Meaghan attended CIP Berkshire Center in Lee, Massachusetts from 2005-2007. Five years later she is working fulltime at a decal production company in Oklahoma where she is married and just recently gave birth to her little boy Teagan.
What was your favorite part of being a CIP student?
My favorite part of being a CIP student was getting to hang out with friends and learning new things
What kinds of things did you struggle with prior to CIP? How as CIP able to help you?
The kinds of things I struggled a little was money management, my shyness and meeting new people. CIP helped me balance my checks with money management and with trying to break out of my shyness when meeting new people.
Tell us about the friends you made at CIP
When I first came to CIP in 2005, I was excited since someone I went to high school with came to CIP as well and it made me feel more comfortable being there. All and all, I liked the students I met at CIP, they were all nice.
While at CIP, did you have internships and jobs? What were they? How did they prepare you for the world of work?
While I was at CIP, I had an internship over at UCP - United Cerebral Palsy ( located in Pittsfield, MA ). UCP is a business place which helps people who have Cerebral Palsy. I helped them with the Brick Project, a playground for kids who have cerebral palsy.
In your opinion, what is the most important area that you have grown while at CIP?
The most important area that I have grown while being at CIP was having friends and going to activities on or off campus.
Is there anything you want to tell the CIP staff who worked with you?
I'm grateful for the staff that worked with me while at CIP, they were very nice. They also helped me learn to be independent and learning to get along with roommates despite from arguments.
What advice do you have for new CIP students?
It will be hard at first during the first year because your learning different experiences. As time goes on, you will feel more comfortable, confident and more independent. Also, when there's weekend activities, take the advantage of them because they're fun, no matter what it is.
Any other comments?
Last thing I have to say is, learning at CIP is a great experience when you're there for 2 to 4 years like I was.
