Name: Veronica Ramirez
Class Year: 2023
Major: Anthropology and Sociology
Hometown: South Gate, Calif.
Internship Organization: Nationalities Service Center
Job Title: Employment and Advancement Intern
Location: Online
Award: Otto and Gertrude Pollak Fund
What’s happening at your internship?
At Nationalities Service Center (NSC), Greater Philadelphia's largest and most comprehensive provider of services, the mission is to welcome and empower immigrants to thrive in their communities to reach their fullest potential. NSC believes that immigrants and refugees are a critical part of the fabric of life in the U.S. Their vision is that all immigrants and refugees achieve a life of dignity, safety, stability, sustainable opportunities, and meaningful connections in their communities. NSC offers services to immigrants and refugees who are victims of human trafficking and those unaccompanied children to put them on a path to self-sufficiency and create a safe and permanent residency. To meet their mission, NSC provides comprehensive services and supports including legal protections and remedies, community integration, access to health and wellness services, education and employment services, and opportunities to achieve English language proficiency.
Why did you apply for this internship?
Although I have lived experience as a child born to those who have immigrated to the U.S., it is still my responsibility to better understand how the U.S. immigration system works for refugees and immigrants through research and education. It is a fundamental process of civic engagement: action, learning, and reflection, which supports community members as the experts of their lives. Throughout this internship I’ve learned about the related categories of migrants and refugees to understand how people cross borders under different circumstances: some voluntary, others fleeing conflict or persecution, and still others that seem to fall between these ideal types. It has increased my understanding and empathy for others.
What has been your favorite part of this internship?
On Feb. 23, 2021, I co-facilitated the Social Justice and Advocacy Virtual Meet Up. It was a virtual panel discussion on careers in social justice and advocacy with alumnae/i and partners from a variety of nonprofit to provide students insights into career paths in this field of work. Dana Gold ‘18, former job developer for NSC, caught my attention through her well-explained details of her job and the nonprofit. I reached out to Dana after the panel to schedule a Zoom meeting to learn more about the job and how I can intern for NSC. After an interview, I accepted the offer to intern with NSC for the summer!
My engagement with community members has been through the employment and advancement team. The employment programs provide newly arrived refugees with job readiness and job placement support, enabling them to secure their first jobs in the U.S., which advances many opportunities to achieve economic self-sufficiency. This is achieved through continued successful partnerships with small and multinational businesses in Philadelphia. NSC participants have obtained employment in light manufacturing, food production, retail, and hospitality.
Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?
My overall responsibilities include but are not limited to: job development/ community outreach, employment outreach, and job placement. As an intern, I connect with clients and employers by building trusting and respectful relationships that will support meaningful and impactful changes in the lives of NSC participants by helping people find job opportunities and other resources. As a full-time intern, it is my responsibility to assist in job searches by supporting the participants in filling out job applications and by guiding them through the interview process. The everyday tasks include: editing and adding confidential client information to excel spreadsheets; documenting each client interaction through case notes using Apricot Social Solutions; assisting with booking client or interpreter appointments in YAROOMS (scheduling tool) and Zoom; observing client calls including follow-ups, intakes, and job offers; observing employment outreach calls; and attending a webinar for professional development.
Visit the Summer Internship Stories page to read more about student internship experiences.