Maci Stephens

Responsibilities

At ACCESS, I helped clients by speaking to them on the crisis line and giving them guidance for their situation. I also shadowed meetings at the court house as well as advocated for the survivors there. I also shadowed a lot of client meetings and was there for them for whatever they needed (alongside the employee I was shadowing).

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment would be knowing that I am making a difference in these survivors' lives. Being able to advocate for them or just be there to support or talk, is very helpful and can benefit their mental health a lot. I also loved being able to provide advice or other basic needs such as housing or hygienic packaging to send along with them to their temporary housing.

Learning experience

I learned that even though I was nervous about taking on these tasks, it is scarier for the people who are reaching out for help. Although this was a new experience for me and I was anxious to start, it takes a lot more courage to reach out for help as these victims and survivors do. Being able to help them was very rewarding for everyone involved.

What advice would you give?

My advice for future students is to not slack. If there is downtime at your internship, as there was sher at mine, find stuff to make it educational. There was a lot fo downtime here (which is good considering) but that means there is not a lot of work. Find an employee that you click with and have them take you under their wing. It is a lot more fun and educational that way. I promise you!