June 8, 2026
Every year, about a dozen college students head to Kendal at Oberlin for an internship, an experience that is a win for students and residents alike.
“We work hard to find what the students’ interests are and match them with resident interests. We want the internship to have meaning and joy for both the students and the residents,” says Michele Tarsitano-Amato, Creative Arts Therapy director who oversees Kendal at Oberlin’s internship program.
Experience Changes Pre-Conceived Notions
But that’s not all. Kendal’s robust internship program is also helping shape the next generation workforce in aging services.
“Having interns is critical to developing leaders of the future. They bring fresh perspectives and have strong skills with technology that are very helpful,” says Kim Peters, an associate in the Social Services area, who has supervised interns.
Interacting with residents also helps to change attitudes about aging, Michele says. “The most common comment I hear from interns is that their pre-conceived notion of aging is not what they experience at Kendal,” she says, recalling an intern who was shocked to meet three residents over 100 years old.
The majority of interns are students at Ohio schools: Oberlin College, Ursuline College, Ohio University and Miami University. Several interns come from Chamberlain University, a nursing school with multiple locations, and Penn State, through an internship program sponsored by AQORD (formerly Friends Service Alliance). The internships are typically 4 to 28 hours a week and involve projects in the Stephens Care Center, the Kendal Early Learning Center, and administration.
Not Your Typical Internship
Simon Korotzer-Mariani is a neuroscience major who plays violin and viola at Oberlin College. His Music Therapy internship involved playing music and spending time with residents in the Stephens Care Center.
“As a college student, my social life can become isolated to campus life, and I believe it is important to learn about other aspects of Oberlin. Throughout my experience at Kendal, I learned that, even as we age, it is possible to find joy in little moments and in community with others. Residents at Kendal are so well cared for, and they are such wonderful people. It was a pleasure to talk to them, hear about their lives and find common interests,” Simon shared.
“For those learning in this situation, we find that students become more excited about the prospect of the experience working within aging services, rather than just from the classroom,” says Jara Dell, Music Therapist at Kendal at Oberlin.
Ella Yates is an Oberlin College psychology major who was assigned to Social Services for her internship.
Connections and Learning
“I think the most rewarding thing about my time at Kendal has been the connections I’ve been making, just getting time to get to know people. Also, the career experience has been good, I feel like I’ve been learning a lot,” says Ella, who is now volunteering at Kendal at Oberlin following her internship.
Kendal at Oberlin’s doors are always open to interns. “If a student wants to learn, we will try to find a way. We’ve all been interns (I interned 1,000 hours), and we see this as a way to pay it forward, ” shares Michele.