MCB Summer Interns and Employers Honored
Patrick Administration Honors Massachusetts Commission for the Blind Summer Interns and Employers at State House
 BOSTON — The Patrick Administration celebrated its sixth year of placing legally blind college and high school students in summer internship programs throughout the Commonwealth through the work of the Massachusetts Commission for the Blind (MCB). The ceremony was held Wednesday August 12th at the State House honoring 48 interns and their host employers as more than 200 people shared their success. Placed in banks, hotels, large and small companies, schools, organizations, public agencies and with elected officials, students spent eight-week internships in real work settings. |
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Dr. Jean McGuire, Assistant Secretary, Office of Disability Policy and Programs for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services said, "The Summer Internship Program is an example of Governor Patrick’s commitment to making Massachusetts a model employer for people with disabilities and offers students the opportunity to develop professional skills in real employment positions that relate to their educational pursuits."
Commissioner Janet LaBreck thanked the interns for having the vision and courage to follow Martin Luther King’s belief that “Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” She went on to recognize the employers and the incredible work of Commission counselors and how there efforts are “leading to economic self-sufficiency for the interns."
As a role model and inspiration to the interns and employers, Erik Weihenmayer, the only blind man to reach the summit of Mount Everest, recalled looking for his first job as a dish washer where restaurant owners said their kitchens were too big or too small for a blind person or that the hot water would cause injury. With strong Boston connections, Erik compares the internship program with climbing a mountain. "As the team uses a rope to scale the mountain, each intern is connected to make this program unstoppable."
Oswald (Oz) Mondejar, Vice President for Human Resources & Community Relations of Partners Continuing Care, Inc., received special recognition for his support of the internship program since its inception. The Commission presented him with the first Employment Leadership Award for his years of dedication and support of the blindness community. Oz said that “interns are Ambassadors for the Commission and urged everyone to “don’t stop knocking on doors.”
Philip Johnston, who is president of his consulting firm, Johnston Associates paid tribute to his summer intern, Wen Lo and announced that "The internship is not over we are going to hire our intern. Hiring Wen isn’t welfare but it’s a business decision. I am not doing the intern a favor; he is helping me and my staff." In his remarks, When thanked Phil for his internship, his confidence and he accepted the offer.