically working with children with autism, as I am hoping to go to medical school and becoming a physician, but I believe the skills I learn at NECC will be applicable to my career aspirations in many different ways.
What has been your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of NECC has absolutely been the students. I am so grateful to have met these incredible students and to have the opportunity to be a part of their education!
Olivia Chiota ’24
Hamilton College
Biology with a women and gender studies minor, pre-med track
Hometown: Southborough
Intern with IIP Cohort F
Why did you choose to do your summer internship at NECC?
I was really interested in interning for NECC after taking a tour of the school and learning about what a wonderful organization it is. I was so impressed by the facilities, teachers, and methods of the school, and I knew I wanted to be a part of the organization for the summer.
What are you hoping to get out of your internship?
I was really interested in the way NECC takes and analyzes data. I’m hoping to finish this internship with better problem-solving skills, communication strategies, and memories of the wonderful students!
What are your future plans? Do you hope to work with children with autism or a similar field after graduation?
I’m on the pre-med track and my ultimate goal is to be a physician. I found the medical and dental desensitization classes that we ran with students super interesting.
What has been your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of the internship has been the students! It’s been so wonderful to slowly get to know the students in Cohort F individually. Another huge highlight for me was field day. All the students were so excited, and it was just such a fun day of games, treats, and being outside.
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to spend this summer with NECC!
Gianna Godek ’24
The University of Massachusetts Amherst
Psychology and Education, Community Education and Social Change
Hometown: Shrewsbury
Intern with ITT 3
Why did you choose to do your summer internship here?
Not only is NECC so close to home, but it is also nationally known to provide immaculate care to their students with autism. When I was offered a position as an intern, I couldn’t pass up this extraordinary opportunity! I knew from the beginning that this experience would be life changing for me, helping to guide me on the path to success.
What are you hoping to get out of your internship?
Throughout this internship experience, I strive to get a better understanding of the field of special education. More importantly, I am hoping to enrich the lives of all the students I encounter.
What are your future plans/goals?
As of right now, my plan is to engage in occupational therapy, but I am keeping an open mind throughout this experience to see what other careers may interest me. As my future career is still unknown, I am confident that I will be working with children and young adults with autism.
What has been your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of the internship would definitely be working with the students. It’s so fun getting to know what their likes and dislikes are and engaging in these conversations with them. All the boys are so sweet and have such an awesome personality! It has been a pleasure working with all of them and getting to know them better!
Is there anything else you would like to share?
This has been my first internship experience and it has genuinely exceeded my expectations! The staff of ITT is extremely devoted and supportive to both their students and each other. I could not ask for a better work environment as I am always encouraged to strive to do my best, and I am given the opportunity to make decisions on my own, as a level 2 teacher would.
My experience at NECC thus far has taught me so much and given me great insight about the field. I can truly say NECC has been an extraordinary resource to help me find my path in life, as I have fallen in love with the career in the past month and a half. Thank you NECC for all that you do for your staff and students!
Julia Hayes ’23
University of Idaho
Elementary and special education
Hometown: Spokane Valley, WA
Intern with IIP Cohort A
How did you hear about NECC?
I found out about NECC by exploring Indeed for summer internships involving special education.
Why did you choose to do your summer internship at NECC? Why did you choose to relocate for the summer?
I chose to do an internship at NECC because of the invaluable experience it offered students to get hands-on experience working in the classroom with students. As a student studying special education, this seemed like an incredible opportunity to gain more experience that will better prepare me for my future career! Due to the invaluable experience NECC offers, I decided it would definitely be worth it to move across the country for the summer and experience living in a completely new area for a bit.
What are you hoping to get out of your internship?
By taking on this summer internship, I was hoping to get hands-on experience in the classroom that would teach me more about everything that goes into teaching special education. I can confidently say that my time so far here at NECC has done that, and I am extremely grateful for all that I have learned and can take with me into my future career!
What are your future plans? Do you hope to work with children with autism or a similar field after graduation?
After I finish my undergraduate this coming year, I plan to pursue a master’s degree either in special education or educational leadership/administration. I would definitely love to continue working with children with autism and eventually pursue a career in educational administration working in a district, state, or federal setting to advocate for and shape a better education system.
What has been your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of this internship has been getting to use the strategies and other things I have learned about in school in an actual classroom setting. It is one thing to learn about teaching, but a completely unreal experience to actually do it and see things come together. I have also loved getting to work alongside brilliant and creative teachers and getting to know the most precious kids!
Is there anything else you would like to share?
I am just very grateful for this experience and will carry it with me forever!
Noor Kaur ’23
Bucknell University
Psychology and English
Hometown: Basking Ridge, NJ
Intern with Francine Road
Why did you choose to do your summer internship here? Why did you choose to relocate for the summer?
I was looking for any kind of hands-on experience relevant to my major. I also wanted something with a research component to it. I was really surprised to find an actual internship (and paid) in psychology, so it was cool that this came up. I had worked as a peer mentor with kids with autism before so that drew me in as well. I’m still in the process of figuring out what I want to do with my degree, so I jumped in from an explorative perspective.
As for relocating, I didn’t really mind relocating. I wanted to try out Massachusetts and Boston living-wise, especially for graduate school.
What are you hoping to get out of your internship?
I’m hoping this internship will guide me in deciding what area of study and what career I want to pursue. I’ve learned so much already, so even if this is not something I stick with, I’ll have a lot to take with me.
What are your future plans?
I love working with children and this has been a great experience, so I might continue with this. I’m also considering taking a clinical route to provide services to South Asian/minority clients as a representative of the community.
What has been your favorite part of the internship?
This might be a cheesy, cliche answer, but truly the people have been the best part. Of course, the students are amazing, and I have developed a relationship with all of them. But the other teachers have been super helpful, and I made friends with a lot of them. It was awesome being around these people who care so much about what they do and are so good at it too. I’m going to miss them. Also, getting to know the other interns was really fun because it was nice to meet people with similar interests from different schools.
Sam Monks ’23
Haverford College
Psychology
Hometown: Arlington
Intern with New Castle Road
Why did you choose to do your summer internship here?
I wanted a hands-on learning experience where I could learn and use psychological tools to make a difference. NECC seemed like the perfect community for me to achieve my goals while staying close to home!
What are you hoping to get out of your internship?
A more active and thorough understanding of autism and ABA. And some new friends along the way!
What are your future plans?
My long-term career goal is to become a licensed clinical psychologist. But as a result of my positive experience at NECC, I do hope to work with children with autism in some capacity in the future!
What has been your favorite part of the internship?
Building rapport with my students. Seeing the smiles on their faces makes the hard work worth it.