Samantha Chizek

Responsibilities

I worked at Friendship Ark before my internship as a Direct Support Professional, so for my internship, they created a position in the office for me. My largest project was working with our HR Manager and Executive Director on getting our CARF Accreditation again. In order to do this, I made sure all of our policies were up to date and that we followed their recommendations. Each month I work with the accountant to complete cash ledgers and mileage logs. I have also been given the chance to create a new brochure for the company. My final big project is planning the staff retreat that will take place in May.

Accomplishments

I think that my biggest accomplishment has been getting the 3-year CARF Accreditation, which is the longest you can get. While doing this, I learned so much about writing policies and why they are so important to the organization.

What advice would you give?

Step out of your comfort zone and try new things at your internship! You might realize that you are interested in something that you did not even know about.