Name: Anusha Narayan
Class Year: 2021
Major: Public Health
Hometown: East Windsor, N.J.

Internship Organization: Nationalities Service Center
Job Title: Refugee Resettlement and Development Intern
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship?

I am a refugee resettlement, green card, and development intern at the Nationalities Service Center. My Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays consist of me meeting with clients, collecting documents, and escorting refugee clients to government agencies to apply for required documentations. I specifically work with utility transfers and school enrollment. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I work with the dDevelopment team and work on branding, programming, and prospect grants for the organization as a whole.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied for this internship because I really connected with the mission of the organization. Especially with the political climate today, I felt as though working with refugee populations was very important to my internal purpose. I also had a friend who interned at the organization last summer, and she shared with me how incredible her experience has been, so NSC was always my first choice when I found out I would be participating in Summer of Service this summer. Additionally, I myself am an immigrant and a woman of color, and I feel as though this organization’s work connected to my own identities and aligned with my own personal goals.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

Aside from the fact that I felt very connected to the mission of my organization, my favorite part of my internship that I did not expect to love so much has definitely been the other interns that I have met. They are such a diverse, incredible group of people. I have really been able to explore other college students’ perspectives outside of the Tri-Co. Connecting with the other interns at NSC has been one of my favorite everyday experiences at my internships. I have been able to create a community that I think I will continue to communicate and connect with even after my internship is completed.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

Although I did not live in Philly, spending every day in Philadelphia has been incredible. I was very nervous about using public transport in the beginning of the internship. Because I grew up in the suburbs, I have never really had much exposure to cities. However, with my internship I have gotten so much more confident about being in the city and using public transportation, which has always been a big goal of mine. Although I did get lost and end up in the wrong place a few times, I felt like I grew a lot by learning to navigate parts of Philadelphia. Traveling the city has been intimidating for me during my time in college, but I am confident that now I will be much more comfortable doing so and utilizing Philadelphia in the remainder of my college experience.