Alexa Jensen

Major: Child, Adult, and Family Services
Company/Organization: Iowa Department of Human Services
Company/Organization website: https://dhs.iowa.gov/
Destination: Des Moines, IA
Timeframe: Spring
Advisor/Coordinator Email: enloe@iastate.edu

Responsibilities

Attending court hearings, removals, home visits, family team meetings, and more. Making phone calls to schools, therapist offices, and hospitals to obtain client information. Organizing files, completing flex funding requests, and uploading files to court for the social workers. Transporting children to and from appointments when needed.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment so far has been learning enough about the process of completing social histories with parents. Because of this, I was able to do a social history with a mom all by myself. It went very smoothly and I felt like I was a big help for being able to do this for one of the social workers I have gotten to know very well.

What advice would you give?

Make sure to always ask questions, you are there to learn! I would also tell students to make sure they are making the most of their time as an intern and use every opportunity as a learning experience. Lastly, I would try to make as many connections as you can. Making connections can help out a lot down the road when you are searching for a permanent job.

Career Connections