Kerilyn Schmidt

Major: Kinesiology and Health
Company/Organization: Dallas County Health Department
Destination: Adel, Iowa
Timeframe: Spring 2024
Advisor/Coordinator Email: dpower@iastate.edu

Responsibilities

My responsibilities were never the same each week, depending on what was happening in each department. I got to ride along and shadow septic and pool inspections with the environmental health team. Assist the Health Educator with her Pick A Better Snack lessons at an elementary school each month, help with any school-aged career fair booths and attend outreach events that the health department needed to be at. I also got to witness and learn about the immunization clinic the department offers as well as the STI clinic with the Program Coordinator. Most of my responsibilities were in the area of community health, which is what my supervisor was in charge of. This area consisted of attending chamber events, Board of Health meetings, networking events, grant writing, community health needs assessment work, and health navigation meetings, and client home visits.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment was the relationships I made with the ladies at the office that may be beneficial to me in the future, as well as the well-rounded knowledge of public health that this internship experience has given me.

Learning experience

Always say yes and be open to new experiences and make connections with people because you never know when that connection could benefit you in the future.

What advice would you give?

Take in the class content and find an internship you can use that knowledge towards and learn something from at the same time.

Career Connections