Summer Jobs Program

Founded in 2005 by former Chancellor Michael Collins and former Vice Chancellor John Hayes, the Summer Jobs Program is a foundation that assists teenagers ages 16-18 with finding employment on the UMass Boston campus.

The current director of the program, Heather Batherwich said, “The program is all about giving high school students a job for the summer; it provides them with work experience and life skills, plus it puts a little money in their pockets.” Each student can join through a multitude of different associations, such as: The Mayor‘s Boston Summer Jobs Program, Boston Public Industry Council (PIC), STRIVE, Tech Boston Academy, Action for Boston Community Development (ABCD), and by contacting the UMass Boston community.

Presently, they are a total of 52 students enrolled in the program who are all working in different fields on campus. Each student works with a supervisor, learning how they do their tasks and helping with the work load.

This summer, I got the opportunity to be a part of the Summer Jobs Program and they have aided me with aquiring work with the UMass Boston IT Application department. Currently, I have been conducting social media audits which means that I check on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube that are affiliated with UMass Boston to make sure that they follow the university’s branding guidelines. Additionally, I have been assisting with the Summer Youth Blog.

I can honestly say that being a part of this program has made it easier to see myself with a career in the future, and I’m extremely thankful to be a part of the UMass Boston community.