The Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC)

I completed my internship at Saint Agnes Home, Inc (SAH) located in West Hartford Connecticut. I was assigned to single Teenage Mothers. The Saint Agnes is a non-profit program licensed group home run by the State of Connecticut Department of Children and Families for pregnant and/or parenting adolescents and their babies. The mission of the Saint Agnes program is to provide residential care and support services to single pregnant and parenting teen mothers and their babies. The Saint Agnes Home program emphasis values, respects life, and recognizes the unique dignity and optimum potential of each person served. The program is staffed by licensed clinical social workers, registered nurse, and other college prepares professionals.

An internship can also heighten the awareness of community issues, motivates to create opportunities, embrace new ideas, and give direction to positive change. A successful internship can provide valuable information in making decisions about the direction of future studies or employment. An internship is an opportunity to not only use and develop industry-related knowledge and skills, but also to enhance some of the skills that are transferable to any professional work setting. For some people, the internship is the first introduction to the world of work. No matter where the skills and understanding of professionalism lie, internship is a chance to develop them even further.

As a co chair I had to motivate and guide my committee to finish the project on time and efficiently, and it turned out to be a success. Being the co chair in first quarter was challenging for having to figure out how to grade people and telling people what to do. As I got the hang of being a co chair my committee members began to trust me more and came to me to ask questions and advice during harsh times. By being a co chair it improved my skill of leadership and communication. Not only did I do this heart activity, but I worked an event to raise new student’s ability to approach other students and communicate better, ice-cream get-together. During this event I handed out ice-cream to new students to the district. I also sat down and got to know them by talking to them and trying to make them feel comfortable. The point of this event was to make the students meet new people and just have a conversation. During dance committee I worked on the Under the Sea dance. In order to plan and make the dance communication was important because we had to get laser tag and make decorations. In publicity I created posters for the events happening

The main task of my internship was to gain more experience and knowledge of our respective field. Overall, the experience proved to be both enjoyable and rewarding. During this internship I used the skills that I learned from my Medical Assistant class and used them in the real world scenarios at the hospital. Also while I there I was exposed to new experiences. Such as performing Urine test on Drug and alcohol patients. For this procedure I had to stand in the restroom with the patient's and watch them urinate into a cup. I had to stand in the restroom with the patients because in the past they try and cheat the system. For example

Specifically, I was able to apply many of the concepts and skills that were discussed within the MIDCM coursework in a professional setting, such as language aid, guided research, community development, proposal/grant support, youth engagement activities and education initiatives. My two primary projects throughout the summer internship were the Vulnerable Populations Project and the CYFAR Grant Program. The Vulnerable Populations Project focuses on the nine groups of youth listed above. I was tasked with researching information on each group, finding federal laws related to each specific group, and condensing the information to be posted online to the public.

After speaking to people, I often had a time to reflect on what I heard. The product was a much greater understanding of the complexity of the American political system. I grew up thinking that that one side was right, and the other was full of irrational arguments. However, people sharing bits of their lives with me taught me that is not true. The support and opposition for every policy makes sense, and deciding which is right is far more of a value judgment than a facts-based judgment than I could have imagined. I feel less sure about what I believe politically after the internship, but again, I do not think that is a bad thing. For the first time, I know how to enter into a thought process without a bias, and able to listen to both sides. This skill is critical for any studies or career in the social sciences.

The summer of 2014, I interned at the Economic Development Office for the state of Texas. The office was tasked with preparing relocation incentives for companies in order to create jobs. The office was split into different departments totaling about 45 people.

The agency where I am completing my internship is called Center for Family Services. This organization provides a wide range of services. I am working in their Family First program. This program is a substance abuse program just for mothers who must attend drug court or have an open case with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency. These women are ordered to complete a substance abuse program. This program serves a diverse cultural and ethnic population who may have experienced trauma in their life. Many times, trauma and post traumatic stress can lead to substance abuse.

Starting last May, I accepted an internship at the State Capitol in Madison. I was the Legislative Aide Intern for Representative Jesse Kremer’s office. I received an email from his office in April of last year saying that there was an internship opportunity and I applied for it. I had an interview at the Capitol in the beginning of May. I sat down with Kremer’s Legislative Aide, Jackie Arthur for an interview and they hired me on the spot.

I began searching for an internship spring semester of my sophomore year. I was looking at various places for example, non-profit organizations, county of DuPage, and companies that dealt with marketing and advertising. My cousin Ashley told me that the non-profit organization (Teen Parent Connection) she worked for had a public relations intern opening. I immediately applied and began the interviewing process. Thus, I secured the position of Teen Parent Connections development Intern. Through my reflection paper I will discuss my expectations for the internship. I will then go into detail about the objectives I completed during my internship and finally my likes and dislikes.

     I was able to be successful in this internship because I had to utilize and develop many new skills. I used my interpersonal skills such as: coping strategies; peer relationships and effective social skills; communication, problem-solving techniques, decision-making, conflict resolution, how to work in a team, where everyone depends on each other and a lot of patience. I developed many new skills such as multitasking, problem solving/decision making, and leadership qualities. I learned that I am a role model. It is important to develop a good relationship with students; however, I must keep in mind that I am expected to behave myself in a professional manner at all times. I also learned some of the important skills of a teacher such as: how to provide direct instructions, clarify content, teach skills and answer the students questions; help students identify their skills, abilities, and long term plans regarding education and personal problems.

Typically, internships are professional experiences that students participate in to gain professional skills and experiences. In this particular experience at Accounting Firm X I did in fact gain substantial professional skill while participating in new and challenging experiences. Internships allow in- class material to come to life in a practical manner. My internship did do this but not in a way that I had planned.

My placement is at Gateway Youth in Elmont. Gateway is a prevention program specializing in working with youth between the ages of 5-17 who are in conflict with their family, in need of academic or emotional support, or who are involved in the juvenile court system. Services provided include case management, crisis intervention, and advocacy with the schools, court, and community. As a social work intern, I am placed at Gotham Ave Elementary School working with third graders. At this school, Gateway Youth provides an after-school program for students that need supervision with their homework and inclusion in activities before their parents can pick them up.

I was lucky enough to have an internship at an Asset Management firm the summer out of my undergrad. It was fascinating to me, working with the Portfolio Analysts at APG and tracking the performance and progress of existing investments. I was intrigued and also intimidated with the way the Analysts understood and spoke about the investments that they oversaw. I was also the only female on the team so that took some getting used to as well. I knew that this would be a challenge for me but I wanted in, I wanted to understand this world. From then on, I have dedicated myself to learn, grow and flourish in the business world. I learned how to analyze quarterly reports from multiple assets and gave my projections based on my own ideas and thoughts. This was only the beginning, but doing so improved my abilities to express my ideas clearly and concisely and I developed a better understanding on how the finance side of real estate operates.

The second day of my internship, I was involved in a safety training, and some outdoor activities, such as flagging on the road side and backing up ODOT’s trucks. In the afternoon, I met with my supervisor, who introduced me to each member of the department of planning and engineering design where I will be working for two mouths, and after join the construction department for the rest of internship.