Internship

Portfolio
Spring 2019

Krystyna Kaminski

Resources Unite
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Internship Job Description

Intake Specialist Intern

 Complete intakes and effectively connect with clients (those seeking resources and prospective volunteers)
 Help coordinate community engaging events

Letter of Application (via email)

Hi Josh,
I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to talk with me today. It was very helpful, and I definitely think
Resources Unite would be a good fit for me to work there with you and your team next semester. Based off
what I saw today and what you told me, I think it’ll be a very beneficial experience. After reviewing my
schedule, I think I will be looking for approximately 100 hours next semester. Let me know what else I may
need to do in order to work at Resources Unite.
Enjoy the rest of your day!

Thank you,

Krystyna Kaminski
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Initial Learning Plan

1. Goal/Objective: To improve communication/interviewing skills

Means: Continue to practice interaction skills with each client, both over the phone and those
who walk in. Take note of errors or issues that were more challenging.

Assessment: Easier flow in talking with clients and able to provide the right resources with little
to no assistance.

2. Goal/Objective: To learn how to use resources provided in order to help marginalized

communities

Means: Utilize ideas for programming that may better reach undiscovered people in need. Also,
get to know all the available resources provided in Dubuque area.

Assessment: Assist in the creation of at least one program to help Dubuque community members
and use as many available resources as needed.

3. Supervisor goals (What does the supervisor want the intern to learn/accomplish?)
Josh wants me to be more comfortable when talking to clients, as well as more confident in my abilities to
help.
4. Supervisor expectations (What does the supervisor expect from the student?)
Josh expects students to have professionalism. He also expects us to never be afraid of asking for help and
to work as a team.

5. Professionalism and helpfulness

How can the supervisor & intern collaborate to help obtain these objectives?
Communication is key. I will have to remember the importance of asking for help in order to improve my
knowledge of Dubuque. In creating a new program, we will have to brainstorm with the team to figure
out which resources we can utilize to carry out the plans
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Midterm Exploration
With Tricia Borelli

I met with Tricia Borelli, one of the counselors at Loras College. I am interested in going into school
counseling, so I thought it be best to talk to a counselor to find out what her career path has been that got her to
where she is now. We discussed her career and advice to those wanting to do something similar.
Tricia chose counseling based on her personality growing up. She was the go-to friend for advice and
comfort; this included a friend who had suicidal thoughts. She graduated from University of Iowa with a
Bachelors degree in psychology. She chose counseling over becoming a psychiatrist or therapist because prefers
the helping skills, assisting in human development, and building of relationships instead of the research aspect
that comes with psychiatry. She was unaware during her undergraduate studies that she could have also
followed the same counseling career path with social work. She went to St. Louis University for graduate
school and received her Masters in counseling.
She was never required to do internships or related jobs while working on her bachelors, but in graduate
school she did have a few jobs and internships working with several different populations, particularly with
kids. She had been a camp counselor in the past, worked with people with developmental disabilities, and had
eventually interned at a shelter working with a hotline. After graduation with her Masters in counseling, she had
a private practice. She was eventually suggested to work at a college, Mount Mercy. Her various experiences
allowed her to narrow down which populations she liked best. She found she was most skilled in building
relationships with people, particularly in working with college students.
When asked about what she defined as successful in her life, tricia immediately spoke of working with
clients. She finds that it a gift to be able to talk to clients and see them grow. She enjoys being present with
people during different times in their lives. It gives her purpose, particularly when clients come back and show
that they are doing better. She feels that she is most successful being a safe place to provide love and comfort to
her clients. In regards to achieving that feeling of success, she believes in the importance of learning through
experience, self-reflection, and going to therapy for herself. She feels that she has been successful when she is
given positive feedback, when clients return wither for another session or return to campus for a visit, including
after graduation.
Tricia’s advice to those going into counseling is to work through one’s own personal issues first. You
have to be opening to knowing yourself and knowing your boundaries. What’s important to to remember to
leave everything at the door: as soon as the client walks out, what they do and use from the session is their own
doing. You have to separate work from home and not bring everything from work back with you. This is useful
by utilizing self-care. For herself personally, she relies on her faith, her support systems of friends and family,
and using small “pick-me-ups” that including treating herself to something she enjoys, such as getting her hair
cut and dyed. She relies heavily on a support system not only from her friends and family, but also from her
coworker. Her coworker understands how she may feel and how she works through things because she goes
through similar situations with her clients. It’s hard when you hear a lot in the room, particular if it is constant;
exercising self-care and utilizing the ears of a coworker and support of friends and family is very important.
Tricia’s advice was not very new to me. Most of what she said is what I have learned about in classes,
particularly the importance of gathering experience and doing self-care. I know I am working on broadening my
experiences, more so than what Tricia had done, but I particularly need to work on self-care. I found it
interesting that she mentioned working through personal stuff first and going to a therapist for yourself. It isn’t
talked about much in my classes, particularly because we focus a lot on what we do for clients rather than
ourselves. I think it goes hand-in-hand with self-care. We have to piece ourselves together before we help others
do the same for themselves. I definitely learned that Tricia and I chose the counseling route for similar reasons.
In high-school, and sometimes now, I’ve been a go-to for advice or as an ear to talk to. I love building
relationships and watching people grow, similar to Tricia. Going forward, I am considering testing out going to
a counselor to see if I would see myself doing it and for the betterment of my own health.
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Catalog of tasks completed

