School of Behavioral Sciences and Education Links Internships with Careers
York College of Pennsylvania graduates Taylor Anderson ’24 and Alexis Bryson ’23 landed full-time positions in their field after serving in these specialized areas of hands-on study.
Taylor Anderson ’24 always knew she wanted to help people through her career. She just wasn’t sure how. She enrolled at the College with an undeclared major. During her first semester, she took a General Psychology course.
She was hooked.
Anderson soon declared her major as Psychology. With a family deeply connected to York College—her mother worked in advancement and her siblings had attended the school—she felt at home at York and motivated to make a difference.
Finding her path
During her final year, Anderson decided to pursue an internship at York County Children, Youth & Families (CYF), a governmental agency dedicated to protecting children from neglect and abuse and promoting strong families and child well-being. For Anderson, it was a chance to put her education into practice and discover if this was a field in which she might want to have a career.
“An internship isn’t technically required for the Psychology program, but I knew I wasn’t 100 percent sure what I wanted to do,” she says.
Encouraged by friends who had interned at the agency, Anderson applied and was accepted. Her interest in trauma-informed care and helping individuals who have experienced tragedy, disaster, or post-traumatic stress disorder made this opportunity a particularly good fit.
At CYF, Anderson took on the role of an observing caseworker under the mentorship of Alexis Bryson, a 2023 York College alumna who had majored in Human Services. Anderson’s responsibilities included assisting Bryson with her cases, learning about documentation and technology, and witnessing the challenges faced by those in need.
“It’s a hard field, but I’ve been with people who’ve had loss, trauma, PTSD. Everyone has a different story,” Anderson says. “Seeing people progress and no longer need your help is very rewarding.”
‘A willingness to learn’
Bryson also had interned at CYF during her senior year at York College. As a Human Services major, she was required to serve an internship. Initially, she fought the idea. She was working full-time, trying to pay for college, and recently had found herself facing a sizable rent payment on her own. But she chose to intern at CYF because it was a paid program.
“Not only did it get me through, but I discovered I really loved the work,” she says.
While her internship took place at a difficult time in Bryson’s life, her professors and the CYF employees were always there to advise and encourage her and support her in her lowest moments. Her time at CYF provided her not only valuable experience but a clear career path and ultimately a full-time job after graduation.
Transitioning from intern to professional, Bryson was well-prepared by the extensive training she received and the often-traumatic situations encountered at CYF. This experience made her an excellent mentor for Anderson.
“Taylor had a willingness to learn and never acted like she knew everything,” Bryson says. “She clicked with the career quickly and was very eager to learn.”
Anderson, who in one of her classes journaled about how her internship connected to what she’d been learning in the course, began to realize how extensively her education had prepared her to work in the field. For Bryson, the experiential learning afforded by her internship at CYF was invaluable to preparing her for a career.
“The internship is crucial for anyone wanting to work in child welfare,” she says. “It’s a very difficult job, but the experiences you gain are invaluable.”
From intern to employee
Having graduated in May 2024, Anderson will join Bryson as a full-time caseworker at CYF. She feels confident and ready to pursue a career in casework, thanks to the practical experience and mentorship she received.
“This internship helped me see an actual career path I can pursue within my major. It got me there before I left college,” she says.
Anderson and Bryson benefited greatly from internships and hands-on learning through York College’s School of Behavioral Sciences and Education as they transitioned from undergraduate studies to full-time positions at CYF.
“It’s an amazing way to determine if it’s something you want to do,” Bryson says of serving internships during college. “Your first internship doesn’t have to be your last internship. If you have the ability to take more than one internship throughout your college life, you should.”
