by Julia Carey
As I searched for a communications internship for the summer, I was excited to see an opportunity at Goodwin Living. I had heard of older adults in my community enjoying their moves to Goodwin House Alexandria (GHA) and I was curious about what made Goodwin Living one of D.C.’s top workplaces.
Goodwin Living offers internships in Summer, Spring, Fall and Winter cohorts. These paid internships in fields such as Brain Health, Finance, Hospice and more are made possible through the generosity of donors to the Goodwin Living Foundation. There are internships open to students in high school, college, university, trade school and graduate programs. This summer, Goodwin Living welcomed more than 15 interns.
The Goodwin Living internship program offers interns the opportunity to explore a rewarding career in senior living and healthcare services. The program also includes unique components such as participating in career-focused workshops and forming intergenerational relationships with residents of the Goodwin Senior Living Campuses as mentors.
My Goodwin Living Internship Experience
My experience as a summer intern with the Marketing and Communications department surpassed my expectations and showed me just how dynamic senior living and healthcare services can be. From taking photos of events to writing a press release to creating social media posts for the Goodwin Living Instagram account, I explored many aspects of the field.
The Goodwin Living Internship program matches interns with resident mentors to encourage intergenerational connection. My time with my mentor Jack and his wife Patti has been a valuable part of my experience. I have looked forward to hearing their stories and wisdom as I meet with them each week.
Another exciting part of my internship has been getting to know the other summer interns through workshops, activities and time spent around my office space at The View Alexandria. After hearing them describe how meaningful their internships have been, I asked some of the interns if I could share their experiences at Goodwin Living.
Across all departments and service lines, these interns expressed the support they felt from their supervisors, the collaboration they saw across departments, the joy of meeting their resident mentors and the welcoming and dynamic environment they experienced through their internship at Goodwin Living.
Sahana Chakravarthi | Brain Health Intern
Sahana is a rising senior at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, majoring in public health and psychology with a minor in health, wellness and aging and a certificate in social dimensions of health. During her internship, Sahana felt like an appreciated and important member of the Goodwin Brain Health team. From working with residents in programs such as the Thrive Social Day Program to assisting with planning and research, she did something meaningful and different every day.
Sahana found co-facilitating StrongerMemory groups particularly exciting. StrongerMemory is a program that helps people stimulate the part of the brain that retrieves memories by engaging in simple reading, writing and math exercises for 30 minutes a day.
“StrongerMemory groups have allowed me to get out of my comfort zone and engage with residents,” Sahana said. She has been able to work with people of “all different abilities and cognitive levels.”
Noor Elghazi | Marketing and Communications Intern
Noor is a rising senior at Virginia Commonwealth University majoring in psychology and minoring in marketing.
“My mom’s best friend was a former employee at Goodwin Living and told me all about the internship program and how it’s a great opportunity for hands-on experience and exposure, and a very positive and welcoming work environment,” Noor said.
Noor emphasized the experience she has gained through this internship. She wrote and published her first blog post, and helped gather and publish photo and video content for the Goodwin Living Instagram account.
The most meaningful part of her internship has been working with her supervisors.
“Learning the ins and outs of this field from the best teachers has been an incredible experience and extremely beneficial,” Noor said. She will take away the connections and friendships she made at Goodwin Living.
Marwa Hamidi | Home Care Intern
Marwa is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in data analytics at George Mason University. The degree of cooperation among team members at Goodwin Living surprised her. She interned with the Goodwin Home Care team during her time at Goodwin Living.
“Everyone, from my manager to my resident mentor, has shown sincere concern for the older adults we serve as well as for one another,” she said.
She also noted that “although I expected to obtain real-world experience, I didn’t anticipate being accepted and appreciated by the Home Care team so rapidly.”
Marwa will take away the importance of empathy, active listening and cultural awareness in providing quality care.
“Most of all, I will always cherish the warmth, wisdom and human connections I experienced during my time at Goodwin Living,” she said.
Aracely Hassan | Life Enrichment Intern
Aracely is a rising senior at Alexandria City High School. She values the connections she has made with residents at The View Alexandria (TVA) during her internship with the Life Enrichment team.
“Whether we connected based on education and my career interest of becoming a nurse, or just by sharing personal stories, the residents gave me a different and better perspective on life that I will carry with me,” she said.
Aracely enjoyed seeing the variety of team members and external groups that come together to make residents of different backgrounds feel at home.
“There is so much more that goes on behind the scenes than I could have imagined. Luckily, I was able to get a glimpse and experience what it is like to keep residents engaged,” Aracely said.
Atiya Idris | Engagement and Partnership Outreach Intern
Atiya is a rising senior at George Mason University majoring in health administration and minoring in public health. She interned for Team Member Engagement and Outreach Manager Catie Ramos.
Before her internship, Atiya said she’d “heard great things about Goodwin Living from friends and family who have worked here or still do.”
“One of my supervisors encouraged me to look into the organization, so I did and really liked the mission and dedication of Goodwin Living towards the populations they serve and their team members,” she explained.
Atiya has found connecting with her resident mentor particularly meaningful. “[My mentor] has inspired me to be more expressive and appreciative of a lot of things in life,” she said.
Atiya has also been surprised by the kindness and dedication of team members. “It is evident that everyone believes and works towards the mission of Goodwin Living,” she said.
Angalique Jimenez | Hospice and Palliative Care Intern
Angalique is an incoming graduate student at the University of Southern California pursuing a master of science in gerontology at the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. Having served as a full-time caregiver for a family member during college, she had firsthand experience with caregiving. As an intern with Goodwin Hospice, Angalique valued the “opportunity to observe nurses and CNAs deliver that same care within a structured and interdisciplinary setting.”
