Highlighting Hounds- Talia Caloggero

Hi Hounds! This week on Highlighting Hounds, we are featuring senior Talia Calogerro ’25 and her internship experience at Burncoat High School, a public magnet school in Worcester known for its specialized art curriculum. During her time there, Talia worked as a high school guidance counselor intern in the D office, collaborating closely with the school’s guidance team. In this role, she assisted students with academic success, post-secondary planning, and college applications, while also managing social-emotional crises. Talia also contributed to projects like the creation of a college visit calendar and developed a bulletin board to encourage student participation in college events. Read more to learn how Talia’s academic experiences at Assumption University helped prepare her for the internship, as well as the skills and personal growth she gained throughout the process.

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

I completed my internship at Burncoat High School, one of the public high schools in Worcester. Burncoat is a magnet school, which means it offers a specialized art curriculum and draws students from all across the city. At Burncoat I interned as a high school guidance counselor in the school’s D office. Our office consisted of a school adjustment counselor, a guidance counselor, and an assistant principal. I worked closely with all three of these individuals to service students in the school with last names starting with A-De.

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

My day at Burncoat began at 8 am. Typically, my day would start with a meeting– either a guidance department or several student meetings. Following my meetings, I would begin pulling individual students for one-on-one meetings. These consisted of discussions regarding academic success, as well as the creation of post-secondary plans. Toward the end of my internship, I began working with students on their college applications, reviewing college essays, Common App submissions, as well as scholarship opportunities. I was also responsible for managing any social-emotional crises, such as physical altercations between students and anxiety attacks.

Were you involved in any major projects or accomplishments as an intern?

One major project I was involved in as an intern was assisting the MassEdco Talent Advisor with the creation of the college visit calendar. Collaborating with the advisor, I would welcome college representatives into the building and help facilitate discussion between the representatives and the students. Additionally, I would meet with the representatives one on one to learn about their college’s offerings and acquire promotional materials which I would reference during individual student meetings. I was also responsible for creating a bulletin board in a well-trafficked area of the school, which displayed all upcoming college visits. I created a QR code for each visit which was posted on the board, allowing students to register ahead of time. The board also provided information on professional behavior and meeting etiquette for students when interacting with college representatives.   

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

My professional goal is to become a high school guidance counselor. This internship not only solidified for me that being a counselor is what I want to do, but also exposed me to the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities of a counselor. I learned hard skills such as how to interact with the Common App, create students’ schedules, and check transcripts. Yet, I feel the most important skills I acquired were how to interact with students in a way that makes them feel valued and appreciated. Having completed this internship, I feel much more prepared to begin graduate school, and to work with students.  

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

The biggest takeaway from my internship experience has been a more robust understanding of cultural competence. Cultural competence has been discussed extensively throughout my college career. However, it is one thing to discuss it in a classroom, and another thing entirely to interact with cultural diversity in a professional setting. I learned that true cultural competence is not stagnantly accomplished, but constantly evolving and characterized by a never-ending curiosity and pursuit to understand those different from yourself.

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

I applied to this internship at Burncoat because I was looking for an experience that was entirely different from what I had before. The previous schools I had worked in were mostly upper-class suburban communities with little diversity. Burncoat offered a community in which the majority of students identified as non-white, and most of the student population fell below the poverty line. I was interested in exposing myself to a new environment and new challenges.  

How has your Assumption career prepared you for this internship?

My AU career could not have prepared me better for this experience. The classes I took covered subject areas and problems that I interacted with daily, such as addiction, psychiatric rehab, and human development and disabilities. One class that proved invaluable to my internship experience was interviewing techniques with Dr. Pica, where I learned the basics of talk therapy. I utilized the skills outlined in this class multiple times a day during my internship.  

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

I would tell a student interested in participating in an internship to take the leap and do it! I would advise students to challenge themselves and try a setting that is not familiar to them. You may be uncomfortable at first, but leaving your comfort zone is critical to growth.

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