Welcome Alyssa!

The Arc of HR would like to welcome our new intern, Alyssa! Alyssa is a sophomore at JMU majoring in Psychology and double minoring in Music Industry and Organizational Psychology. During her time with The Arc, Alyssa will support program management by assisting with Community Engagement, researching advocacy information, and supporting special events like the MLK Day of Service. 

Alyssa has always loved music, especially singing, and started dancing in preschool. Nowadays, you can find her dancing with the JMU Dancing Dukes on a weekly basis while juggling classes and her internship at The Arc. She’s grateful for her role as her high school’s football manager (which resulted in being accidentally tackled at one point!) and as a camp counselor which have prepared her for current positions such as her involvement on the leadership board of the JMU Christian Student Fellowship.

When asked about her new role with The Arc, Alyssa said “I like to challenge myself with new situations. My whole thing is to keep an open mind. I just want to learn and put myself in a situation I haven’t been in and learn from it.” Her internship excitement is rooted in a desire to get to know program participants and to learn more about how community members engage with and respond to the I/DD community. Regarding potential challenges in her new role, she shared that “finding the balance between honoring them [participants] as adults and knowing that they see the world a little differently. This will require me to adapt a bit but not too much.”

Alyssa’s intuitive understanding of respectfully working with our friends with disabilities and her unbridled enthusiasm and commitment will surely bring so much to The Arc over the next semester. The Arc of HR welcomes Alyssa to the team and looks forward to learning alongside her as we work together to create A Life Like Yours (ALLY)! 

To learn more about interning, volunteering, or becoming a board member, check out our Volunteer page.