Maddie Aliaga: An Internship That Changed Everything
By: Olivia Barclay, UofL Class of 25, 27 – October 16, 2026
When Maddie Aliaga first arrived at the University of Louisville, she had a broad sense of what she wanted in a career. While she knew she wanted to work with children, it was not until a summer internship that she discovered a career path she had never seriously considered: social work.
“I always knew I wanted to work with kids, but I was trying to figure out what career path was the best fit for me. That's why I pursued an internship,” says Aliaga.
Aliaga credits securing her internship to the University Career Center, which provided guidance every step of the way. “First, I met with a career coach to figure out how to approach the internship search.” She met with Dominic Cassiere, the career coach assigned to students in the College of Education and Human Development as well as the Kent School of Social Work and Family Science. Together, they searched job platforms to find companies with missions that interested her and evaluated their daily duties and work environments. After narrowing down the options, Cassiere coached Aliaga on how to develop a strong email that she could send to
prospective employers to inquire about internship opportunities. She ultimately chose a Summer 2025 internship in her hometown with Kid Power Therapy Services because it aligned with her interests in hands-on interaction and play-based learning. Through this opportunity, Aliaga gained experience working with children in a therapeutic setting while exploring potential career paths.
Located in Milford, Ohio, Kid Power Therapy Services provides both pediatric speech-language pathology and occupational therapy to empower children to improve their quality of life through integration, organization, interaction, and fun. Serving children with a wide range of communication, sensory, gross motor, and fine motor needs, Kid Power Therapy Services meets each child where they are and builds on their individual strengths.
As an intern, Aliaga collaborated closely with different staff members to learn about the children’s goals during the program and engaged with them through a play-based approach. She interacted with children in both individualized and group settings, helping prepare them for social success when they returned to a classroom setting in the fall.
While Aliaga initially came to Kid Power Therapy Services planning to shadow occupational therapists, her experiences during the internship introduced her to social work in a new way. “I just didn't really have an understanding of what a social worker's job actually looked like.”
Prior to her internship, Aliaga assumed that social workers were simply vessels for sharing resources and short-term assistance. During her internship, she saw social workers building relationships with clients and taking a hands-on approach. “You're not just giving them to someone else, you're actually seeing the process through. And so that's why I leaned more towards social work after that experience.”
One memory in particular stands out to Aliaga when she reflects on the impact social work has on clients. She recalls working closely with a nonverbal child diagnosed with autism who struggled during transitional periods. She witnessed a social worker advocating for his needs since he was unable to speak for himself. “Seeing that she had his best interests in mind and was able to be a voice for him was really cool for me to see.”
Aliaga found her internship with Kid Power Therapy to be an incredibly worthwhile learning experience. The opportunity gave her clarity about her future career goals and ultimately led her to change her major. She is now pursuing a Bachelor of Social Work and believes that participating in an internship early in her collegiate journey saved her time in the long run, allowing her to remain on track to complete her degree in the standard four-year period.
Cassiere's support extended beyond the internship search. He helped Aliaga develop professional skills and connected her to additional resources offered by the University Career Center. For example, Aliaga has utilized the Document Drop Program on multiple occasions to receive personalized feedback on her resume. Reflecting on her experience with those resources, Aliaga says, “I would say the University Career Center helped me get the internship.”
As Aliaga considers her job search after graduation, she plans to continue utilizing the resources and support available through the University Career Center. She believes her time at Kid Power Therapy has paved the way for new connections as she continues to network within the social work and child advocacy fields. Reflecting on her career exploration journey, Aliaga tells students, “Trying things out and not liking them isn’t a bad thing; it just helps you figure out what’s right for you. It’s not a bad path, it’s just a different path that you need to take.”
Maddie Aliaga is currently a senior on track to graduate in May 2027 with a Bachelor of Social Work. Connect with her on LinkedIn to stay updated on the remainder of her time at UofL and her future career endeavors.
Interested in helping students like Maddie explore career paths and gain valuable hands-on experience through internships and/or experiential learning? Or know a Cardinal whose story deserves to be shared? Connect with the University Career Center (ulcareer@louisville.edu) to learn how to engage with UofL talent or to recommend a student or employer for a future feature. We look forward to hearing from you.
Want to read more about the University Career Center? Check out our UCC Stories page for more career success stories just like this one.