Internships can open doors for college students and allow them to grasp a better understanding of what they can do with their hard-earned degrees after graduation.

From growing communication and problem solving-skills to adjusting to strict deadlines, a variety of skill sets can be further developed when working outside a classroom and in a professional setting.

Jessica Cerrato ‘24 majors in criminal justice and is pursuing a paralegal certificate. With the help of Professor Sofia Mastandrea, who’s been working at the Dutchess County Public Defender's Office for the past six years, Cerrato successfully landed her internship at the Dutchess County Public Defender's Office this spring.

Cerrato said she gained a lot of experience in just a few weeks. Through shadowing criminal intakes, Cerrato had the chance to see interviews with defendants, different charges and accusations against the defendants. She even had the opportunity to accompany intake specialists to jail on more than one occasion.

“The thing I would tell Marist students is to take risks, run towards your dreams and never let anyone outwork you. One of my favorite quotes that speaks to this is ‘Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire,’” Cerrato said.

“Even as a freshman, it is never too early to start networking or setting goals for yourself,” Jessica Jaeb ‘23 said.

Jaeb has been with Impact PR and Communications for a few months now, interning as a public relations assistant. Jaeb has a double major in history and communications with a concentration in public relations and a minor in African Diaspora studies.

This is Jaeb’s fourth internship during her college career. She previously interned with Content Studio at Martinelli Custom Publishing as an editorial intern, the Hudson River Valley Institute as a research intern and the Historic Huguenot Street working in programming and education.

Jaeb revealed how her internships have given her an idea of what PR looks like in the real world versus a classroom setting.

Jaeb first created her goal of interning with Impact PR and Communications in her freshman year. She interacted with the company over four years and expressed how content she was with her early planning.

However, Jaeb explained how challenging it can be to manage classes and work alongside her internship, while also enjoying being a college student. When completing tasks and assignments, she makes sure to have no distractions in order to make as much progress as she can in her limited work time.

Balancing an internship during the school year can be difficult, so others choose to partake in summer internships. Emili Serratore ‘22 completed her internship during the summer of 2022 in her home state, Massachusetts. Through her mother’s connection as a former patient in the facilities, Serratore had help applying for the internship and connected with the owner of the offices.

Working in two offices, Norwood Physical Therapy and Needham Physical Therapy, Serratore observed and helped doctors with patients. With a major in human biology and minors in psychology and music, this internship widened Serratore’s perspective on her future career decisions.

“I was hoping to see what it was like and daily problems and patients they encountered. This internship made me more interested in physical therapy than I was before,” said Serratore.

While some internships open new doors, others help to solidify that this is exactly where they want to be.

Psychology major Tatiana Tonelli ‘23 said her internship made her realize how much she loved the field she was in.

For psychology majors, internships are mandatory. With the help of Marist connections, Tonelli applied for her internship online through career services and is currently interning at Beacon PROS, Mental Health America.

“Already it's been a really big opportunity because it's my first step in the door of being a therapist because I'm literally working with clients and I'm talking to them about issues that may arise in conversations,” said Tonelli.

Tonelli had the chance to run group therapies and create agendas for the groups, including finding articles and videos and talking to different clients one-on-one.

As her internship nears its end with a job lined up for the summer, Tonelli is grateful to have had an experience like this before graduating and chasing her dreams in the psychology field.

Marist Internships Jumpstart Careers

MARIST CIRCLE