I was browsing through the OCS Peer2Peer Network the other week and came across an interesting way that a student chose to spend her summer. A couple summers ago, Meaghan Lyons '11 was a Personal Care Assistant at North Shore Association for Retarded Citizens in Danvers, MA. Since many premed students are looking for "clinical" positions where they are able to provide direct service, I asked Meaghan to describe how this opportunity came about and what her experience was like. Here's what she said:
Working for the North Shore ARC while I was in high school, and intermittently during my college summer breaks, was the result of a longstanding relationship with my neighbors. I started out as a mother’s helper for a family that lived two houses down from me with two Autistic children. As a middle school student, I was never left alone with either of the children, but acted more as another set of hands to help with the daughter. The family I worked for became my second family and I grew very close to both children and their parents.This should go to show you that a good place to start when looking for internship and volunteer positions is in your own community. A large component of clinical medicine is direct service to people and there are many related opportunities right in your backyard.
When I got to high school I made the transition from being a mother’s helper to being a paid employee of the North Shore ARC. The ARC is a non-profit group located in Danvers, MA that is dedicated to providing programs and resources to families with members who are disabled. My job was often extremely challenging. It can be frustrating to try and communicate with someone who has Autism; both of the children I worked with had severe communication barriers and conversation on their end never extended beyond one-word answers. On the other hand, I have had few experiences that have been as rewarding as taking the older son out into the community to go bowling or go to the mall and seeing how happy it makes him.
When I go home for breaks from Harvard, I always make sure to visit my neighbors and occasionally still babysit for them. I am lucky to have had a job that taught me so much about patience and caring for others. No matter what my career, Autism advocacy is something that will always be important to me. There are so many avenues to help people and family with disabilities, both mental and physical. We need politicians and advocates who support legislation and funding that assists families with members with disabilities, just as much as we need scientists who can find the cure for Autism. I am not sure which camp I will fall into, but, regardless, my work with the North Shore ARC will always be a life-shaping experience.
If you have questions for Meaghan about her experience, feel free to email her at mlyons@fas.harvard.edu. For other ideas and to ask other students about their summer experiences, please give Peer2Peer a browse. Good luck with your summer search!
