Marissa Birne '15 Wins House of Representatives Intern Essay Contest
Marissa Birne ’15 was renowned during her time at Rivers as someone who was generous with her time and conscious of how she could help her community. This summer, Marissa was an intern with Massachusetts State Representative Mary Keefe and at the conclusion of her internship was named the winner of the inaugural Summer Intern Essay Contest.
Marissa was one of more than two dozen summer interns to submit an essay to this competition and her winning essay focused on the responsibility her generation has to create a world worth living in and how that drive guides her coursework at Tufts University.
“Every single one of us is responsible for crafting the world we wish to live in,” Marissa wrote in her essay. “This activist commitment guides everything I do, from the courses I select in my Peace and Justice Studies major to the volunteer opportunities I pursue at assisted living facilities and shelters to the internship I undertook this summer.”
While at Rivers, Marissa founded Art to Heal, a nonprofit organization that offers free art workshops for children with disabilities, residents of assisted living homes, and the homeless of New England. In 2014, she received the RAY of Hope Award from Needham Youth Services and was the recipient of the Columbia Book Award for Community Service as a senior.
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