Samantha Jimmerson

Responsibilities

As an Intern at Four Oaks, my responsibilities involve assisting staff with any tasks related to their job that I can help with. Some things I did involve making reference calls for families who are hoping to foster/adopt, breaking down withdrawal folders, and putting families' files away. In addition, I helped out with what is called foster squad bags, where I would count the bags we had for each age group and make sure there were three of each gender. I would also see if we needed any more diaper sizes if we were running low, take a picture of the foster squad sign-out sheet, and send all this information to the foster squad so they could make the bags and bring them in. The last thing I did a lot of was virtual training or sat in on meetings.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment at my internship was landing a job after I graduated college. I took this internship because I have always been passionate about helping children in foster care or working with adoption. After a few weeks of my internship, I really liked the work, atmosphere, and the people around me, so I told my supervisor I was interested in a job after graduation if there was an open position. It turned out that somebody was leaving and so a caseworker position was open that I applied for, had an interview, and got the job.

Learning experience

One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that building a relationship with your family is really important as it will help you when you need to get ahold of them or just when you visit them. It's easier to build raport with your families as it allows you to be able to reach them easier and have conversations during visits. In addition, I have learned the significance of adaptability in this dynamic learning environment, as every day won't be the same as the last.

What advice would you give?

I advise future students majoring in Human Development and Family Studies to take advantage of internships and practical experiences. Seek out opportunities to gain hands-on experience in the field. Another piece of advice for future students is to develop strong interpersonal skills, as this field involves working closely with individuals and families.