Anyone can graduate college, only some can graduate with good grades, and only a few graduate with job experience. Distinguish yourself by going that extra mile.
If you want to increase your odds at landing a job after graduation, Adam Costa, ’17, says it’s all about obtaining an internship.
“Without the Bridgewater State University internship office, I would not have had a job coming out of college despite being an Honors Program alumnus and graduating with a high grade point average,” he said.
Costa, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science, worked for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections as a program coordinator and data analyst.
Since then he has moved on to live and work in Boston at Shawmut Construction and Design, but says it was that initial internship that got his career rolling.
While at BSU, he participated in an internship with the planning division of the Department of Corrections. This allowed him to work directly with his supervisor to publish analysis reports that examined the gaps in current and on-going programs designed to prepare inmates for reintegration back into the general population.
“This was my first direct interaction with a specific target population and with creating data-driven solutions based on policy environment in real time,” Costa said.
The internship led to him receiving a Fulbright scholarship that took him to Britain’s University of Manchester, where he earned a master’s degree in political science.
In the United Kingdom, Costa undertook a comparative program analysis focusing on youth violence reduction programs.
“Based on the experiences at the internship, I eventually wrote my undergrad and graduate dissertations on youth criminal justice policy in Massachusetts and in the United Kingdom,” Costa said.
The internship and hard work paid off. These days, he encourages students to reach out to the BSU internship office to help them gain real-world experience before graduating.
“Anyone can graduate college, only some can graduate with good grades, and only a few graduate with job experience,” he said. “Distinguish yourself by going that extra mile.”
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