A Reflection on Summer 2024 with Returning Program Assistants, Shanelle Villegas and Joye Prince

The success of the Bloomberg Arts Internship (BAI) program is dependent on a strong team that collaborates in planning and implementing the program from start to finish. Program Assistants are integral roles that provide direct service to interns through strategic planning and thoughtful facilitation of community building, workplace readiness, and mentorship activities. 

Shanelle Villegas and Joye Prince were Program Assistants in 2023 and returned this 2024 summer. Below, they shared why they chose to return to the BAI program, what they learned from the interns, about themselves, and about their futures in the creative sector this year.

Why did you choose to return to being a program assistant?

Shanelle Villegas: Simply put, I truly love the BAI program and I love being a Program Assistant. In this role, I was able to use my education, administration, mentorship, and performance skills. It’s a role that requires all of me and I feel really spiritually and socially connected to myself and others when doing this program. 

Joye Prince: I felt strongly about returning for a second summer, largely because of how amazing the EdVestors’ team is, and how amazing the interns are. I had such a fantastic experience last summer, and I was eager to go through the whole experience again with the knowledge and experience I gained from the program. It felt important to me to have that iterative experience, to get to bring new skills and perspectives to bear on the program, and try to do my part to make it a great experience for the 2024 interns!

What are a couple of highlight moments from this summer?

SV: It was lovely watching the interns show their best selves, networking, and performing with passion and groundedness at the Final Celebration. Interns were asked to make cohort projects (a magazine, a podcast, a song/poem, and a scrapbook) that reflected components of the program, and seeing the final result of each of these projects was another highlight for me. Weeks before the Final Celebration, I saw the interns come to life when working on these projects because they now had a place to put all of their artistic talents with like-minded people. And when I saw the final products, they were better than I could have possibly imagined!

JP: I appreciated how our interns this summer were able to showcase their artistry throughout the program. From our Show Us Your Best Self presentations at Orientation, to art-making workshops at Humphreys Street Studios on one of our arts and culture days, to presenting their cohort projects at the final celebration. All summer these interns wowed me with their creativity, passion, and dedication to their craft. 

Another highlight for me this summer was the conversations I got to have with interns about self-care and trying to follow their ambitions without pushing themselves into burnout. I think it's so important to be able to have open and transparent conversations about mental health in the workplace and to model positive and healthy self-care habits for young people. It was encouraging to hear that so many interns are already thinking about these issues, and it makes me feel hopeful that this generation is going to prioritize wellness for themselves and their communities.

During your Professional Development, the BAI staff did a lot of thinking about how to express love to interns through strategic planning and facilitation. And for now, this summer was the last summer that either of you will be Program Assistants. In that spirit, what message of love can you share with past and future interns?

SV: Teenagehood is such a complex period in one's life - mentally, emotionally, and socially. It’s when people are most influenced, most susceptible, and most shaped. Personally, at that time, I was surrounded by caring adults who saw my inherent value, shaped me with their words and positive energy, and pushed me to reach the height of my potential. 

That is why I love mentoring and being an educator. As an adult, I aim to be what the younger version of myself needed. I often see the younger version of myself in these interns - filled with passion, questions, softness, humor, and resilience. And I hope that this summer and in summers past, I honored these positive qualities that are inherent in them and exposed them to the whole, beautiful beings that I see them as. 

I also hope I was able to be their cheerleader and a good guide for all of their questions. Interns, I hope you continue seeing yourselves through the lens of a caring adult like me. And I hope, though many questions are floating around inside your brilliant brains, that you follow your heart in everything you do - you’ll never make a wrong decision if you do that. I love you. You are light. And you have made such a positive impact on the world already! 

JP: It can be easy, sometimes, to feel like you are just one person and to doubt that you can change anything in this complex and messed up world we live in. But this summer I was reminded of exactly what an impact we can make when we lead with love. Interns, I hope you remember the power of a loving community and continue to seek them out and build them everywhere you go. Life is too short to be cynical, or harbor judgment - and when you lead with love you do have the power to change the hearts of people around you. This summer I saw a lot of you be willing to take risks, willing to be vulnerable, willing to put your ego and heart on the line - and it inspired me. It reminded me of why I fell in love with art when I was your age, and why I have built a life and career around it. Artistic creation is a place where you can feel free to explore what is in your heart and share it with the world. So please, keep creating, keep following your passion, and most of all: keep loving. 

How has this experience contributed to, supported, or informed your career journey in the creative sector this time around?

SV: Last summer, I thought of myself as an early-career artist. I felt that my skills and talents were just right for the Program Assistant role. Returning to the program this summer, I realized that I have a wealth of knowledge and experience in education, administration, and leadership, and I feel that I’ve moved beyond the stage of an early-career artist. I feel grateful to the BAI program to now know that I am ready for more visionary, strategic, and leadership roles in the creative sector. After my Fulbright grant is up in the United Kingdom, I’m excited to come back to the United States and see what opportunities are out there for me to grow in! 

JP: I think this year showed me what I am capable of and what kinds of roles I want to step into in the future. This summer I think I stepped up in terms of my capacities as a team leader and brought my strategic thinking capacities to support the planning and administration of the program. I realized that while I am a capable facilitator, and I love to do direct service work - I am passionate about and have the skills for more administrative/program management roles. As I go into my final year of the MFA program in Applied Theatre at Emerson College, I am filled with a newfound confidence and I’m eager to see what opportunities in the creative sector will await me when I graduate!