Benetech is grateful for the opportunity we had this summer to work with the Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS). PICS is an alumni-founded program of the John H. Pace, Jr. ’39 Center for Civic Engagement that provides Princeton undergraduates with paid summer internships in nonprofit organizations. These specialized programs aim to help students gain a deeper understanding of service and civic engagement, as well as increase their ability to use service as a guiding lens in academics and beyond. Through the program, Benetech hosted summer intern, Issac Li – a rising sophomore at Princeton University majoring in Computer Science. Issac worked with our Marketing and Program teams as well as Bookshare Outreach Coordinators, to support and enrich outreach activities to connect with community organizations, educators, and parents/guardians in underserved communities (https://benetech.org/approach/communities/). In the following interview, Issac discussed his experience with Benetech working to achieve education equity for all.
Why did you select Benetech as your top choice for an internship?
Having worked in education within my local community before, I have seen the power of education to transform the trajectory of one’s life. Benetech’s commitment to ensuring that any person can have access to education therefore deeply resonated with me. In addition, Benetech works at the intersection of tech and social justice, so I was also attracted to this internship as a computer science major looking for meaningful opportunities in which technology is leveraged for social good.
Can you share a bit about your project and the role it plays in shaping equitable education?
Over this internship, I developed an Outreach Coordinator Kit, a set of accessible materials designed to aid the outreach efforts of current and future Outreach Coordinators from Benetech. This includes a variety of contents, ranging from media outreach resources to informational flyers, that are effective in conveying the numerous positive impacts of Bookshare. This Kit will be helpful in help facilitating the work of the OCs as they bring Bookshare to more members in their communities, and aid in ensuring that all students can have access to educational materials catered to their specific needs.
What did you learn over the course of your time with the Benetech team that has helped prepare you for future work?
This summer spent with the entire Benetech team has allowed me to bear firsthand witness to the importance of collaborative work. Seeing how each member of the team can bring their specific skills to work on a project has been a valuable experience for me. This ability to collaborate effectively in a team environment is a skill that I will surely take to future positions.
To learn more about Princeton Internships in Civic Service (PICS) please visit: https://pace.princeton.edu/get-involved/pace-center-programs/princeton-internships-civic-service. To connect with Issac, and follow his impact journey visit, https://www.linkedin.com/in/issactli/.
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