As I reflect back on the Developmental Stages of an Internship, I see myself in the described stages. I believe that my experience followed this pattern, even though I didn’t really expect it to, given the nature of my non-profit. The first stage is anticipation, characterized by eagerness and anxiety. I experienced this before starting my internship, and I wondered how I would be received as a newcomer in a company. I was also a little hesitant to start because this was not the exact sector I was hoping for, but it paid off in the end. Navigating a new environment and schedule was something that worried me, but I was able to make time for everything and get to know a different area of London! The second stage is exploration, as described by Sweitzer and King. This is where you “are beginning to branch out into the work, taking on responsibilities that are important to the work of the site” (37). This was when I was assigned to make a visual daily planner and start planning events. I didn’t really know what a visual daily planner might look like or what the residents would want to do. However, after a bit of time getting to know them and doing research, I was able to start creating ideas that would be beneficial and enjoyable for them. I began to know that one resident likes food-based activities and the other likes “girly” things to do. Knowing this, I was able to tailor some parts of their planner to those preferences. Stage three is competence. While I wouldn’t necessarily call myself an “emerging professional” in this field, I believe that I have gained more experience with social care and people in general. I feel confident in my placement and have begun to start conversations with coworkers, begin extra work, and ask more questions. I do not feel the burnout that is described with this stage. I believe this is because I have different people around me each day, and the residents never make it a dull time. I have enjoyed talking to them, playing games with them, and just going for walks together. While I haven’t ended my internship completely yet, it is winding down. I am given less work because they know I will be leaving soon. As of now, this is a slight concern of mine because I want to keep helping as long as I can. I feel bad not working on much while I am at my internship, as I wish to aid my residents and the company with their tasks. I plan to manage this with the continuation of asking for work and making sure they know that I care. I also don’t know how I will say goodbye to everyone, especially the residents. I don’t think they know much about where I am from and how I won’t be here anymore, but I hope I have made an impact on their lives, even if just for a short time. Sweitzer and King describe a mix of emotions about ending the semester. I feel this! I am glad to have had this experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better place to do it. I am very sad to be leaving this life here, but I am excited to go home and see the people there. I am planning to manage these emotions by being honest with my internship site, professors, and friends. I think that a lot of people feel the same way. The most surprising thing about this experience is the increased confidence I have gained while interacting with people I am caring for. I thought I was going to be more “behind the scenes” in my organization, and I was surprised to learn I would actually be in someone’s home. I am surprised how I have grown more comfortable while talking and interacting with the residents. I no longer wait for the other staff to talk to them or handle a situation. I feel as though I am able to effectively communicate and help them when they need it. This is surprising to me because I just didn’t know I would be working on my “patient interaction” skills in this environment. I thought that most internships were business-based and that I would be behind a screen most of the time. My understanding of service has been altered by my internship at Certitude. Before, I saw service as grand gestures like feeding the hungry, providing physical care, etc. However, I have learned that service can also come in smaller actions, like what I do. While I might not be working towards solving world hunger, I am making the lives of a few people a little better. I am helping them communicate their needs and wants, as well as make their lives interesting and amusing. I have learned that even just helping one person can make the world a better place overall. I also believe now that service can go beyond work. In daily lives, one can raise awareness for certain issues or offer to help someone when they need it. Service can be small or large, but what is important is that you offer as much of yourself as you can for others.
