If you didn’t know, this semester So Shine has had a communications intern from Bethel. My name is Jenna Mahoney and I have gotten the privilege to intern with Tami and Ashleigh, doing things for So Shine and also Norm’s respectively throughout this semester to complete a course at Bethel needed to graduate. This is what I thought before I started the internship. Get it done for course credit to graduate. That has completely changed over the course of the semester.
I’ll give you a little background. I’m a senior at Bethel currently and during my junior year, I volunteered on Service Day, a day that Bethel dedicates to service around the community where classes are cancelled, at The Porch and got to meet Tami. My friends and I painted the walls in a few rooms there, and that is when I first got to experience Tami’s interest in what she does. Her spirit with us that day was amazing, and made us feel so welcome. My friend, Moses, would tell you specifically about the snacks that she had for us that day and how she told us to keep going back for more of them. This just shows Tami’s spirit for the community and how she thrives to make people feel welcome. This also is when she told us about the after school program.
I play on the tennis team at Bethel and in the spring semester, my coach asked me if I had any ideas of a service project we could do as a team and immediately I knew we should go to the after school program at The Porch. We got everyone from the team to go to the Porch on a Tuesday afternoon, about all 20 of us, to hangout with the kids there, whether my team liked it or not. We got to do a craft with them, play basketball, play ping pong and even just sit and play video games with them. One of the most memorable moments from that afternoon was Elias, our tallest player who is probably around 6’5 or so, was playing basketball on a small goal with these little 5th and 6th graders, who probably thought he was some tall monster. He kept dunking on them and guarding them really hard, and the kids thought it was the best thing ever. They didn’t want him to stop, even though it was so hard for them, they enjoyed it. It was an experience I think about often and hope to get to experience more of.
I run our SALT (Student Athlete Leadership Team) on campus, and in the spring semester we held a food drive for The Porch Pantry. We had baskets at three sporting events and the spring play where people could donate, and we ended up with quite a few donations. When my best friend, Patty, and I brought the donations to Tami at The Porch on an afternoon in the spring, she couldn’t stop expressing how grateful she was for the donations. You could just tell Tami was grateful that other people in the community were caring about her initiatives at So Shine.
Then, to graduate with my Bachelor’s of Arts in Communication Arts in the spring of 2025, I knew I had to complete a 90-hour internship, preferably in the fall semester before I was busy with tennis in the spring. I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do. I had applied for things and even interviewed and not gotten them. Christine, my adviser, and I had had multiple meetings to figure out what I was going to do. I even met with the career counselor once to try and figure it out. But it was the end of July, right before my senior year, and I had nothing.
That’s when I thought of Tami. Tami, Ashleigh, and I scheduled a meeting for literally the third day that I would be moved back to Newton for the fall semester. We talked about my hopes for the internship, which was basically to just help them with any communication needs they had. I was just really wanting to be of help to someone.
They took a huge chance on me in August. Tami had met me a few times, but Ashleigh had never met me. We weren’t really sure what the internship would entail, but knew I would hangout with each of them once a week on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. My start date got pushed back a little bit because of the hardships in the Lakey’s life this year, but I was excited to start.
When I first learned about So Shine, I had no idea the actual impact they had on the community. Sure I knew about a few things, like the after school program, but I didn’t know how many people actually thrive for this community that So Shine has built. Every person I have met at Norm’s has told me about how they love the community that is built at Norm’s and how important it is in their lives and that is so amazing to me to get to see when I’m here. Every person will say hi to anyone here and it is so beautiful to see the interactions and relationships formed at Norm’s and just how important community is.
Over the course of the semester, you may have received a “weekly brew” from Norm’s, or seen our meet the barista or director/board member posts on social media, or seen me walking around downtown Newton putting fliers up for Boots, Bling, & BBQ, or seen me working with Ashleigh and Tami at one of the tables at Norm’s. This semester has been so eye opening for me to get to spend time with them every week. Getting to know and see how the two of them continue to go through everyday life this semester has made me change my perspective of how to be everyday.
Ashleigh and Tami go out of their way to talk to the customers at Norm’s, even on their worst days. They go out of their way to chat with people they don’t know and love to give hugs to people they do know. They have never hesitated to see how I am doing, or if I need anything, all while their world was turned. Every Tuesday when I come to work with Ashleigh, we laugh and gossip about things we have heard together. Every Thursday when I come to work with Tami, she usually will say something at the start like “my brain isn’t here today” or “my brain is mush today” and I always tell her that’s okay and we’ll still have a good day. They do all of this even with everything going on in their lives and all the other thoughts in their head besides the community and So Shine.
I have begun to think of my time with them as much more than “just an internship I need to complete to graduate.” This time with them has been so inspiring, to get to work alongside two women in leadership and see how they thrive through their hardship. This semester with So Shine has shown me that an internship can be so much more than just work experience, it can really better you as a person as well.
They have shown me that even though there is something hard going on in your life, you can still show up for your people and put on a smile and show them that you still care about them no matter what. Your people are one of the most important things that you have, so cherishing that is important. They have shown me the importance of building a community, and how this community can help you immensely through hardship, whether that just be someone random coming and giving you a hug, or a simple smile, everything helps. This Newton community is SO important to the Lakey’s, and it has started to become more and more important to me through my time with So Shine.
I used to think just because something bad was going on in my life that that meant I could shut down and not be the same person to the ones I love and care about. Being around the Lakey’s has changed my perspective on this and shown me that no matter what is going on, whether it be good or bad, I should always give my all for the ones I care about and my community. This is what they strive to do.
Ashleigh and Tami are truly two of the most inspirational and overall best people I have ever met. They truly care about the community in which they live, and they care about how they can better support their community. They are a prime example of how others should live their lives, and they have inspired me more than they could ever know throughout my semester here. Not only did I get to have great work experience while being here, but my perspective on how to live everyday changed. I could never imagine doing my internship somewhere else now, and I am immensely grateful to have got to spend the last four months of time with Ashleigh and Tami and will miss it greatly.
If you don’t know Ashleigh and Tami, you should get to know them. They are truly two of the best people you will ever meet. So go ahead and stop by Norm’s to say hi to them!
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