This opportunity truly changed my outlook on addiction and poverty in society. I have seen poverty abroad and I have seen poverty in America, but this internship really helped me look at the reasons for how people could become entrenched in a cycle of poverty.

During my time at Youth Force, I truly understood the impacts of grassroots campaigns. In a room of teenagers, I was standing around those who are effectively pressuring state government to change their stances on many vital issues.

My summer as a Shepherd Intern was a great opportunity for me to live out Notre Dame’s poverty studies minor; I learned so much about health insurance and health access in low-income communities and how I hope to practice medicine in the future.

Working with LIFT-Philadelphia personalized the issues of poverty and inequality for me. I couldn’t have fully learned the facts of these issues without having met some of the people who live them every day. Knowing their stories has made me determined to make a difference.