Viridiana Cervantes Reynosa

Responsibilities

During my internship at IDHS, I was responsible for helping plan my team's end-of-the-month meeting which included goal setting and team building activities as well as many other topics. Other responsibilities that were given to me as an intern included attending in-person or virtual court hearings, doing home/school visits, transporting clients to visitations or appointments, and learning to file and organize clients' files.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my internship experience was being able to be part of helping families leave in a better place than where they were when they came to us. I think that another of my biggest reward while working as a social worker intern was being able to see families get reunited with their loved ones and knowing that they are safe, loved, and being cared for. Being in the human services field, there is no better feeling than knowing that you have made a positive difference in people's lives and futures.

Learning experience

One of the greatest lessons I learned from my experience was not to be so judgemental of others without taking the time to get to know them first and learn or understand what happened in their lives that lead them to be where they are and made the choices they did. It's important to be respectful and mindful towards others especially being in a field where we as professionals interact with such a diverse range of clients as part of our job on a daily basis.

What advice would you give?

My advice for future students in my major would be to expose yourself to get as many experiences as you possibly can because you learn so much about how to best help others. Most importantly be compassionate as well as respectful of others' opinions/points of view because not everyone thinks the same as you.