For social work major Taylor LoConte ’11, the internships she completed during her junior and senior years gave her the opportunity to utilize various social work skills and roles independently while working with diverse populations on the micro, mezzo and macro levels.
As part of her junior-year internship, LoConte facilitated two after-school programs - an all-girls self-esteem group and a kindergarten books and crafts group - and two early intervention groups that encouraged parent and child interactions through movement. The internship also allowed her to mentor a first-grade boy.
With Parents as Teachers, LoConte was able to make independent home visits to families with children enrolled in Newport’s Sullivan and Underwood elementary schools.
During her senior year, LoConte interned at the Groden Center, where she co-facilitated a social skills group for middle- and high-school students with Asperger’s syndrome. She also worked with parents and co-facilitated a support group through the early intervention program.
As part of the internship, LoConte had the chance to serve as a special education adviser for the Best Buddies program and participated in the Individualized Education Program process, the screening process, the home assessment process and both psychiatric and clinical sessions with clients.
During her time at Salve Regina, LoConte was a member of SRU Dance and secretary of the Social Work Club. She is currently serving as a certified HIV tester/counselor at Manet Community Health Center in Quincy, Mass., through the AmeriCorps-funded Community HealthCorps program. She plans on obtaining her M.S.W. with advanced standing after her experience with AmeriCorps.