This summer, Britebound, in partnership with the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), welcomed five high schoolers to our office for a six-week internship. Throughout their time with us, they learned about working in an office, picked up valuable durable skills, and worked on projects making a real impact. Our PR & Communications intern, Janelin, wrote this article as a final project after interviewing her fellow interns and reflecting on her own experience.
An internship is an opportunity you don’t want to pass up. It's a chance to gain experience in a field that may or may not be what you ultimately pursue, a great experience to put on your resume, and a good way to start networking and getting to know new people. Here at Britebound, we offer a summer internship for high school students that may have an interest in getting a first-hand experience of working in an office. This year, I joined four other interns to work in Britebound’s office in downtown Boston for a six-week internship program. We all were assigned to different departments and each one had their own unique experiences. Keep reading to learn more!
Ashley's Experience
Before joining Britebound, Ashley originally wanted to work at a department store and had previous experience in graphic design. While exploring different career paths, she went to the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) for guidance and completed a survey to help identify careers and opportunities that matched her interests. She was matched with two different internships, but her PIC counselor recommended Britebound because they felt it was the better fit for her.
During her internship, Ashley worked on a variety of creative marketing projects. She created designs for a personality test, developed a presentation about Gen Z culture and trends, and helped create and direct TikTok videos. She also worked on a short video for the interns’ end-of-internship project, giving her the opportunity to explore different sides of creative marketing.
Ashley’s first impression of Britebound was that it was a very clean and organized workplace, but also a very artsy organization.
Throughout her experience, she says she learned important skills like discipline, time management, and how to advocate for herself.
Her biggest piece of advice for future interns is to remember to stay focused: “While it can be tempting to spend time hanging out and having fun with friends at work, I believe it’s important to prioritize your projects first. Once the work is done, there’s always time to have fun and enjoy the experience.”
Jivan's Experience
Before joining Britebound, Jivan worked with his counselor during the application process.
When he first thought about the opportunity, he expected the internship to involve a lot of meetings and presentations. He was pleasantly surprised that he got to spend the summer doing so much more than that while working alongside coworkers who were genuinely excited about the work they do.
During his internship, Jivan worked on policy and grantmaking, giving him the opportunity to explore a side of the professional world he was interested in. Some of his main projects included working on a policy memo, conducting interviews, and creating blog posts for the company website.
Through these projects, he gained hands-on experience while learning more about the work that goes into policy and grantmaking. One of the things that stood out to Jivan when he first arrived at Britebound was how welcomed he felt. Seeing the other interns, meeting his boss, and getting to know the people on his team helped him feel more comfortable in the workplace. He quickly began to feel like he was part of a team and had people around him who he could learn from.
Throughout his internship, Jivan also learned more about the way he works best. He discovered that he works better when he has the opportunity to work independently and focus on his own tasks. He also learned the importance of asking questions as soon as he felt confused rather than waiting until later.
“This internship helped prepare me for the real world,” he said. “I was able to work on long-term projects and had to learn how to properly manage my time. I also had to learn how to work individually and get used to reporting updates to different managers.”
Although the internship did not change Jivan’s thoughts about the career he wants to pursue, he still found the experience valuable. It gave him the chance to network, meet new people, and build connections with professionals. More importantly, it allowed him to work on projects related to the type of career he hopes to have in the future. Overall, Jivan describes his Britebound experience as a positive opportunity to meet new people, learn from professionals, and gain real-world experience. The internship gave him a better understanding of what it is like to work in a professional environment while allowing him to explore and gain experience in a career path that interests him.
Christian's Experience
Before joining Britebound, Christian had originally applied for a different internship. His career pathway teacher suggested that he apply for Britebound, which led him to this opportunity. When he found out he had been accepted, he was excited and ready to start, especially because it was his first internship experience.
During his time at Britebound, Christian worked in digital marketing and gained experience analyzing key metrics, creating reports on how the apps were performing, and helping maintain and manage Britebound’s ad budget. He also learned how to track conversions and developed a better understanding of digital marketing and how to apply it to his work.
One thing he learned about himself was that when he finished a task and didn’t have anything else to work on, he would lose track of time.
Because of this, his advice to future interns is to stay proactive. If you finish a project, he recommends asking your manager if there is anything else you can help with or anything they would like you to look over. He also adds, “Open yourself to new opportunities, step out of your comfort zone and you’ll see things in a different perspective.”
