Summer Intern Profile: Shakira Cadet
Shakira Cadet is a senior in the Kinesiology Department who interned as a coach at UW Sports Ministry in Virginia.
What company or organization are you interning for, and what are the responsibilities of your role?
I interned for UW Sports Ministry from May 29 to August 1. The roles I was responsible for were traveling with a group of 3-4 and heading out to different states around the country and leading children ages 6-12 in the sport of cheerleading but also leading and teaching kids about Jesus Christ. This took place Monday-Friday at the designated church, and it was from 8 am through 1 pm, and we would take them through a curriculum that we learned the first week of training.
Where did you learn about your internship and what inspired you to apply for it?
I learned about this internship and applied for jobs in March on Handshake, and what inspired me to apply for it was definitely God. I am a true believer of Jesus Christ, and I have a slight passion for kids and sports, so all 3 of these features meshed well, and I decided to apply for it.
How has your experience at UMass Amherst helped prepare you to thrive in this internship?
My experience at UMass helped shape me to communicate well and to be coachable. At times adjustment can be hard, but I learned this summer if you can’t adjust, it will be hard to work with you. I also think going to a school so big and not knowing everyone is heading to an internship with 14 people the same age as me helped realize the importance of community and unionship.
How did you first hear about Academic Works and the Office of Career Planning's Summer 26 Unpaid Internship Scholarship?
I first heard about the scholarship from my academic advisor Leanne [Leclerc]. She recommended that I apply for it because the internship I was doing wouldn’t pay.
In what ways have you found the scholarship helpful for you during your internship and over the summer?
I was beyond grateful and relieved because I didn’t have to stress about where I would find the funds to help me with the internship I was doing. It helped with meals, transportation, and fully getting to experience different states without any worries.
