Consider a donation in support of the National Alliance Alumni Intern Program to help students like Destinee.
With the pandemic limiting options for young adults entering the workforce, the National Alliance is committed to hiring charter school alumni for all our internships. These paid internships provide real-world experience and training that can easily translate into a variety of fields.
We’ve hired students like Destinee Perry so she can pursue her career goals with a base of experience in her field. Destinee’s work in communications for the National Alliance will strengthen our digital communications efforts and social media channels.
Destinee is an alumna of DC Prep Academy in Washington, D.C. She was in the first graduating class from the elementary school and continued her education at the middle school campus graduating with the 8th grade class of 2013. She is a senior at Temple University pursing a major in communication studies focused on branding, marketing, and advertising.
What are your career goals and how does the National Alliance Alumni Intern Program support that?
My career goal is to be self-employed and live through my creative passions and allow my ideas to flourish. I shy away from tradition because I don’t want to limit myself in my creativity and expression. When working and living from the heart, I tend to have opportunities come knocking at my door.
The National Alliance Alumni Intern Program allows me the flexibility and opportunity to be creative. I have the opportunity to work on projects and create content that builds my portfolio and experience professionally and help the communities we serve.
How have internships impacted your professional growth and development?
I had internships in high school where I helped with childcare and worked as a teacher’s assistance. I also did data analytics with DC Prep’s PrepNext alumni support program.
This internship is my first when it comes to my career field and interest in communications and media. I hope to gain experience working in a field that is constantly changing and manage being in that environment. I also want to build connections that allow me to progress personally and professionally.
What are you most excited to work on during your time with the National Alliance Alumni Intern Program?
I am most excited to work on social media projects. I am interested in learning about engagement on different platforms and the way social media influences an audience and our schools. Projects will be different every week, so I am not too sure about everything that I will do. I am currently working on my first project drafting tweets for the “I am Black” campaign radio interviews with Black charter school leaders across the country.
What else is most important to you—both in an internship and everyday life?
I would like the readers to know that they have options and listen to your heart. Do not feel the pressure of society to jump directly into what you feel may be conventional. So many people today feel like time is running out and that they have to live up to every expectation in order to be “successful.” It is important to go at your own pace.
We are not all meant to work an office job or a job that our parents want us to. We are meant to inspire others through the work we choose to create. When you feel comfortable in knowing your path, watch the opportunities unfold. We are constantly learning something new every day, in various ways. There are no limits beyond the sky, reach for YOUR goals.
Kyle Breckenridge is the senior manager of strategic initiatives at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools
