Highlighting Hounds- Meredith Medina

Happy Holidays, Hounds! This week on Highlighting Hounds, we are featuring senior Meredith Medina ’25 and her fall semester experience interning with the Devereux Foundation, an organization that provides behavioral health services to individuals with special needs. With campuses in Rutland and Fitchburg, Devereux caters to a diverse range of students, including those with autism spectrum disorder. During her internship, Meredith worked as an assistant to a Speech Language Pathologist and gained hands-on experience at both locations. Her role involved assisting with group sessions, working one-on-one with students, and enhancing her knowledge of augmentative and alternative communication devices. This experience not only reinforced her desire to pursue a career as a Speech Language Pathologist, but also developed critical skills needed for success in the human services field. Read more to learn about Meredith’s journey and the valuable lessons she learned during her internship!

Give a brief overview of the company that you intern with, as well as what your position is.

Over the course of my fall semester, I interned with the Devereux Foundation at two of their
school campuses. Devereux has a main campus in Rutland, MA that is a behavioral health school
that ranges in ages from elementary grade level to continued education at 22 years old. I worked
at the Rutland campus as well as a campus in Fitchburg whose primary focus is students with
autism spectrum disorder. At both placements, I worked side by side with a Speech Language
Pathologist as her assistant/intern for my fall semester.


Describe a typical day as an intern. What are your day-to-day tasks and responsibilities?

During this placement, I was able to help plan group sessions, as well as bring my ideas to life in
sessions. I had many opportunities to lead groups and to work individually with students during
their sessions. I also got to strengthen my knowledge of augmentative and alternative
communication devices, as well as program the devices. For those who do not know,
augmentative and alternative communication devices are chat machines that allow individuals who
are non-verbal to communicate, or are used to strengthen individuals’ communication skills who
may benefit from additional support.

What are your career goals? How will this internship help you reach those goals?

After graduating from Assumption, I plan to further my education in communication sciences in
a master’s program, to become a Speech Language Pathologist. I also plan to apply for my SLPA
license to become an assistant and work throughout my master’s degree to continue developing
my skills in the speech world.


What are your key takeaways from your experience? What skills did you gain from this internship?

This internship was certainly a memorable experience and one that I will cherish as I really
enjoyed working with my supervisor and the students I got to meet throughout the semester.
Having this opportunity solidified the fact that I want to become a Speech Language Pathologist–
to help individuals find their voices and aid them in communication throughout their lives. This
internship taught me to think fast and work quickly on my feet. To work in the Human Service
field, you must be aware that not everyone has grown up the same way that you did, and
not everyone is going to react or act how you would in each scenario. It’s best to be prepared for
any kind of reaction. This is a valuable skill I learned: you must be ready to act quickly and
understand different individuals need different approaches, and that is perfectly normal. You also
need to understand to not take everything personally– sometimes people say and do things purely
acting off emotion, but that does not mean it has anything to do with you. Being able to let things
roll off your back is a big skill I had to work on during my internship.


Why did you apply to this internship? What aspects of the position/company interested you?

I applied to Devereux because I previously had an interest in working with adults, and they have programs for young adults. I also wanted to work in an environment that I had never previously been introduced to. I am from a smaller town in Western Massachusetts, so having this opportunity to work with people from all different cultures and backgrounds was one that I felt I would really benefit from. I think it’s important to step outside of your comfort zone with internships because you never know what you truly have a passion for until you try it. I had met with my supervisor twice during my junior year to sit in and observe sessions at both schools, and the students were all very welcoming to someone they didn’t know and were excited to have the opportunity to work with me as well. Having this kind of environment was a big aspect of my decision to intern at Devereux.


How has your Assumption career prepared you for this internship?

I transferred to Assumption during my sophomore year, joined a sports team, and changed my major, so it was a huge jump for me. I was introduced to a lot of new people, a new schedule, and a whole new school all at once. However, I went into it with an open mind hoping to create a positive experience in a new environment. I went into my internship with the same kind of mentality.


What advice would you give to a student who wants to participate in an internship?

Be open-minded! Nothing comes across worse than going in for an interview somewhere that
may not be your first choice with a negative attitude. That sets the tone for the rest of your
experience. Another piece of advice I would give is that even though you’re an intern, you can still
speak up and give your ideas– your thoughts are valuable too. This is a learning experience; you
want to share your opinions with colleagues and supervisors even if you’re younger than them–
you may be bringing new ideas to the table!


How did your skills as a student-athlete translate into this position?

I am one of the captains of the Assumption University Cross Country and Track and Field team, and
I recently became one in my senior year. It has been valuable stepping into that role at the same
time as having my internship. It helped me strengthen my communication skills both within the
sport and in a professional environment. Being a part of a team also helped me stay on top of
schoolwork and stick to a strict schedule, so I was ready for the set hours that I had in my internship.
Life can get busy when you’re a student and interning 30-35 hours a week, so it is extremely
important to stay regimented.

If you are interested in being featured on Highlighting Hounds or know of any students who would be a strong candidate, please email us at careerdevelopment@assumption.edu!

By Audrey Strmiska
Audrey Strmiska Marketing, Communications, and Event Managment Graduate Assistant