Alexandra Willenborg

Responsibilities

Assisting with clients during counseling meetings, working on-call shifts, meeting victims at hospital/police departments, attending staff meetings, trainings and SART training.

Accomplishments

Attended all required meetings and trainings and received certifications for each.

Memorable experience

I have learned that flexibility is key to a successful internship, especially with nonprofit agencies because of on-call shifts and different locations each day.

What did you not expect?

There were two women who quit the agency without any notice which made me realize that, not only is turn over rate very high, but individuals do not always give a notice because of emotional baggage in the field.

What advice would you give?

I would suggest volunteering prior to your internship because many of the internships in the human service field are not paid, so getting used to volunteering your time is great. Volunteering also looks great on resumes.

How did you learn about this experience?

I saw a pull tab at the postoffice and had never heard of the agency before and wanted to encourage the community to talk about sexual assault and domestic violence.