Seniors at Rising Tide have the opportunity to participate in the Senior Internship Course, a community-based internship program. Students gain career experience in an unpaid internship in a field of their choice. This year, senior Emily Hamilton is interning with the Plymouth Youth Development Collaborative (PYDC),a community coalition to help prevent and reduce substance abuse and misuse and support a healthy community.
1. You are doing an internship with the Plymouth Youth Development Collaborative. Why did you select this organization for your internship?
For our internship class, we are assigned places to work. When we signed up, we told Ms. Foster and Ms. Mina about our career goals and our interests. I have been in a group called Drug Story Theater since I was thirteen, teaching adolescents my age and younger about the impact of substance use on the adolescent brain. Because of this group and my own history with substance use, I am very passionate about preventing addiction. I could not have been happier with the group my teachers have chosen for me to work with. I love working with PYDC.
2. What are you doing for them as an intern?
My work with PYDC is very independent. Often times, my site supervisor will give me a general idea of the next project she wants us to complete. Then, I will take the ideas we generate during our meeting to make campaigns and projects specific to our Rising Tide students and the rest of the Plymouth community. While all of the projects we do are a bit different, the goal is the same: to prevent substance abuse amongst adolescents, and inherently, the adults of our future. This is easier said than done, but spreading awareness amongst adolescents is a huge step in the right direction. We want adolescents to make choices for themselves, but we also want them to be informed about the consequences behind their actions.
3. Can you explain the special project you did with Rising Tide ninth-graders related to the bulletin board that is featured in your photo?
The “What’s Your Reason?” campaign was created by PYDC and was originally a social media campaign that featured similar comments from adolescents, outlining their reasons for not using substances. This project was adapted for Rising Tide ninth-graders. In advisory, the ninth-graders were already working on their substance abuse unit. We took this opportunity to introduce the project to them. I met with the freshman and told them a bit about my history with substance use so that they knew I wasn’t just doing this project because I had to. I am very passionate about the issue because I have personally struggled with drug and alcohol use along with members of my family. I think that they were able to relate to me because, although I am a bit older and try to act like a role model, I was even younger than they are when I was having issues. After the presentation, they were given a template with the prompt, “I don’t use substances because…”, and they were asked to make posters with these templates. The focus of this project was positive peer pressure. We wanted our students to know that substance use isn’t the norm amongst teens. It’s not like we see in the movies, where teens all use substances and experiment with drugs or alcohol. Most importantly, teens need to know that they have the power to prevent substance use simply by being a good influence. All people just want to belong to a group that accepts them, and nobody needs substances to find their place in the world if we are accepting of people for who they are.
4. What are the highlights or your favorite things about doing an internship with PYDC?
I absolutely love working with other students! After presenting to the freshmen, I was greeted in the hallway with smiles and “hello’s” from them. I am so incredibly proud of the freshmen and all of the students at Rising Tide who strive to make their peers feel like they belong. It feels good to do good, and I love being part of a community that wholeheartedly supports this cause. In fact, it makes me sad that I’m graduating this year.
5. What are your plans when you graduate from Rising Tide?
I plan on going to Bridgewater State University and getting my master’s degree in elementary education.
6. Do you want to follow a career in this area?
I do not plan on doing this full time, but I will always be a part of the cause. This is what keeps me sober and happy. I can’t imagine not being involved in the cause because it has been such a huge part of my life since the age of thirteen.
7. What do you enjoy most about being a student at Rising Tide?
The community!! I have never felt such a sense of belonging in my life. I have never felt so loved and accepted before coming to Rising Tide. I’m a weirdo and a nerd. Rising Tide has taught me to embrace this! I have never been happier to be me. My confidence has skyrocketed.
8. Do you have a favorite memory or learning experience that stands out and helped you choose your future path of study?
Nothing in particular. I just have always loved the idea of being a teacher, and I finally realized that it’s the best career path for me.
9. Do you have any special interests or activities you enjoy outside of academics?
I love working with my Drug Story Theater family. However, more than anything, I love dogs. I’ll probably have like 10 when I’m older.
10. Any advice you would like to share with your younger classmates at Rising Tide?There is nothing more empowering than just being yourself and not feeding into negativity. It takes a long time to get to this point, but once you do, it’s freeing. Embrace what makes you different and you will find the right friends for you. If you are just molding to the standards of others, you are probably not hanging around the best people. Your friends should push you forward, not hold you down.