Date Task Knowledge Gained
2/18 Advertisement Who to contact to advertise at Loras or in Dyersville
2/19 Begin to attend CAPABLE That we partner with CAPABLE and are in need of
workshops next week finding a new program manager
2/19 Food referrals What steps we take anytime someone comes in for food
2/21 Respond to voicemail messages How to handle unclear situations over the phone
2/26 Reach out the Julie Instead of coming up with my own job description for
CAPABLE, I simply emailed Julie in a professional
manner to send one
2/26 Find tax help resources for client I learned which resource has free tax help (dial 2-1-1)
3/5 Work with CAPABLE I learned about what capable does and met volunteers
3/7 Find resource to pay for meds I learned that VNA has funds available to assist with
paying for medication
3/11 Brainstorming for follow up We had to figure out what would be the best method to
begin follow up with clients. Also choose a family most
in need for mentoring
3/22 Reorganizing storage We reorganized all of our storage, particularly spring
cleaning anything expired
3/27 Donate items Dropped off items we did not need at Goodwill
3/29 Stock and reorganize food pantry Organized all older foods to the front of shelves for
easier access
4/2 Help with CAPABLE workshop I assisted Julie with the workshop and was assigned to
call around Dubuque for volunteer opportunities that
fit his needs
4/3 Clean out food pantry The pantry was dirty in some areas so we cleaned it out
4/5 Refill pantry We received donations from a convenience store that
had closed so we kept what was not expired and was
what we normally give out, and donated the other non-
expired food to the Dubuque Food Pantry
4/5 Reorganize storage We had a lot of excess items in our back room so we
donated them to Goodwill
4/8 Brainstorm We had to figure out what volunteer/type activities a
large group of grade school students could do in one
day for an event in May
4/23 Discuss types of trauma Josh had a presentation later today about trauma
informed care so we discussed the presentation and how
to relate with the audience using possible examples from
client situations where there was trauma.
4/26 Brainstorming for delivering beds We deliver beds May1 for Bobcat service day, so we
began to figure out what we could add to improve the
bedrooms
5/3 Intake debrief I had a very difficult intake with a client from my old
internship. I debriefed with Josh and my professor and
learned how we handle situations with clients who come
in high on drugs
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Reflective Journal Entries
Week 1 Date _____2/4 – 2/8________________ Total Hours ______10___________
Read the Harassment in the Workplace information. Ask the employer if the organization has a policy in place
then answer either (a) if they do – how do the 2 compare or (b) if they do not, why would it be wise to have a
policy in place.

Resources Unite has a harassment policy which explains zero-tolerance for sexual harassment and assault. It
mentions the importance that sexual harassment is subjective and circumstantial, but provides a short list of
broad examples of inappropriate conduct. It is overall more broad compared to Loras College’s in that it does
not go into detail of who the victim or perpetrator is. Loras’ also mentions the process for when there is an
allegation and describes what actions are to be taken. I think they both ideally cover the importance of the topic,
but resources unite lacks in simply making the policy more detailed compared to Loras College’s.

