Class of 2018

Human Services major

Psychology minor

Experiential Learning helped me connect what I was learning inside the classroom to my experience outside of it by allowing me to directly apply them to individuals. In my internship program we read about leadership and what it takes to be a leader. You can only read so much about being a leader before having to apply it, so I would take those skills and then apply them to my residents and everyday situations I was encountering. Also, I got to connect a lot of the material I was learning in other classes to this program and the residents I was helping on a daily basis. 

I developed as an individual through this experience by the learning experience that came with it. I was in a cohort of individuals that helped me learn even more about the topics we were learning. I was learning from not just my experiences, but also the experience they were having from their internships. My skills and knowledge were expanded through my everyday experiences at my internship. I was allowed to work independently with residents so I could further my leadership skills. By meeting with my cohort every few weeks, I had the chance to explore what things mattered to me and talk about topics like the Women's March and the Black Lives Matter movement. These discussions made me more empathetic for the experiences other people have and how they may differ from my own. 

Before I started the Social Justice Internship program, I volunteered at Misericordia. It was because of this organization that I switched my major and my plans for the future. This experiential learning experience, through the Social Justice Internship program, allowed me to further my time at this organization. I had the opportunity to have a leadership role, gain independence, and trust from the people that work at Misericordia. This program has justified that I am going into the right field as a Human Services major. My classmates, my mentors (instructors and supervisors), and my residents have allowed me to learn more and grow as a person. I plan to work with individuals that have disabilities in either a behavioral or educational setting after graduation. 

Learning Portfolio: https://w.taskstream.com/ts/house32/SocialJusticeInternship201617