New Experiences As an Intern

With the support of my college and its partnership with the Shepard Higher Education Consortium on Poverty, I was chosen as a Brightside intern! I have been working in the office since the 3rd of June and so far have had so many new experiences and learned so much. Before arriving at Brightside, I knew that I wanted to work with children. My ultimate goal is to become a lawyer; my experiences here in Brightside are aiding me in that direction. As an intern in a new city, I didn't know much about why Brightside is so important to this community and how important this work is. As a result, one of the very first things I did as an intern was attend a conference to learn more about the city of Savannah and how poverty affects a large population of the area. This conference addressed the issues Savannah faces and introduced me to some community partners who are working to mitigate the negative effects of poverty. This was a great opportunity to understand the different connections and communities built around the city to help support children and families. 
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 Furthermore, I have attended several court hearings including a permanency hearing, a H.O.P.E. court hearing, and an A.N.C.H.O.R. court hearing, and aim to attend more. Through these experiences, I have learned a lot about the judges, their specializations, and the process of how hearings work. With these incredible opportunities, I realized that I wanted to work more closely in the H.O.P.E. court field.  Currently, I am working with the H.O.P.E. court program manager on getting social media safety classes for the children to get more involved. 

However, working at Brightside has given me more than just work experience. It has been just as personally rewarding in and out of the office. Not only is the office environment extremely friendly but the staff all work together to ensure that I have a great time in the city outside of work. I have had so many new personal experiences I never thought I would have gotten before such as tickets to see a Savannah Bananas game, learn how to paddleboard, and even attend a large networking event to build some connections with other interns in the area. All of the Brightside staff members work to create a comfortable and joyous environment that I love. We go out to eat for lunch as a team and even celebrate successes and address areas we can improve upon together. The first week as an intern was spent solely on ensuring that I was well integrated into the office and one-on-one meetings with almost every person in the office were held to learn more about the different roles and responsibilities as well as to learn more about each other. 

Ultimately, for potential future interns who are considering interning at Brightside. This is an incredible opportunity that will allow you to grow in more ways than one. It exposes you to real-world issues that are often overlooked and also allows you to dive into more than one sector of the office. You will always have something to do and everyone on the team will make sure you have a great time in Savannah. Thank you, Brightside, for this amazing experience! 

About the Author

​Daphne Cerrato 
Daphne Cerrato is a SHECP intern here at Brightside Child and Family Advocacy. She is a rising Junior at Hamilton College concentrating in Sociology with a double minor in Government and Art. She is originally from Miami and loves to go to the beach in her free time. She has been a incredible addition to our team!