Upper School Student Completes Internship in Arlington, VA; Pens Article for USA Today

At Crossroads, students are encouraged to get involved in the greater community, pursuing service initiates related to their interests and passions. For 11th grader Maddi Kayne, the decision to travel to Arlington, VA this summer to intern for the Ethiopian Community Development Council—a nonprofit community center that helps Afghan immigrants and refugees reestablish their lives in the United States—was a no-brainer. Maddi is heavily involved in service initiatives at Crossroads and jumped at the opportunity to make a difference.

“My biggest takeaway from my internship at the Ethiopian Community Development Council (ECDC) was that every person has a story that deserves to be heard,” explained Maddi. “It’s easy to make assumptions about people from brief interactions, but those are unwarranted when you haven’t truly listened to that person's story. Some of my favorite moments from my internship were just sitting down with different refugees and giving them a safe and empathetic space to open up and allow them to share about their lives freely.” 

Maddi’s time at the ECDC was deeply personal. As the daughter of a Vietnamese refugee, the internship allowed Maddi to better understand her mother’s journey immigrating to the U.S. Her compassion and desire to make an impact is what prompted her to share her story by writing an op-ed piece for USA Today.

“Writing about my internship was a vastly different experience than I had anticipated,” she said. "It ended up serving as a reflection on my experience, where I was able to break down the work I had done during my internship while also drawing connections between the refugees I worked with and my own family. Knowing that my article was going to be published on a much greater scale than I’m used to was nerve-racking at first; however, I realized that I was gifted a bigger platform to share an important story.” 

In addition to serving as an editor for Crossroads’ student-run publication, CrossFire, Maddi plays on the varsity tennis team and founded an Upper School club that hosts Red Cross blood drives and encourages other students to get involved.

“Throughout my time at Crossroads, I have always been encouraged by the community to take initiative,” said Maddi. “In all my community service endeavors, Crossroads has created an environment that has made me feel supported throughout. For example, when organizing my Red Cross blood drive, the Crossroads staff and students were more than willing to help me serve the community. David Tran, a math teacher at Crossroads, especially unconditionally supported me throughout that experience, whether it was zooming with the Red Cross or coming to school early to help set up. Crossroads provides endless opportunities for the students to step up. I have never felt alone when taking on community service projects, and I know I have a great community behind me.”