Passion Project — A Passion for Helping

Signing on for an internship with the MHS Health and Wellness Center, April ’23 wasn’t sure she would have enough projects to tackle.

April needn’t have worried. She was quite busy. Two of her biggest tasks were pulling together resources for the 9th grade Horizons curriculum and planning for the February Mental Health Summit at MHS.

“It ended up working out great,” notes April, who was also able to connect her internship with a class — Introduction to Community Resources — she was taking at nearby Berkshire Community College. She is interested in studying public health policy in college, with the goal of potentially working in addiction services on a policy level.

“I like to help people,” April explains of her interest in the MHS internship. “I’m really interested in prevention work, and I got involved in political activism in middle school, and then I wanted to look more into social work and addiction services and putting my interests into practice.”

Part of April’s internship entailed compiling resources on reproductive and mental health for the 9th grade Horizons curriculum, notes MHS Director of Health and Wellness Kristen Milano. For the Mental Health Summit, April identified keynote speakers and developed a vision for the day.

April’s familiarity with what we had done in previous years and knowing what the students wanted for that day was really important and helpful for prioritizing the student experience,” notes Ms. Milano, who particularly appreciated April’s connection with students. “April has a lot of knowledge, and when she speaks, the students listen.”

For April, integrating the Horizons and BCC experiences made each more rewarding. “I learned a lot about myself, what makes me happy, and what makes other people happy,” she said. “The class made me value Horizons that much more, because I learned the science behind helping people, and that made me realize I want to do even more.”