Carolina recently completed an internship at Common Ground (CG), this summer. She is currently studying Communications at Albertus Magnus College and we were thrilled to welcome her back to campus, as she is also a Common Ground High School alum (’22)! At the end of the school year, Carolina sat down with After School Media Club members Jayden and JC for an interview and shared her personal and professional experiences that brought her back to CG.
What’s your job at Common Ground?
For my communications internship, I will be making phone calls to potential sponsors for the organization’s biggest annual fundraiser – Feast from the Fields. I will also help with events, the Development team’s monthly newsletters, and social media.
What are your previous work experiences? What made CG a good next step for you?
My past work experience here at Common Ground was last summer. It was a paid position where I helped at Open Farm Days. I would greet people as they came to the campus, take care of the animals – like give them water – and I would clean some of the outdoor areas. Being in the communications field made this position a good next step, it went with my communications major that I’m studying for in college.
What part of CG made you come back here? What motivates you to work here now?
The communications experience with this internship and being close to home, in New Haven. What made me motivated to work here is the environment. I think it’s peaceful outside, I like being around nature, and I also like the staff members – the people here are kind and nice.
What makes you want to work in an environment with young people/young adults?
Young people are the future so I feel like if you’re able to impact other young people, they can also impact other younger people – so it’s like what goes around comes around, in a positive way. I just like being around young people.
What’s your approach to working with young people?
Try to relate to them. If they’re interested in something, I can try to relate to that. Like the work that I’m doing, for example, or if they have similar interests, we could talk about it or find something else relatable.
What’s your approach to communications?
My approach to working in Communications here at Common Ground, although it’s technically my first or second day, is to try to be organized and try to do things on time. Also, like if I need to do my own research at home, I want to be able to help you all and the staff members with fundraising and the sponsorships. We make calls to people who we think would be interested in the Feast from the Fields event and investing in the Common Ground community, so we would call them to ask if they’re interested and we might look to see if they have been sponsors of certain things that relate to the school and organization. That way, they could possibly be more likely to help if they have, let’s say for example, an interest in the young people in New Haven.
What life experiences made you want to work in communications?
I was drawn to the communications field as I got older, while having more interactions with people. I feel like going into this major helped me with a lot of different things. With communications, I’m able to express myself more and connect to other people and other communities too. I feel like it will help me with my personal life. I also think that with communications you could do different things, like journalism, depending on what you want to do with your career or what your interests are. Maybe you want to be an author, maybe write a book.
How does your job relate to students?
My job relates to the students because I am trying to get more people to help with the school and the organization, and to get the resources that’s needed here.
What’s one change you’d like to see at CG, and why?
One change I would like to see is the Common Ground staff members getting close to the students as they were when I was here. I’d also like to see the students work on things that they need to know if they want to go to college – let’s say life skills, like moving into an apartment or a house. I’d like for you all to learn the things that you would need for real life.
How do you think Communications helps do that?
I just changed my major so it’s new for me but, so far, I feel like it’s been helping me a lot with public speaking, journalism, being able to write, going into the community and asking questions. Also being an advocate, as well, for certain things that need to be mentioned or noticed more.
Would your younger self see you working in this field?
My younger self saw me being a veterinarian. But, you need a bachelor’s degree in biology to be able to go down that career path and, for me, the subjects that I needed to study for the biology major was a little hard. And, you know, sometimes these things happen – so I feel like sometimes life won’t always give you what you want, but it gives you what you need.
Earlier, you said you wanted students and staff to be closer, as the change that you wanted to see at Common Ground. How does your internship help do that?
Part of Communications is speaking to people – I would say, for example, doing interviews. I could go up to the teachers, interview them, ask for their opinion on the school and what they think about it, see what they like about their job, why are they here, how long do they plan on staying, and then I can interview you all (the students). Or we can have a meeting with the students and the staff members.
Did you expect to be working at your high school again? What are any goals you have completed while working here?
No, I did not. I guess I’d say some completed goals were remaining close to some staff members and some of the students that are here, and staying in communication with them after graduating, as well as checking up on them sometimes.
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