I was first introduced to CBL by Professor Cohen. She had emailed me about applying because she thought that it would be something I like. At that time I didn’t have a clear image of what CBL was, because, although my Jan term course with Professor Cohen was a CBL course, I never got to go volunteer somewhere as I took the course online. As I did more research I fell in love with the CBL program because it gives students the opportunity to connect and form relationships with the people of Worcester. Being here for only my first semester and then being sent home resulted in a loss of time for me to learn about Worcester, which I had always hoped to do. At that moment after being on the CBL website for an hour I decided I had to apply. The application process was very nerve-wracking for me because I really wanted this position. And thankfully I did get the position. I remember opening the decision letter and being so happy because I would be able to give back to the community while also learning more about Worcester.
My first semester as a CBL intern has been wonderful. I have been able to go to downtown Worcester and see amazing art by many different artists, talk to other students about CBL, and also facilitate reflection on what volunteering means. As a CBL intern, I am one of the leaders for Ascentria tutoring and also one of the CBL interns helping in the preparation of the Non-Profit Careers Conference. Being a tutor for Ascentria has been a very rewarding experience. At the moment tutoring is still done through Zoom but I have been able to learn what are the best ways to help Ascentria students. Although at first, it was a challenge teaching through Zoom, I am very grateful because I get to help students learn English, something that I have been doing most of my life with helping my parents learn English at home. This week will be our last day tutoring for the semester and I would like to say that I am very thankful for Dora, the other CBL leader at Ascentria, the Holy Cross tutors, and the students from Ascentria for making this a very insightful experience. As I wrap up on tutoring with Ascentria I, along with the other CBL interns, have started to prepare for the Non-Profit Careers Conference and I can’t wait to meet other students who are also interested in the Non-Profit sector.
