2014 TACC Summer Interns: Building a Pipeline of Community Leaders

Since May 28th, things have been pretty busy here at TACC, as we welcomed our 2014 TACC summer interns. For 12 weeks, 11 Boston College undergraduates will contribute to local neighborhood revitalization efforts and gain hands-on experience working in vital community organizations in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood. We are fortunate to be collaborating with the following community partners that are hosting our interns:

• • • Boston Housing Authority
    • Dudley Square Main Streets
    • Lift
    • New England Center of Arts and Technology
    • Newmarket Business Association
    • United Neighborhood of Lower Roxbury
    • Upham’s Corner Main Street
    • Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts
    • Whittier Street Health Center

Last year in a letter to the The Boston Globe, Neil McCullagh, TACC’s Executive Director, expressed his opinion that “fostering an equitable society depends on our ability to create real-life learning opportunities for young people.”

I could not agree more. Last summer, I started as a TACC intern at Upham’s Corner Main Street. This experience opened my eyes to how important community groups can be in meeting the residents’ needs and the different opportunities to get involved and contribute. I’m willing to bet Pat Regan, a former TACC intern now working as a healthcare project analyst, would agree too; his real-life experience at Whittier Street Health Center, helped him to connect his skills and interests to the tangible needs and rights of individuals and communities.

We welcome the 2014 TACC summer interns and look forward to using this blog to provide insight into their experiences in the field. Over the next several months, the interns will share stories about their work and, hopefully, further our understanding of the importance of a summer internship in building a pipeline of community leaders.

 ABOUT RONETTE SEENEY, ASSOCIATE FOR PROGRAMS, TACC: Ronnie assists in bringing together key stakeholders to maximize collaboration and community input in order to foster positive outcomes. While studying at Boston College, Ronnie enrolled in Real Estate and Urban Action, a course co-taught by TACC’s founder and executive director. Inspired by what she learned, Ronnie participated in the 2013 TACC Summer Internship Program and was matched with Upham’s Corner Main Street in Dorchester, MA. There she helped with business promotion by developing a local dining guide and marketing materials focused on repurposing a large, underutilized building as an incubator for the arts, culture, and innovation. Ronnie holds an undergraduate degree in Marketing from the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. Her future plans include a joint law and urban planning degree program.

You can reach Ronnie by email at ronette_seeney@tamcc.org or by phone at 617.822.7267.