Words from an intern...

As a college student, I would tell you that my ideal summer consists of sleeping in, freedom from homework and studying, and hanging out with my friends as much as possible. As a future professional hoping to pave the best possible path towards my future, even in this downturned economy, the reality of my summer is vastly different.

This is not a complaint. Yes, I would love to sleep away my summer, but I also would feel entirely useless as a result. Instead, I am spending my summer interning. I am not sleeping my days away – I am making a difference in the lives of others. Trust me, you can’t feel like your time is better spent than this. I am working at Homestretch, a non-profit in Northern Virginia that provides transitional housing for homeless families. Beyond working in a place that, simply from the description, sounds honorable, I am lucky enough to have received a position that is well-suited to my future career goals. I am the child services intern, and I intend on working with children in the future. Ideal, right? I agree.

I spend my days working on projects that will directly impact the lives of the families that Homestretch helps. I have only interned five weeks so far, and I have already planned an entire summer picnic for the families, organized backpack stuffing for the school-aged children, collected over $300 in donations, executed a clothing drive to get new school clothes for all of the kids 18 and under, and coordinated a summer theatre program. I can’t provide a look into my typical day, because no day is the same. Some days I am traveling to local businesses to make connections and get donations. Other days I am writing up a lesson plan for a summer field trip with the teenagers. Each day is unique. No matter what I’m doing though, my time is definitely well-spent, and my projects always reach back to help the people. That’s what matters the most to me – the people.

A position where I could help others – that was my requirement for my summer internship. Yes, I wanted an internship that would compliment my future goals and expand upon my educational instruction. But none of that would matter if I wasn’t helping people with my internship position. I got lucky with Homestretch. As a small non-profit, there is constant close interaction between the employees and the clients. This fuels the whole environment – open, caring, productive. You would be lucky to be helped by these people, just like I am lucky to get to be a part of it all.