At Dynamy, we focus on internships, one-on-one advising, apartment living, and community engagement. It’s a well-rounded approach that helps students learn transferable skills, regardless of where they came from before joining our program or where life takes them after they graduate.
Staff Spotlight: Gregory Frew
Title:
Assistant Program DirectorProgram:
Dynamy Internship YearPhotos
Gregory starting working as a student advisor at Dynamy in 2014 before transitioning to the role of Assistant Program Director. He is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor and trained as an Adventure Challenge Experience facilitator.
What makes Dynamy Unique?
What is your favorite aspect of the program?
Community activities—whether this takes the form of formal activities like workshops and presentations or informal activities like group dinners or outings to the movie theater. It’s great to see a bunch of individuals with different backgrounds come together, learn from each other, and form a group identity and the different variations of this same general process that occur with each class.
What is the best success story you've heard from a Dynamy alumni?
Measuring success can be such a subjective thing that’s influenced by so many factors, so it’s hard to pick any one student who has the best post-Dynamy success story. In general, I’d consider anybody who walks away from our program with greater conviction in their ability to improve themselves and their communities to be a success.
If you could participate in an internship offered through Dynamy, which one would you choose?
That’s a tough choice since there are so many unique internships available! I would definitely be a student who wanted to do a couple of entirely different internships during my time at Dynamy and would want to explore hands-on and environmentally-focused internships in greater depth.
What is your favorite part of working in Worcester?
Worcester is the second biggest city in New England, and as such, it has a great mix of things going on—if you’re looking for an opportunity to get more involved in something, it’s likely that this opportunity will be available! At the same time, Worcester is small enough that things still feel personal and the ability to form a sense of community is still present.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful Gap Year?
The willingness for staff members and gappers to embrace uncertainty and learn from experiences, whether they’re positive or negative. When you enter into a mindset where success isn’t guaranteed, you are also entering into a mindset where the biggest growth can occur.
Finding opportunities for safe risk-taking and embracing these opportunities is key.