One unexpected moment of Angalique’s internship was meeting her resident mentor, Donna Cornman, and her close friend Barbara Hatheway. She enjoyed how much they could relate to one another, despite being in different stages of life. Their discussions offered her wisdom and perspective that she “will carry with her into her future in medicine.”
Brandon Liu | Accounting Intern
Brandon is a rising senior at American University majoring in accounting and minoring in cinema studies. He hoped interning in a senior living community would add a different and interesting element to his accounting experience.
As his internship with the Accounts Payable team at Goodwin House Alexandria (GHA) progressed, he learned how connected the departments are and was impressed by how much the departments support each other.
Brandon values the real-world accounting he gained and said that the “atmosphere” of Goodwin Living will stay with him long after his internship ends.
“The most meaningful part was knowing that anything I did had a tangible effect on those around me,” he said.
Lima Nazari | Life Enrichment Intern
Lima is a junior at Alexandria City High School. She interned with the Life Enrichment team at The View Alexandria (TVA).
Leading her own activities for residents has been a meaningful part of her internship. “It was so rewarding to see [that] residents are engaged and enjoying them,” she said. “It really boosted my confidence and helped me develop my leadership skills.”
Lima did not expect the collaborative aspects of her internship at Goodwin Living.
“Before starting, I thought the internship would be more independent work,” she said. “However, having a mentor has made a huge difference. It helped me grow as a professional.”
She also appreciates the broader community of residents and staff. “I’ve learned so much from their stories and experiences, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to have connected with such a warm and welcoming community,” said Lima.
Kierra Perez | Human Resources Intern
Kierra recently graduated from Saint Louis University with a major in leadership and human resources management and a minor in marketing. During her application process Kierra said she “could feel the support and joy radiating through the phone and knew Goodwin Living was the place for [her].”
Kierra’s first impression was consistent with her experience as part of the human resources team at Goodwin House Alexandria (GHA).
“The team has welcomed me with open arms, and I have enjoyed every moment here,” she said.
Kierra particularly appreciated a human resources internship in a healthcare setting because each day is “meaningful and impactful” and brings “new challenges and opportunities.”
Kristen Porter | Healthcare Management Intern
Kristen is in her second year of pursuing a master of health administration at The George Washington University. Her undergraduate background is in public health from The Ohio State University, where she specialized in public health sociology with a minor in environment, economy, development and sustainability. She was drawn to Goodwin Living because of her deep commitment to addressing healthcare disparities and serving underserved populations.
The intricate coordination between all departments at The View Alexandria (TVA), from the receptionists and dining services to Executive Director Deb Kline, surprised Kristen.
“The level of regulatory compliance, attention to detail and cross-departmental communication required is remarkable, and it’s given me a much deeper appreciation for the operational excellence needed in healthcare administration,” Kristen said.
Ava Regehr | Brain Health Intern
Ava isa rising senior at Virginia Tech majoring in human development with minors in psychology and disability studies. She said that building relationships with the residents has been an incredible experience throughout her internship at Goodwin Living, especially while assisting the Thrive Social Day Program at TVA. The program provides engagement and activities promoting brain health for individuals with early to mid-stage dementia.
“Whether through one-on-one conversations or group activities, I’ve loved hearing their stories, learning from their experiences and finding ways to help brighten their days,” Ava said.
Ava also appreciated the level of creativity and flexibility that the Brain Health team brings to their work. “No day looks the same,” she said, “and I’ve learned that responsiveness, compassion and a sense of humor are just as important as any activity plan.”
Danny Ventura | Culinary Intern
Danny Ventura is a senior at Yorktown High School. He also attends the culinary arts program at the Arlington Career Center. A culinary internship at Goodwin Living presented the “opportunity to work and learn from all aspects when it comes to dining.” While working with the culinary team, Danny learned about food prep and the relationship between brain health and food.
Danny shared that one valuable part of his internship was “getting to meet everyone, including the very welcoming residents and team members.”
He appreciates the culture he encountered at Goodwin Living. “What has surprised me the most is how helpful everyone is,” he said. “No matter where you’re at someone is always willing to help.”
Justin Un | Hospice and Palliative Care Intern
Justin is a recent graduate of James Madison University, where he majored in health services administration and minored in general business. He is entering his first year as a master of health administration candidate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He pursued an internship at Goodwin Living because of its structured approach to intern development, its mission-driven culture and its focus on high-quality care for older adults.
“I wanted direct exposure to palliative care and to better understand how interdisciplinary teams operate in a long-term care setting,” Justin said.
His internship with the Goodwin Hospice team gave him that perspective. Justin explained that during his time at Goodwin Living he developed “a better understanding of team coordination, regulatory requirements and the operational challenges involved in delivering consistent, high-quality care.”
Interning at Goodwin Living: A Dynamic Workplace
Throughout my internship I heard similar narratives about the interns’ experiences of growth in a welcoming, supportive and exciting environment. I feel the same and am so grateful for this meaningful summer! Goodwin Living is a fantastic place to find a rewarding internship or career.
I would highly recommend exploring internship offerings at Goodwin Living. One of DC’s top workplaces for seven consecutive years and one of Virginia’s top employers for interns for three consecutive years, Goodwin Living offers a dynamic workplace for interns and team members to grow. Follow Goodwin Living on Instagram @GoodwinLiving to see more of the interns’ journeys!
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Julia Carey is a junior at Davidson College majoring in History and English. She was a Summer 2025 Marketing and Communications Intern at Goodwin Living. In her free time, she enjoys reading, quilting, traveling and paddleboarding.
