Nethmi Dharmasena ‘27 interns with Summer of Service: Philly Goes 2 College

Name: Nethmi Dharmasena 
Class Year: 2027 
Major: Neuroscience & Political Science 
Hometown: Skillman, NJ 
 
Internship Organization: Philly Goes 2 College 
Internship Title: Collegiate Collaborator 
Location: Philadelphia, PA 
 
What's happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing! 
There are so many things going on at my internship! We are currently pushing out a bunch of FAFSA help content. PG2C has secured the funding to hire a FAFSA coach so most of our social media has been related to trying to promote students booking appointments with Corey our FAFSA coach. Additionally, PG2C has programming related to stories of how students are pursuing their education called From Now 2 The Future and so we've been developing content related to that as well which has been cool because I have heard from really inspirational figures that despite challenges and barriers to education have persevered and gone to college. Lastly, more of the routine aspect of the internship is sorting through and posting scholarships on PG2C's website which initially I thought was menial but upon further reflection it is perhaps one of the most important things I do as a collegiate collaborator at the organization because it is such a tangible way to help break down barriers of any kind for students that want to go to college. 

Why did you apply for this internship? 
Traditionally when I think of the word service I really do think of a reciprocal sort of action in a way that those that do service work also glean experience and knowledge from the people they serve. In my mind, I felt like there were limited ways to do service work, most of which fell into the healthcare sector of our society. That being said, when my internship search within the healthcare field ended up being less than responsive I was recommended to apply to PG2C. As an education organization, it was so far from anything I thought I was interested in and what my definition of service looked like. However, being a part of the organization has changed my perspective on so many things related to the service field. Applying to this internship was perhaps one of the best things I could have done for myself and I am so lucky that I did apply because truly being a part of such an important organization in terms of secondary education and continuing education has made for a very rewarding summer. 
 
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn't expect? 
As stated previously I think coming into this internship I had a very narrow sense of what the word service meant. Service to me always indicated some sort of direct action and most relevantly connected to the healthcare system at least in my mind. However, this internship has been perhaps some of the more service-oriented work that I have done thus far in my life. One of the biggest things I learned from my internship was that service work, no matter how small it might seem, is still service work. As a collegiate collaborator, when I first got to the organization it seemed like I was doing a lot of menial tasks that almost seemed like busy work. However, upon reflection, this is so far from the truth it almost makes me laugh to think about it. Everything that I have done thus far at PG2C has been directly serving the residents of the Philadelphia area who want to go to college. There is no lack of intentionality with the tasks that are being done at PG2C and that has been such a meaningful and unexpected gift this summer. 
 
What is most rewarding about your internship? 
One of the most rewarding things about my internship is seeing the affects the organization can have on people's lives. I think it is really easy to sit from afar and think that service work can really be impactful and just kind of imagine the results. During my time at PG2C I have really seen the direct impact that the organization has had on multiple peoples lives. There have been countless students I have interacted with from all very different life experiences and backgrounds who have all gotten in and are going to college. It is truly so inspiring to witness the positive impact this organization has had on the citizens of Philly helping bridge the gap of educational equality one step at a time. 

Career & Civic Engagement Center Neuroscience Political Science