Name: Isabelle Stid
Class Year: 2026
Major: Religion
Minor: Gender and Sexuality Studies 

Internship Organization:  Interfaith Philadelphia
Internship Title:   Youth Initiatives Intern
Location:  Philadelphia, PA
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

A student’s “Good Deeds Tree”  

This summer, I have had the amazing opportunity to intern at Interfaith Philadelphia, which organizes and facilitates inter-religious dialogue and action across the city. I am the Youth Initiatives Intern and work directly with the director of Youth Initiatives at IP. My main responsibility this summer has been planning and facilitating the Interfaith Youth Neighborhood Mosaic Summer Program. Mosaic is a week-long free program for middle schoolers that helps students foster pride in their own religious and cultural identity, while also forming and promoting community. This year, Interfaith Philadelphia had two Mosaic Programs, one at the Gesu School in North Philly and the other at the Philadelphia Praise Center in South Philly. During the program, students do different art projects, activities, and guest speakers come in to talk about their religious traditions. Most importantly, students complete Interfaith Philadelphia’s “passport to understanding,” which teaches students to Be Curious, Welcome In, Venture Out, Stand Tall, and Stand With. Other than Mosaic, I am also involved in a lot of planning for the upcoming year. I am working on modernizing activity and lesson plans for youth, reaching out to colleges and universities to plan alternative break trips, and helping to plan personalized curriculum for local schools and faith communities.
 
Why did you apply for this internship? 

Interfaith Philadelphia staff outing to the Philadelphia Museum of Art to learn about the Museum’s collections across religious traditions

I first learned about Interfaith Philadelphia because Bryn Mawr partners with them annually for alternative spring break trips. I have gone on two of these trips and absolutely loved learning about religious diversity within Philly. When I learned Interfaith Philadelphia had a summer internship program, I knew I had to apply! I am a religion major and am very involved with Bryn Mawr’s interfaith community, so working at IP seemed like a natural extension of my academic interests and social passions. Moreover, from going on Alternative Break trips, I knew I would love the team and work climate at IP as well.

What has been your favorite part of this internship? 

My favorite part of this internship has been facilitating Mosaic by far. I learned I really love working with kids, and especially while teaching them about religion and interfaith dialogue, which are two subjects I am so passionate about. It was wonderful to see kids come out of their shells, get interested in the material we were learning about, make new friends, and more. A large part of Mosaic is creating a self-portrait throughout the week, and it was amazing to watch students gain confidence in their skills as artists and create pieces that they were proud of. While working with 10+ middle schoolers during the summer can definitely be tiring, I found it to be incredibly worthwhile and so much fun as well.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience? 

Nouns: Community Diversity Openness  

Adjectives: Fulfilling Educational Impactful