Flint Study Away Internship Spotlight – Nicole Bommarito

July 22, 2024 - Shelly DeJong

Meet Nicole Bommarito, a senior psychology major who is interning with Serenity House Communities which is a non-profit with a mission to advocate for and aid in the recovery process of those afflicted with trauma, codependency and substance use disorders. This internship is through the Flint Study Away Internship Program, a credit-bearing summer internship program where MSU undergraduates live, work, and study within the city of Flint for 8-10 weeks. Learn more about Nicole and their internship experience below. 
 

 

What drew you to psychology?  

I’ve loved psychology for as long as I can remember, I’ve always been super into learning and found that I am especially interested in learning about people and the way the mind works as I feel understanding this aids in understanding so much more about our world like biology or art or the economy. I feel like I gain insight into almost every subject by better understanding the mind. 

 

Where are you interning? What do they do there and what is your role? 

I am interning at Serenity House Communities which is a non-profit with a mission to advocate for and aid in the recovery process of those afflicted with trauma, codependency and substance use disorders. As an intern many of my responsibilities involve working with the data they collect from clients and entering it into spreadsheets to detect trends and help the organization acquire funding. 

 

What do you like most about your internship?

My favorite part of my internship is the people I work with. Everyone there has been so kind and welcoming, and I know that many of them have recovered from substance use disorders themselves and they are very comfortable sharing their stories. It is an amazing opportunity to learn from those who have fought with addiction and come out on top on the other side. I have a lot of respect for what they were able to achieve and since I am interested in potentially working with this population in the future, I think their experiences and stories are very valuable. 

 

How has your psych education prepared you for this internship? 

My education has prepared me by laying a strong foundational understanding of substance use disorders from courses like “Abnormal Psychology” and the societal structures and human behaviors associated with them. It also taught me skills with software like Excel that I use semi frequently at my internship. 

 

What has it been like working in a community in MSU’s backyard? 

It has been interesting! I hope to immerse myself in the community more over the course of the summer, but I had not known much about the area beforehand so it has been cool to see the unique beauty and culture of Flint.  
 

Can you share your experience with the Flint Study Away Internship program so far? 

I have had a great experience with the program so far! Cathy White has been wonderful to work with and she is one of the main reasons I got into the program. She’s a very enthusiastic and caring person and it’s infectious. I am grateful for the opportunity to dip my toes into some work that is related to my field, and I have been eager to get all the knowledge I can from my experiences 

 

What are your hopes for the future?

I am hoping to continue exploring different populations and possible career paths for my psychology studies. I am leaning heavily towards Grad School as I’d like to continue expanding my knowledge and to potentially become a counselor.