Why I Took on a Summer Internship

 

As I shared in my last post, I am spending my summer doing an internship. Through the SECU Public Fellows Internship Program at UNCG, I am interning at the YWCA Greensboro until the end of July. This internship was completely optional, and I still have an internship to complete in the fall that is required for my program in order for me to graduate. When I explain that to people, I usually get some confused looks and they often ask why I committed to an additional internship knowing I have a mandatory one to complete for next semester. 

I made the decision to take on this experience for a few reasons, and I figured it may be good to write a post explaining it because it may inspire or reaffirm someone else's decision. I also just needed something to post this month, but that's not really the point now- is it?

Before I get into all of the why's at hand, I want to start by saying that I knew I wanted to serve at the YWCA in some capacity before I ever decided I wanted to do a summer internship. The YWCA has a mission and vision that spoke to me from the moment I came across the site. The YWCA is on a mission to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA's vision is a healthy community transformed by racial and gender equity, where women and girls of color have equal access to opportunity and there is social justice for all people. Those two points are what drew me to the YWCA.

I always work a regular job over the summer, but with the COVID-19 crisis and my experience working retail during the holiday season, I didn't really feel comfortable returning to that type of work this summer. The risks outweigh the reward for me in the sense that there was no way I would want to be risking my health to be in contact with the general public for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week when I wasn't gaining anything besides being able to make ends meet. I've slowly gotten tired of working jobs that don't feel meaningful over the years, and I think the pandemic kind of just reaffirmed that. So, I feel like this summer internship is the perfect introduction into working more in the social service sector and is more closely aligned with what my career goals are.

Initially, I was considering applying to the YWCA for my mandatory internship in the fall. However, at the beginning of last semester, I attended a virtual career fair hosted by UNCG where there was an informational session about the SECU Public Fellows Internship Program. After hearing about the program and seeing that one of the possible placement sites was the YWCA, I decided to apply. I was drawn to the SECU Public Fellows Internship Program because of it allows UNCG students interested in civic engagement a paid opportunity to build capacity with local organizations and agencies that support the Greensboro community. The program is set up for you to serve between 300-400 hours (at this point I've knocked out just over 200 of my hours) over a three month span, and there is a project at the end that you put together to present your overall experience. The selection process for the program was pretty competitive as only 20 students were selected for the Summer 2021 cohort. I knew going into the process that if I was not selected, I would apply directly to the YWCA to intern for the fall.

I was honestly ecstatic when I got word that I had been chosen for the placement at YWCA.

I instantly began thinking about the ways that I could serve the community and the impact that I would be able to make on the lives of others. I knew that I would be working with the homeless population in serving in the emergency family shelter, as well as getting to work with the parenting programs (both teen and adult). It just felt like a perfect fit for me from the start. After the initial excitement wore off, it also hit me that having two internships on my resume would look really good when I started applying for graduate programs this summer/fall. I took into consideration the fact that I will have two totally different placements, the YWCA and the developmental research study I will be interning with in the fall,  giving me a well-rounded experience overall.

This experience has involved me being immersed in serving vulnerable populations and getting a feel for what it means to be working to improve the quality of life for others and set them up with the resources and supports they need. I have learned so much about what resources are available in Greensboro/Guilford County and I know that I will be able to carry that information with me into whatever job I work after graduation and in whatever capacity I end up serving as a counselor after graduate school.

I have a little over a month left in my time at the YWCA and I've been thinking a lot about how it will feel when this program is over.

I have built so many relationships and connections since jumping into service at the beginning of May, and I know that the experience as a whole will leave a lasting impression on me. I would say that choosing to take on a summer internship, even considering how intense the time commitment has been, was a choice that was well worth it. Interning at the YWCA has opened my eyes to so many possibilites to serve the Greensboro community and beyond. I feel like this experience has help shape what I want to do in my career and what I want to focus on in my efforts to serve others. 

I highly recommend doing a summer internship- whether it's related to serving others or not. 

I feel like summer presents the perfect opportunity to take on an internship to learn and grow in your prospective field or maybe to even dip your toes into something new. I would say that taking on a summer internship, especially while you are in undergrad, is a great resume builder. If you're like me and you're kind of scrambling to beef up your experience and involvements to showcase yourself for graduate programs, a summer internship (paid or unpaid) is definitely a good route to take. Put yourself out there to gain some experience- you never know what else you might get back in benefits!