Mark Dato-Corporate Services Intern, New York Cares

My experience at New York cares has exceeded all the expectations I set for myself at the beginning of the semester. Not only was the internship a great learning experience, but it also led to a full-time job with New York Cares beginning this summer. I am sure I will carry over many of the skills I learned during the internship into my full time work both at New York Cares and beyond.

With regard to my academic work, the internship has given me a real world look into local politics and budget management, a topic of study in many of my political science classes. Part of my internship involved grant writing for government funding, which allowed me to understand how city and state governments allocate funds for social service programs. On an individual level, this internship has developed my professional speaking and writing skills. I have been on various orientations and meetings with companies around the city, which has made me much more comfortable speaking and interacting professionally. The internship helped me gain a lot of field knowledge regarding non-profit management and Corporate Social Responsibility. I have learned ways to combine the efficiency of corporatism with the altruism of non-profit in order to affect the most positive change possible.

I also appreciate my time at New York Cares because it has forced me to see more of the city in the past 6 months than I had seen in the previous 4 years. I have worked on projects in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn and been able to meet volunteers and school kids from neighborhoods all over the 5 boroughs. This personal interaction with new people and places from around New York further fuels my desire to make the city a better place. My time at New York Cares has also allowed me to better understand the need of our city’s most needy citizens. I feel more connected to the city than ever. Overall, I could not have asked for more! This has been an incredible learning experience and it has also introduced me to a great group of intelligent people who are all working towards the common goal of making New York a better place.