“What set Olivia apart from other interns was her age. She was much younger than interns we have had in the past, but her work ethic and skills put her in the best company of some of our best interns.” -Kathleen Mannion, Director of Programs, Swim Across America
Olivia was a sophomore athlete at Marblehead High, who loved sports and community service. We felt that both her maturity as well as familiarity with all forms of social media would be a plus for any business or organization. Since she would be taking the commuter boat from the North Shore, we tried to be very careful in scouting out an internship location that would be convenient for her.
Swim Across America fit our checklist in every way: great mentors, a perfect match for Olivia’s combined interests and a 5 minute walk to International Place from the commuter boat. Swim Across America is a national non-profit dedicated to raising money for cancer research through swimming related events.
Olivia wrote:
“So far at Swim Across America, I have learned a lot of new things about the “real world”. My office is located at One International Place, one of the fanciest office buildings in Boston. Not only being in this building, but being on the top floor, my initial feelings about the work environment were like any other 15 year old’s would be, extremely nervous and anxious. However, once I met Kay and Blake, the transition became a lot more smooth and comfortable. They are two very down to earth people and relatable people and it feels extremely natural working with them.
I have helped Blake and Kay out with various tasks. These include: mailing out special T-shirts to those who have reached the “wavemaker” donor status, organizing the Swim Across America bill book, correcting duplicates in the online registrant system, helping reply to messages on Twitter, and updating photos on Flickr.”
In her letter of recommendation, the Director wrote: