Mount Saint Mary College Psychology major Dominic Howell (center) with his team at Project M.O.R.E. in December of 2024.
For Mount Saint Mary College Psychology major Dominic Howell, hard work at his Fall 2024 semester internship evolved into a job offer.
Howell, a resident of New Windsor, N.Y., began his internship at Project M.O.R.E. with high hopes. As it turns out, things went better than he could have anticipated: Shortly before his last day, the organization offered him an interview for the position of Operations Assistant.
Project M.O.R.E. addresses the needs of previously incarcerated individuals through programming and services that address the complexities of transitioning back into the community.
As an intern, Howell assisted with paperwork, cataloged data, and interacted with clients, among other responsibilities. As an Operations Assistant, Howell continues the work he started as an intern, now with increased responsibilities.
The decision to interview for the position at the behest of his managers was easy, said Howell: “They appreciate the work I’m doing and I would like to stay here. I would love to take this opportunity.”
With two part-time jobs and a full-time schedule as a student at the Mount, life is a bit busy for Howell. But it’s nothing the industrious student can’t handle.
“I had to change my schedule around to accommodate everything, but it’s all similar to when I was an intern,” he explained.
Howell said that he was able to obtain the internship with the aid of Anne Ferrari, associate professor of Psychology.
“I wasn’t sure at first as to what kind of internship I should do,” Howell said. “But she showed me a few suggestions. When Dr. Ferrari said I’d be working with people who were previously incarcerated at Project M.O.R.E., I thought that sounded like a great idea. I give her a lot of credit for helping me – I’m so glad she did. I wouldn’t have found it without her.”