JFS is excited to welcome aboard and introduce a new team of social work interns and a new AmeriCorps service member this year —Please check out these quick blurbs from each of them as they begin their time at JFS!
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Leila Murphy — New American Integration Program (NAIP) AmeriCorps Service Member
“Hi! My name is Leila, and I recently began an AmeriCorps service year in Immigrant Family Services at JFS. I was raised in New York City, and have family both in Massachusetts and New York. My past work in social services and education — as well as my time abroad as a Fulbright Teaching Fellow in Morocco — inspires my interest in and dedication to the mission of JFS and the Immigrant Services team. I am excited to build on my past experiences and work to expand access to opportunities and needed services for people in the MetroWest area.”
Peter Lopez — 1st-year MSW student at Boston College, interning with JFS Immigrant Family Services
“My name is Peter Lopez and I’m an intern with Boston College where I am an MSW student. I’m a second-generation immigrant and son of a Salvadoran refugee. As an intern, I will be joining JFS on their Immigrant Services team. I have worked with refugees from all over the world across various regions in the United States as well as some time spent at a refugee camp in Greece. I have lived in 9 different states throughout the US including time spent working at the only refugee resettlement agency in Arkansas and on a presidential primary campaign in Iowa. During my undergraduate program in Idaho I was the managing editor for the university newspaper where I was recognized for Excellence in Journalism by the Idaho Press Club. Whether it has been working on a campaign, in journalism or in social services, I have valued my time understanding and learning from people from a wide variety of social backgrounds and I look forward to the people I will meet and the values I will learn from my time at JFS, Boston College and in Massachusetts.”
“My name is Jessica Mirabal and I am an intern from Bridgewater State University pursuing a master’s degree in Social work. I am a first-generation American with conversational skills in both Spanish and Portuguese that I hope to improve throughout my experience. I am patient, friendly and able to work well with others as a team. I am willing to learn and further my skills and competence in the social work field. I am excited to be interning with the Immigrant Family Services team this year at JFS.”
“Hello, I am Maverick Keene, a student from Bridgewater State University. After spending most of my life wanting to be a cop so I could be on TV, I decided that there were better ways to create positive change in the world. As a social worker, I believe that empowerment and community (or any combination of the two) are the way towards a better world.”