Izzy Conners '24 (Political Science major, International Affairs minor) is making the most of the Semester in the City experience, from making impact and building skills at her internship, to taking advantage of all that Boston has to offer! We caught up with Izzy to learn more about the experience.
"As a senior, getting to work a real job and living on my own in the city feels like a soft launch into life after graduation!"
Tell us about where you're interning in Boston, the project(s) you are working on.
I work at UnCornered as an Impact and Evaluation Fellow. UnCornered's mission is to end gun violence in our communities by providing the main drivers of violence educational resources, mental health support, and, overall, offering them a different path.
Since UnCornered is committed to an evidence-based approach it is essential to be up-to-date and accurate in the data and research we are using. My main internship projects at UnCornered have been conducting research and analysis. Many nonprofits need to spend time researching the impacts the organization is having on their communities and UnCornered uses this to format their outreach. What I'm currently doing is two project, one on how community violence impacts mental health, and the other on how community violence impacts academic achievement. To do this, I look at recent studies and other organizations in socio-economic areas similar to UnCornered, especially in Boston.
At the end of the semester, I will deliver an Executive Summary for both of my special project topics, a slide deck with more in-depth data, and a resource bank that future employees and potential partners can use.
What does doing this kind of work mean to you?
I've felt like I've been doing tangible work at UnCornered. There is always something impactful about what I am doing, whether it's for a grant project, a presentation, or even just to get some context about new data. The skills I've developed here will definitely help me in the future.
The Semester in the City (SITC) experience includes reflective classes and support from staff at the College for Social Innovation, what's one of your take aways from this part of the experience?
The staff at SITC are the kindest, most helpful, and genuinely open individuals I've ever met! They make the experience here 10x better for students.
Anything else you want people to know about your experience?
In addition to my internship, I get to live in Allston, Boston! There are an endless amount of things to do in the city and a lot of them can be free with student ID. My roommates and I have had a fantastic time together; we each cook dinner for each other once a week and go on adventures every weekend. Some of my favorite places are the Boston Public Library, the Aquarium, and Sunrise Market. Even though the internship can be busy and the classes will have HW, I still have a lot of time to explore the city.
