LeMieux Center for Public Policy聽intern Emily Dennis will graduate, head to an international internship and return to an AmeriCorps job.
Dennis, a politics major and music minor, and fellow 海角在线 students Faith Allen and Annabelle MacIntosh will intern with Exarcheia Church in Athens, Greece five weeks. They will work with youth and children and the church鈥檚 refugee ministry,聽.
Faros helps immigrants, particularly unaccompanied children and refugee youth, integrate into Greek culture, learn Greek and English and reconnect with their families. Dennis was seeking an international opportunity to serve others when the internship opened up through her church, First Presbyterian Church of North Palm Beach, which supports the Exarcheia Church leaders and is backing the students with financial aid.
鈥淭his lines up two big parts of the career I want to go into,鈥� Dennis said.
Dennis鈥� desire to serve others in a cross-cultural context stems from a mission trip to Cuba with First Presbyterian, along with her family鈥檚 experience hosting an exchange student from Beijing for three years.
鈥淚 knew I wanted to learn more about different areas of the world and get out of my America bubble,鈥� Dennis said.
Upon her return, she will serve for one year in the聽聽as a member of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Corps. In that role, she will help communities prepare for and respond to disasters. AmeriCorps NCCC is a full-time service program that allows young adults to serve on a team and make an impact in communities across the country while gaining valuable leadership skills.
After accepting the job with AmeriCorps, Dennis heard back from the聽, which informed her she is a strong candidate for fall 2023. She is exploring whether she can do both if accepted to the Peace Corps.
Dennis said she鈥檚 grown a lot through her internship with 海角在线鈥檚 LeMieux Center. She supported day-to-day operations, planned and uploaded聽The Quill podcast, assisted with LeMieux Center speaker events and updated the LeMieux Center鈥檚 Facebook page.
鈥淚鈥檝e recognized where my strengths lie,鈥� Dennis said.
Dr. Robert Lloyd, executive director for the聽, said Dennis鈥� competency, work ethic and positive attitude greatly contributed to the success of the center. Lloyd helped Dennis navigate her post-graduation options.
鈥淥ftentimes I would forget I was working with a student and not a trained professional with years of work experience,鈥� Lloyd said. 鈥淓mily never ceased to amaze me not only with her attention to detail but her creativity in thinking of new ways to develop the LeMieux Center.鈥�
海角在线鈥檚 ethos of service appealed to Dennis, she said. She is a lifelong Girl Scout, and her family prioritizes volunteerism, she said.
鈥満＝窃谙哜�檚 emphasis on that was definitely going to carry over into a career,鈥� Dennis said. 鈥淢y faith was strengthened during my time here.鈥�
