“Working in a homeless shelter, I met people from all different backgrounds, belief systems, socioeconomic status, and so on. I interacted with guests at the shelter daily, and got to know some of them. Working in the shelter humanized the issue of homelessness and put a face to it.”
Anna Davis-Noe, Human Services & International Affairs Major
Co-op Term: Spring 2019
Position: Volunteer Programs and Development Assistant
Employer: Pine Street Inn in Boston, MA
The Pine Street Inn is the largest homeless shelter in New England, providing almost 2,000 services to homeless men and women. Anna Davis-Noe served as a Volunteer Programs and Development Assistant during her co-op. Her responsibilities included communicating with potential volunteers, attending weekly meetings, providing facility tours, and other individual projects.
One of her more challenging tasks involved providing tours of the Pine Street Inn facility. Shadowing her coworkers, she was nervous about the number of facts she had to memorize about the organization. Davis-Noe felt her tours improved as she spent more time at the organization, adapting to constructive criticism given to her by experienced co-workers. Elevating her self-confidence and her understanding of homelessness, Davis-Noe is considering pursuing similar positions in her career. On her next co-op, she plans to search for a position that focuses more on direct service in the non-profit/NGO field.
Read about Anna’s experience in her reflection project.
Anna is featured on the Pine Street Inn Facebook page, highlighting donations received for Mother’s Day baskets.