Elliot Sommers (left), with Compeer adviser and SUNY Fredonia alumna Hayley Kasprzycki.
Senior Elliot Sommers is mentoring high school students in an internship through the Buffalo, NY-based Compeer mental health program.
The innovative program mentors middle and high school students in developing prosocial behaviors that support their academic success. Mr. Sommers, of Gowanda, NY, mentors high school students through the program’s Lake Shore Central School District location in Angola, NY.
Sommers is overseen by Hayley Kasprzycki, the school-based program coordinator. Ms. Kasprzycki is a 2023 graduate of SUNY Fredonia’s Social Work program who earned her Master of Social Work degree from the State University at Buffalo.
According to Kasprzycki, Sommers is thriving in his internship placement that spans the Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 semesters.
When asked to identify why Sommers is doing so well, she said, “Elliot is authentic. He does not shy away when a student has an issue or a question. He uses these issues and questions as ways to educate and build positive social-emotional skills.”
The social work internship is the signature learning experience in social work education at SUNY Fredonia. Each Social Work student completes a 450-hour internship over the course of their final two semesters of the program, with the purpose of developing skills and knowledge in promoting individual and community wellbeing.
