WPY UPDATES

 Summer Program Updates, Community Resources, & More

Career Exploration & Training (CET)

Connecting students to life-altering career development opportunities through meaningful paid internship experiences.

Students work together to identify self-care strategies during a workshop at WPY's 2026 Summer Internship Program Orientation

June marked the beginning of WPY's Summer Internship Program! In preparation for the program, the CET team hosted a Caregiver Information Session to answer questions from caregivers and share additional information about the expectations of the program. The CET team also worked hard to support students this month by meeting with future interns to assist them with hiring paperwork and work permits.

Student interns kicked off the summer with WPY's Summer Internship Program Orientation. More than 60 students attended the orientation and participated in workshops, including "Unwritten Rules of Work," "Harassment & Retaliation," "Communication Skills," "Resiliency in the Workplace," and "Tips & Tools for Future Educators." Special thanks to our volunteers from Morgan, Brown, & Joy and The Baldwin Group for leading two of our Workplace Readiness workshops! Interns also met with their summer supervisors to review logistics and ask additional questions before the Summer Internship Program began.

To round out an exciting month, WPY alumna and rising Brandeis University senior, Neha Edison, is back with the WPY team this summer as a CET Program Associate! Neha is supporting the Summer Internship Program, coordinating student Instagram takeovers, scheduling site visits, and helping to ensure that students are having safe and educational experiences this summer.

Wraparound Waltham

Collaborating to create a community of belonging and opportunity for newcomer immigrant students and their families.

High schoolers and rising ninth grade students have the opportunity to build relationships with each other and with trusted adults by participating in WPY's Summer Soccer Group

Summer is off to an exciting start for our Wraparound Program! As the school year came to a close, the team celebrated another successful year of Welcome Classes at McDevitt and Kennedy Middle Schools. These classes, co-led by WPY's Family and Student Engagement Coordinator, Bebelin Galvez, alongside dedicated WPS staff, provided 30+ newcomer students with the social-emotional support, connections, and resources they needed to thrive throughout the school year. During their feedback session, students shared that topics such as bullying and coping strategies resonated strongly with them. 

On June 23, the Wraparound team kick-started their Summer Soccer Group, designed to support rising ninth grade Welcome Class students as they prepare for the transition to Waltham High School. Over the course of four weeks, students will meet every Tuesday and Thursday to build friendships, stay active, and become familiar with their future school community. This year, WPY is especially excited to welcome current Waltham High School students as mentors to create meaningful connections. Waltham High School guidance staff are also able to join the program, allowing students to meet trusted adults before the first day of school.

With school out for the summer, WPY's Welcome Center has also transitioned to its summer schedule and is now open Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Throughout the summer, the Welcome Center continues to serve newcomer students and families by providing resources, guidance, and individualized support.

Alumni Q&A: Gustavo Dominguez

Every other month, we share alumni Q&A interviews to celebrate the accomplishments of our former students and to educate readers about the long-term impacts of WPY programming

Introduce yourself! 

I’m Gustavo Dominguez (he/him). I’m 21 years old and graduated from Waltham High School in 2023. 

What have you been up to since you graduated from Waltham High School?

I just finished my junior year at Yale University, which is so crazy to think about! I’m majoring in electrical engineering. 

I’ve spent a lot of time with the Yale Sustainable Food Program (YSFP). There is a one-acre farm on campus.

I also run the Harvest orientation program for first year students, where we camp on a small organic farm in Connecticut. I did it my first year at Yale, and loved it so much that I wanted to be a leader. I had never gone camping or been super outdoorsy before coming to college, but doing Harvest has really helped me to tap into that side of myself. It’s also inspired me to add an additional dimension of sustainable environmentalism to my academic studies. I’ve been honing in on renewable energy. 

Tell me more about your work with renewable energy.

There are a couple professors at Yale who focus on photovoltaic solar cell technology, which is something I've tapped into lately. Last summer I did an internship at The Yale Farm, and part of it was an independent research project on the state of agrovoltaics (solar on small scale farms). I researched how viable that is as an option for small-scale, New England farms specifically. 

Over the past year I also took a solar energy class. Next semester I’m taking a class on emerging tech toward a sustainable future. I’ve really honed in on a niche in renewable energy.

This summer, I’m interning with the Market and Regulatory Affairs department at Avangrid. I’ll intern in their Connecticut office and get a taste of energy markets and policies that regulate them.

What WPY programming did you participate in while you were at WHS?

In the summer before my senior year of high school, I had a WPY internship at the Goddard School, which is an early childhood education center in Lexington. I really enjoyed it, so much so that it evolved into a school-year internship. It was so nice to have extra income throughout senior year of high school. I even stayed on and worked there for the summer after senior year, as well. 

Leading up to the internship placements, I got a ton of resume and cover letter help from WPY, which was really nice to have so early on. That exposure and support from Bentley students via the Career Success Institute (CSI) was really nice to have. I was literally just looking back on my cover letters from WPY. Having those foundational skills really helped for my future as a college student applying for jobs. 

What was it like to intern in an educational setting?

Through my internship and role at Goddard, I served as an assistant teacher. I would float between infant, toddler, pre-K, and Kindergarten classrooms. I supported the needs of the lead teacher in each classroom by prepping lesson plans, helping preparing snacks at mealtime, etc.

Were there any skills you learned during your internship that have served you well in college?

I built so many parent-facing, professional skills at Goddard. I definitely brought those to college.

I developed conversational skills, like how to confidently speak to an adult and how to express myself. I also learned how to know how to read the room and situation that you’re in. 

I also learned how to be patient! You can’t ever take things too personally with little kids; you need to move on and be patient. Whenever I’m asked my best quality now, I say my patience! 

Through my work with Harvest, we always emphasize patience and assuming the best intent from your co-leader. In those situations where you’re together for four days straight, sleeping in the same tent, it’s easy to get snappy or short with people; that skill of patience really carries over into my work as a co-leader.

Are there any specific memories from your time with WPY that have stayed with you over the years?

This is a funny one, but I was in Show Band throughout high school and played twice at WPY’s Partner Celebration fundraiser. It was incredible to see the sort of reunion of so many community partners throughout Waltham and fun to have this sort of professional gig as a student. 

If you could tell your high school self one thing, what would it be?

Say yes to more things! Being at Yale, I’ve felt like there are so many opportunities I should say yes to. I often think, “I don’t know the next time I’ll get to do this kind of thing.” I wish I had had that mindset more in high school. I wish I had said yes to more things and put myself out there more! 

Within that, too, understand that things hash themselves out. You don’t have to be so nitpicky about your grades. It’s more sustainable to be at a point in your life where you enjoy the activities you do, make sure you get enough sleep, spend time with friends, and prioritize relationships outside of school.

Opportunities for Youth and

Community Members:

Summer Hours at WPY's Welcome Center

Apply Today to Walker's Wellness Coach Project

Are you interested in gaining hands-on experience in mental health, social work, education, or youth development? Walker is now accepting applications for the 2026–27 Wellness Coach Project (WCP) cohort.

This opportunity is ideal for young adults and early-career professionals exploring careers in behavioral health, social work, psychology, education, or related fields. No prior clinical experience is required.

Get Involved in Clinical Research Studies at Boston Children's Hospital!

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