His experience at Britebound also helped him think more about his future. After working in digital marketing, Christian realized that it could be something he would want to pursue as a career because he already has experience in the field. Overall, he describes Britebound as a fun place to learn, where he was able to explore different career paths and gain experience that he plans to keep in mind for his future.
Tiala's Experience
Before joining Britebound, Tiala’s PIC counselor recommended the internship and explained that it would be a good opportunity for her.
Through the internship, she joined the research department, where she was able to gain hands-on experience and see how research can be used in a professional setting. During her time at Britebound, Tiala worked on several different research projects. She helped sort open responses from youth demographic research, designed a disability perception survey for teens, and presented the findings to disability experts. She also helped develop research survey questions and worked on finding ways to make research results easier and more accessible for teens to understand.
She adds: "Presenting my findings on disability to people who actually focus on that for a living was so nerve-wracking, but [it was] also so rewarding, to know that the work I do will actually have a positive impact on people's lives."
Through these projects, Tiala developed a variety of research skills. She learned how to conduct qualitative content analysis, analyze research data, find relevant experts, and develop effective research questions. These experiences helped her understand that research is more than simply collecting information—it also involves knowing how to organize, understand, and communicate that information to different audiences.
From the beginning of her internship, Tiala felt welcomed at Britebound. Having her own desk, meeting her manager, seeing the other interns, and even having snacks available helped her feel comfortable in the workplace. These small things made the environment feel more inviting and helped her feel like she was truly part of the team.
One of the biggest things Tiala learned about herself was that she doesn’t need to know everything in order to be good at something. Her internship showed her that it’s okay to learn as she goes and that asking questions and being open to learning are important parts of growing professionally.
Because of this, her biggest piece of advice for future interns is simple: Be ready to learn.
Before Britebound, Tiala mainly thought of research as something connected to school—something you had to be good at for class. After her internship, she realized that research can also be an actual career. She learned that people can work in research professionally and even pursue a bachelor’s degree in the field.
While she is still interested in pursuing cybersecurity and wants to attend school and build a career in that area, her experience at Britebound gave her a new perspective on another career path she had not considered before.
Overall, Tiala’s experience at Britebound helped her develop new skills, become more confident in her ability to learn, and understand the different career opportunities available to her. It showed her that the skills she develops in school can be applied to real-world careers and that sometimes, discovering what you can do is just as important as knowing what you want to do.
Janelin's Experience
When my PIC counselor, Andy Joseph, first presented the Britebound internship to me, I was nervous. I had never pictured myself working in a corporate environment, and I didn’t know much about business or PR and Communications. But, I decided to take the opportunity and see where it would lead me.
During my internship, I worked on different projects within the PR & Communications department. I helped create social media posts for platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and X. I also looked at what content people interacted with most, researched what other nonprofits were sharing, and helped identify what we could improve on our own platforms. Another project I worked on was writing an article about Britebound’s new grantees.
My Britebound experience was great and welcoming. My manager was very welcoming and someone I felt comfortable asking questions and learning from. I also quickly became close with the other high school interns. We even created a group chat where we could talk, share ideas, and help each other with our projects.
One of the biggest things I learned was how important it is to understand your audience. Since most of the content I worked on was created for adults, I had to learn how to look at things from a different perspective. Sometimes that was challenging, but with my manager’s guidance, I became more comfortable with it.
A piece of advice I would give is to always advocate for yourself and don't be afraid to ask questions or ask for guidance.
I still see myself pursuing a career in law, but this internship opened my mind to the possibility of working in corporate law or a similar field. Overall, my time at Britebound was a great opportunity to learn, meet new people, and gain experience that I can carry with me into my future.
The Power of Experiential Learning
For Janelin, Ashley, Christian, Jivan, and Tiala, Britebound was more than just an internship. Each of them came in with different interests and expectations, but they all left with new skills, experiences, and a better idea of what they want for their future.Through hands-on projects, working with professionals, and meeting other interns, they were able to experience what a real workplace is like. Their stories show that an internship can be a great way to learn, try new things, and discover career paths you may not have thought about before. If you’re a high school student looking for an opportunity to grow, explore careers, and gain real work experience, consider signing up for an internship next year. You never know what you might discover about yourself or your future!
