Nicole Walker, Art Therapy Intern, Parenting and Child Development Program

“Everyone is so close in the program – teachers, aides – everyone knows each other well,” said Nicole Walker, describing what it’s like to work in the Parent and Child Development program at LSA.  “It’s a very interactive environment, and they made it easy for me to jump right in.  It’s a lot of fun, like being with family,” she said.

Nicole is a senior at Marymount Manhattan College studying art therapy. She will be graduating in May, and says her time at LSA has reinforced her interest in becoming an art therapist.  In addition to spending thee half days at LSA, she is a part time nanny for a family with four children on the Upper East Side.

She said that the most exciting part of the volunteer work is “meeting and interacting with so many different children.”  Though she does not speak Spanish, the primary language of the majority of our families, she has come to know the children well. “I learned that each child is so different and has a unique personality,” she says.

Nicole describes her most memorable experience: “When one of the toddlers in the program, named Nicole, learned that my name is Nicole, she first didn’t believe there could be someone else named Nicole! But she finally accepted it, and now whenever she sees me, she comes running right up to me, and gives me a big hug. Every time.”