Mary’s Shelter
Title: Public Health & Youth/Family Services Intern
Student Interns:
Devina Persaud
Drexel College of Medicine at Tower Health
Academic Preceptor:
Holly Metzgar, DO, FACOG, NCMP
Drexel University College of Medicine at Tower Health
Community Preceptor:
Christine Folk, RN
Mary’s Shelter
Community Site:
Mary’s Shelter is committed to empowering homeless youth by providing housing, education, and social service programs.
Team’s Experience:
The Bridging the Gaps student intern served as a Public Health & Youth/Family Services intern at Mary’s Shelter, supporting both residential youth and community clients. The intern assisted with job searches, résumé writing, and navigating social services and healthcare systems. The BTG intern also helped residents maintain compliance with program requirements and conducted public health education talks to encourage health-seeking behavior. Additionally, the intern organized donations, digitized site records, and connected families with essential community resources. Together, these contributions improved internal operations and expanded access to support services for those served by the shelter.
Reflections
“Volunteering at Mary’s Shelter has been so impactful that any combination of words I write here would do a disservice to the experience. As medical students, we are so homed in on the biochemistry, anatomy, drugs, etc., … but Mary’s Shelter has been a beautiful reminder of the larger picture. Being a part of the community here, helping those that live within our doors, as well as those within the community, has shown me the beauty of a community center such as this. Although I came to medical school with a passion for service, my time at Mary’s has only solidified that, as well as given me a deeper appreciation of the power of compassion and generosity. Thanks to my summer at Mary’s shelter, I feel not only better informed about the community I will serve one day but also reaffirmed in my values of empathy, being present, helping all with an open mind.”
Devina Persaud