Week 2 Date ___2/11 – 2/15__________________ Total Hours ______14___________

Summarize your tasks and what you are learning in this experience. Are there new tasks to add to the chart at
the beginning of this journal?
How would you draw a connection between your academic learning, professional goals, & social awareness of
the “common good”?
Response:

Since last week was very slow, I did not have any new tasks to add to this journal. Most of the tasks I have
learned from the internship thus far are from prior to doing the internship for credit. It’s also hard to keep track
of the tasks I have learned because they may be small learning curves from intakes rather than tasks. What I
have been learning from my experience, however, is how to communicate effectively with different kinds of
people.
In class, I learned the importance of helping others and the different ways to do so. My academic learning has
taught me how to understand the macro, meso, and micro system, which all connect together to form society. I
have gained more social awareness from both my sociology courses and my experiences at internships. In my
professional goals, I hope to work with all levels throughout my career. Resources Unite works on the mirco
and meso levels. We work with underrepresented communities and develop or work with different programs
that benefit them.

Week 3 Date _______2/18-2/22______________ Total Hours _______14__________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
What role does this organization play in the community? Does this organization contribute to the “common
good”&/or display an understanding of social responsibility – in what way(s)?
Response:
There were 3 new tasks to add to the chart. I was informed that the program CAPABLE that we work with is in
need of a new program manager due to the current woman retiring from it. My co-worker and I will be in
charge of co-facilitating the program on Tuesdays and will be searching for a new, equally passionate program
manager from the Dubuque community. There is a hair product drive occurring for Amani Services, which is an
organization that we partner with and rent out a space to. I had to figure out who/where to send out the flyer in
order to advertise it at Loras. We also had a planned mobile food pantry (eventually we made it simply a mobile
resource centre) for Thursday. I had to contact specific people from Dyersville in order to reach out to as many
people as possible through the schools and local government. Josh also sent out an email as a reminder about
what steps we take for food pantries. He mentioned that not only we give them food, but we also should give
them a referral to the Dubuque food pantry if they are eligible. We also have to give them a form that lists all
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the local food pantries (this I did not know). On Thursday, Josh had left for his mobile resource van and Angie
(her organization partners with us and helps us out in exchange for free rent) had been too busy that day to
listen to the voicemails. I listened to at least 8 of them. When a person leaves only their name and number, I
have to call back to see what it was they needed assistance with. If someone asks about referrals, we have to ask
them to come into the office and sit down for an intake. One of the individuals I had actually known from the
Fountain of Youth, so that was cool.
Resources Unite has become the resource and referral centre of the tri-state area. We not only provide resources
from our own pantries, but also send out referrals to other places around the Dubuque area (or sometimes
further away if we have any). RU is a strong contributor to the common good. We focus on helping out
individuals by forming relationships with our clients in order to better understand them and their situation. We
provide services to individuals in order to give them a better quality of life. We have a responsibility to reach as
many people as possible. An example would be the mobile resource centre we had on Thursday. We went out to
Dyersville to provide care to those who are unable to travel all the way to Dubuque. When the Midwest had that
week of extreme -50 weather, we had volunteers delivering bags of food to people in need because school-aged
children were at home, and those depending on school lunches may have caused a shortage of food in the
families’ homes. We reach out to the community when there is strong need for certain things, but we invite
people to come to us so that we know they are ready to receive our help.

Week 4 Date _____2/25-3/1________________ Total Hours ______14___________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
Write about something important to you this week that connects to your internship experience.
Response:
At the beginning of the week, I reached out via email to the current program manager of CAPABLE, Julie, in
hopes that she would send me a description of the job. Unfortunately, I never received a response, so I may now
have to figure out a description on my own at some point. At one point I had to help a client over the phone in
regards to tax services. Josh told me about the 2-1-1 number that helps people with tax preparation for free. It
was something I had not known about, and it later benefitted me. A friend had been working on a project about
taxes and financial consultants where he had to interview an IRS tax preparer, and I told him about the program
through United Way.
I have had a lot of scholarship applications to write and fill out lately. Now that I’m a junior, there suddenly
seems to be even more opportunities for me in regards to scholarships. The largest one I applied for was Valder.
Unfortunately, I did not get it, and I felt very let down. I talked to Josh about it and he told me the same thing
my mother always says, “Everything happens for a reason”. I hate the phrase because I hear it so often as an
excuse for when something goes wrong, but it ended up seeming fitting for this situation. I found out more in
regards to costs of the internship if I had gotten Valder and the difficulties that would’ve come financially. But
either way, in that moment Josh got real with me. He tried to be a realist as well as comforting, which was what
I needed. My experience thus far at Resources Unite has been really amazing. It feels like a small family there
and we all work together as a strong unit. We support one another and help each other when we feel stuck. That
support system is what I look for in an internship, and I definitely found it here.

Week 5 Date __3/4-3/8___________________ Total Hours ____14.5____________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
When reflecting on your work environment, what are two things you would keep and two things you would
change about your work place? How would you effectively & ethically implement those changes?
Response:
I worked with CAPABLE this week. It was really fun to work with the volunteers. Everyone was really nice
and welcoming. I look forward to working with them more and finding them a new program director. On
Thursday, a woman came in asking or help paying for ADHD medication. I was very unsure as to who to go to
for that, but my co-worker helped figure it out. We directed the client to VNA.
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I feel that RU is already going through changes, such as new programs and collaborations with other
organizations. I would keep the relaxed and collaborative environment and schedule flexibility. Any time I look
for a job or internship, those are the things I look for. I actually turned down a job/internship due to lack in that
relaxed feel and flexibility. In regards to things I would change, probably change speed in getting things done
for the office (still waiting on new barstools and our plan for a new corkboard to promote people helping others
in the community). I also would change the way we work with volunteers. It is heavily Facebook based and a
quick chat. We are however working on getting a new intake form for volunteers seeking opportunities, but it
still hasn’t been implemented.

Week 6 Date __3/11-3/15___________________ Total Hours _______14__________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
What does this experience point out to you about your own attitudes, biases, or preferences? How does this
internship fit with your values?
~or~
include a screenshot with internship site supervisor tagging #DuhawkDay.
Response:

Week 7 Date ____3/18-3/22_________________ Total Hours ____14_____________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
In recognizing your knowledge & skills, etc. from week 6, how can you use those gifts to impact the community
in which you decide to spend your professional career?
Response:
On Friday, we did a massive spring cleaning. We cleared out the boxes of dress shoes that were stored in the
back and sent them to our storage unit. We moved all our cleaning supplies and baby pantry items to be more
organized into sections. When going through the formula section, we found a ton of food and boxes of formula
that was expired and had to throw out a large portion of it. It took us a lot of hard work but less than 3 hours to
completely clean out everything.
I am a very open minded person. This allows me to work with different populations and individuals going
through unique situations that may be difficult. Since I plan on going down the counseling route, or something
similar, I’m going to be hearing a lot of heavy/hard-to-hear stories and feelings coming from clients. I am
working on skills for talking to suicidal clients, and am able to use my resiliency when taking in all that
information. When I was a teenager, I went through difficult times, so I can understand when they struggle as
well; this will help me relate to them more easily.
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Week 8 Date ___3/25-3/29__________________ Total Hours ______11___________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
Assess the status of your Initial Learning Plan and the goals that you set at the beginning of the semester.
Response:

On Wednesday, we had a few boxes of items that we would likely not need to give away or simply needed to
clear out of our storage. I took them to Goodwill to donate them. On Friday, josh had some of us refill the food
pantry, and I reorganized most of it according to expiration date.
The first goal I set was to work on and improve my interaction skills. It has been a day by day process, but it has
been especially helpful to be in my Practice 1 class which focusses on those skills. I recently had an intake that
lasted over an hour because I had used those skills well and made sure to let the client talk and explain her story
thoroughly. I was able to provide her multiple resources and offer her support for her complicated situation. I
think it helped to be in a class focused on those skills and then be able to apply them in the field at the same
time. My second goal, planning a program, is something I feel that I have to continue to brainstorm and
eventually push forward once planned out.

Week 9 Date _____4/1-4/5________________ Total Hours ________14_________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
What are you learning about yourself in terms of communication style, adaptability, and leadership style? How
do these qualities/skills impact others in your work environment?
Response:
There was a lot of cleaning and refilling of the food pantry this week, as well as general reorganization of our
back room storage. We donated a lot to other organizations in town such as Goodwill and the Dubuque Food
Pantry. I also assisted with the CAPABLE program again and have yet to get in contact with organizations for
one of the volunteers.

I learned that I am very open in regards to communication. If I need help or have a question, I am not afraid to
ask. I do my best to adapt to situations. Because of the amount of stress I am always under, it is more difficult,
but I manage to adjust to anything new in the office. In regards to leadership, I am definitely either a
collaborator or a do-it-myself in the office. I either done something on my own, such as reorganizing parts of
the pantry, or I work with the other team members, such as when we clean out the entire storage space. In this
office, I don’t like to be a leader upfront because it is meant to be a collaborative space rather than having one
individual (other than josh) to be the go-to leader. I think that I have adapted my communication and leadership
style to the feel of the office, as has everyone else. Josh asks us to be collaborative and be communicative with
each other because we work as a team rather than on an individual basis. Josh is the leader of the team because
he is the most knowledgeable and with the most experience, but he wants us to see him as an equal in regards to
the work we do with clients.

Week 10 Date ____4/8-4/12_________________ Total Hours ______14___________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
What gaps do you recognize in your knowledge and/or skills related to this experience? How will you address
those gaps?
Response:
We spent the week brainstorming on volunteer ideas for school kids that have a large community event coming
up.
One of the gaps I worried about was coming up with different solutions that work for clients based on their
situation. Many clients do have similar situations in regards to falling behind on bills, but sometimes it’s hard to
figure out which services they need to start with the reach to what they think they need. I have to work out the
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long term solution along with providing a short term one. It helps that we have a “cheat sheet” in the intake
room, and I always go to my co-workers and Josh when I am not sure what to do for the client.

Week 11 Date __4/23-4/26___________________ Total Hours ______11___________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
What is one challenge you have faced in this internship? What problem-solving skills & ethical standards did
you use to respond to this challenge? Would you do anything differently if faced with this challenge again?
Response:
We were brainstorming ideas for a presentation Josh had on trauma-informed care. We mainly applied client
examples of trauma. We also have set plans in place for the Bobcat service day on May 1st, but we had to think
up of what more we could add onto it.
One challenge for me has been dealing with the right amount of empathy for clients. I struggle to be equally as
helpful and empathetic to those who do not want to help themselves and to those who are doing the best they
can. I use the social value dignity and worth of a person to remind myself that they are still a person and there is
always a reason behind their behavior. I simply give them the resources we have available and attempt to work
around them being difficult. Their intake may not last as long as someone else willing to sit down and discuss
what they’re going through in order to figure out the best services for them. I just have to learn how to handle
difficult clients, which we are beginning to learn in class.

Week 12 Date ____4/29-5/3_________________ Total Hours ________13_________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
What have you accomplished in your time in this internship that you hadn’t expected? What have you been
unable to accomplish that you had hoped?
Response:
Bobcat service day was cancelled but we still continue to add people to the bed list. On Friday, I had a very
difficult intake that had me distraught afterwards, but I learned the importance of debriefing with Josh/my
professor, as well as what to do when a client in under the influence.
My biggest accomplishment has been growth in my social work skills. I am able to talk to clients with ease. My
biggest challenge was the intake I did on Friday, and according to both Josh and my professor, I handled the
situation very well and did the best I could for what the client has been going through. what I have been unable
to accomplish was to come up with my own program, however lack of time on my end made it difficult.

Week 13 Date ______5/6-5/10_______________ Total Hours ____13.5_____________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
You will soon have to represent this internship on your resume. If a future employer were to ask you to name 3
key points of this experience how would you answer him/her?
Response:

I already have placed RU on my resume since I update it often. I would say that from RU, I learned how to
communicate effectively with clients using social work skills. I also learned about the resources that are
available in the Dubuque area. Third, I realized the huge difference between a non-profit that is beginning and
not put together and a non-profit that is very well organized and successful.
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Week 14 Date _____________________ Total Hours _________________
Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
As you reflect on the totality of your experience, what skills do you hope to further develop? How can you use
those skills to pursue your career goals while also making a positive contribution to society?
Response:
I would like to further develop my skills for communicating with clients. I think that, although they are much
more advanced than before, there’s definitely room for improvement. I would also want to work on
brainstorming better ideas for community events as well as following through with them. Since I currently plan
on going into school social work, it would help to learn how to talk with teenagers or younger kids effectively.
The more I learn about them and understand them, the best I am able to help. I also think it’s important to be
engaging with communities, which is a task I will be focusing on in the fall.

Week 15 Date _____________________ Total Hours _________________

Are there new tasks to add to the chart at the beginning of this journal?
Review your Learning Plan. Did you meet your goals? Why or why not? What aided your progress or what
impeded it?

I met my first goal for sure, as I have improved tremendously in my communication and interviewing skills. I
knew this after the intake with a former client was handled very well, and Josh said I had done the right thing.
what helped was that I would go from my Practice 1 class to the internship back to back. This meant I would
learn the skills in class and then us them with real clients. This practice and experience helped me improve
faster than most classmates. I was unable to fully meet my second goal. We hadn’t made a new program this
semester, but that was in part due to all of the interns being busy with other work and Josh being busy with his
travelling. We had one idea, but our downfall was not going through with it.
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Final Essay
Summary Essay: What did you do? What did you learn? Why did it matter?

