Molly Statton

Responsibilities

Amanda the Panda is a grief and loss center that offers a variety of resources to individuals in need of support. Some of these services that were a part of my responsibility as an intern were to facilitate evening support groups, travel to different schools for support groups, and attend events to represent our team. There is curriculum that is used within the support groups, so I worked to learn how the curriculum works for each group, what different activities look like, and even work towards creating my own to lead with students. I did a lot of hands-on work but doing the preparation work for support group was just as important, as well as getting out in the community to spread the word of our services.

Accomplishments

I think my greatest accomplishment during my internship was leading school support groups on my own. For the majority of my time in school groups, I had a co-facilitator or my supervisor with me, but there were a handful of times I went in solo. This was a huge opportunity for me to fully experience what it was like to work with students, especially those who are grieving and are need of a space that they feel heard and supported in. It was obviously still a great experience to work beside a coworker in these groups, but there was something different about being by myself and only being able to rely on my knowledge and tools and then seeing how I was able to thrive!

Learning experience

My time at Amanda the Panda was amazing in so many ways and taught me a lot in my few months here. Not just because of the individuals I got to work with and being able to support them in such difficult times, but also because of the incredibly kind and compassionate team I was with. From the hands-on work, I learned that there is such a need for grief and loss services all around us and that so many people do not have the tools or proper resources to support themselves in these challenging times. Not because they can't, but because they were never taught or had experienced anything like this, which is why our work is so crucial for providing support. From my team, I learned that the people you surround yourself with can make a world of difference in how you preform and make or break your experience somewhere, From the very beginning of my internship, I could see the passion from my coworkers and the difference they were making in my lives. This was so inspiring to me and only made me want to experience the same thing. They were always so supportive of me and helped me through every step of the way, ensuring I felt prepared and confident in all my tasks. Because they were so uplifting and encouraging, this allowed me to grow and flourish and step out of my comfort zone because I knew they would be there for me.

What advice would you give?

For those going into the HDFS major, I would tell you to start getting as much experience as possible whenever you can! Whether it be finding a part-time job that aligns with a population you're interested in, joining a club, volunteering for an organization, or attending a community event. There are so many career paths in this field, that experiencing different populations and situations, might help to give you a better idea of what specifically you like or do not like. I would also say that it is okay to not know exactly what you want to do and feeling overwhelmed by the options. I remember switching to this field because I loved the idea of all the choices but then feeling stressed because there were so many choices! But I think if you look at it with the perspective of if you try something you don't necessarily love, you still gained important experience and knowledge, and you can take that going forward to find a better fit until you find your place.