Aaliyah’s Story: “I’m Meant to Help Other People”

Aaliyah loves animals, slam poetry, music and recently discovered that helping other people is one of her main passions, too. She found this passion during her second internship through Career and College Success.

“They started promoting Career and College Success during my sophomore year,” she said. “The internship options appealed to me.”

Aaliyah, a student at the Denver School of Innovation and Sustainable Design or DSISD, had her heart set on a more creative position and one that was not based in technology. Sorting through the different job descriptions, she found a role as part of Discovery Link, an after school program in many DPS schools.

Sorting through the different job descriptions, she found a role as part of Discovery Link, an after school program in many DPS schools.

She took on the role of an assistant art teacher, supporting with cooking and sports, and especially enjoyed each week on Wednesdays when she led an art class. Aaliyah was responsible for making her own lesson plans, instructing and supporting students through their creative projects.

However, there were certainly more challenging moments that came with the experience as well.

“I remember one girl who was being bullied and was crying,” she said. “I was able to connect with her in a way that the teachers couldn’t because I was closer to her in age. It felt good to be there for her, to be able to talk to her and make her feel better.”

“I remember one girl who was being bullied and was crying … It felt good to be there for her, to be able to talk to her and make her feel better.”

Following this internship experience, Aaliyah signed up for a second. It was during her work with 9HealthFair, a partner branch of 9News, that her desire to help other people really sparked. She has been there since the summer of 2018, two to three times per week.

In her role, Aaliyah supports the Volunteer Management team by coordinating volunteer-led events, filing documents, streamlining operations, decorating for parties and creating flyers.

Most importantly, she said, “The work is really positive and I get to work hard to help other people. Now I know I’m meant to help other people, that’s what I was meant to do, and this internship has ingrained that into my career goals.”

“Now I know I’m meant to help other people, that’s what I was meant to do, and this internship has ingrained that into my career goals.”

To a peer considering applying to the program, she offered this advice:

“Just go for it. It’s totally worth it. There aren’t any downsides to internships, most of our experiences have been very positive. You can always opt out of it next semester. Nothing bad can happen by just applying!”