Working at Resources Unite gave me the greatest and best experience I have ever had. It is a unique

working environment in which interns work together not only as a team but also equally with our supervisor. He

showed kindness and empathy towards both clients and interns, a quality I have not had the chance to see in a

professional setting first hand. Although I had worked with clients in my previous internship, being able to sit

down with these clients and hear their stories was very different and far more personal.

Josh throws interns right in with high expectations, but it was worth it. I took the internship to purposefully

challenge myself so I would learn how to speak one-on-one with clients. I would sit clients down and do an

intake. If they were new, I would take down all their information and then ask them about themselves and their

lives. If they had been there before, I would review their file and get updates from them. My purpose was to

form meaningful relationships with clients and be able to help them at the root of their troubles as best I could.

It heard stories of single parents trying to raise children on low income, homeless individuals trying to start or

restart their life, addicts trying to get clean, individuals with disabilities struggling to pay bills, people in the

school system trying to get food while schools were out during snow days, people who were escaping domestic

violence, women who had miscarriages or experienced other extreme forms of loss, and more. It was all more

than I had ever thought I would hear that no one could ever prepare me for. I hear and study case studies in

class, but have never fully seen and sat with the real people behind similar stories.

I have always known I am a sponge when it comes to seeing others in distress. I am very empathetic and take

everything personally. One of the first clients I worked with was a woman who came in seeking help with food.

Looking at her file, it said she had been 3 months pregnant the last time she had come in looking for diapers.

When I asked about the baby, she told me she had a miscarriage and cried next to me as I tried to comfort her.

It’s pain I hope to never experience, and seeing hers gave me awful heartache for her loss.

I learned that many times, people come just to be heard and listened to. I always thought it was about advice

and problem solving, but in reality, it’s just a matter of being present with ears open. Another difficult client
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was a woman struggling to get her kid back after having left her abusive boyfriend and getting over her pain

medication addiction. Hearing her struggles made me want to solve them all for her. It seemed she just kept

falling down a mountain of bad luck since a car accident she had years ago. She lost everything and nothing she

could do was enough to get her life back together. I learned in that intake that it was about listening because

there’s always more to the story than what meets the eye.

My most difficult intake was with clients from my previous internship the semester prior. I had grown close

professionally to him but had heard the night before that he disappeared from the program after a falling out

with my old supervisor. He came in with his girlfriend, skinny as ever, and under the influence of drugs. It was

saddening to both see and hear what occurred that let him fall off the wagon and back into a cycle of addiction.

I could see the concern and anxiety on his girlfriend’s face, and having known her for a while, she knew I

understood. Knowing them well enough, I knew I wasn’t in danger despite him being high because the

girlfriend was there. What I heard and learned in that intake was beyond difficult because I had seen them both

succeeding so well for a long period of time. I provided them with resources to meet the needs they had come in

for, with was rent and utility bills, knowing full well that he wasn’t ready for recovery despite what he had been

saying. He knows the resources and process like the back of his hand at this point, so I left it up to them what

their next steps would be. I encouraged him to do what he thought was best, both for their unborn child and

themselves. Afterward, I let myself feel the pent up emotion from the intake briefly by crying. I went to my

professor to talk about it, making sure I did what was right, and to take care of myself. I spoke with Josh as

well, learning that I had done the right thing and did well, and my next step was to take care of myself. I learned

not to forget it, but to rather accept it and continue on. Other than developing conversation skills, this was my

biggest takeaway and learning moment at Resources Unite.

What mattered most was not only to take care of myself in this field but to also understand that there is

always more to the story. I learned about the resources available in the community, gained a better

understanding of how government assistance works, and a better understanding of those people and the real

stories. My understanding of food stamps and those who use them is far beyond what I learn in the classroom. A

week after my last day, an old classmate had commented falsely on their view of food stamps on social media,
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and I was able to come up with a million different reasons why their comment was ignorant and false. What

matters is that I know what to do if I go into politics, particularly knowing which areas to target to combat

homelessness and poverty. After this semester at Resources Unite, I feel as if one semester was not enough, and

that there is more for me to learn and experience there.

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UPDATED RESUME