Hi everyone! My name is Sonia and I am a region 9 intern from the Chicagoland area. It is so difficult to sum up all the wonderful experiences I've had so far. I have been exposed to so many different settings and learned so much since the internship started. One thing I will say is that time truly does fly by! It seems like just yesterday I was sitting at orientation in Denver as a fresh new intern. I was so nervous, afraid and eager to start the internship. Now, I’ve worked through my clinical and food service rotations and I am currently in my community rotation.
For my community rotation, I am helping at the Marie Wilkinson food pantry. Through the generous donation of grocery stores, members of the community can pick up produce and basic supplies. The great thing about the pantry is that it has partnered with various schools in the area and they are able to reach students as well. Students are also given healthy recipes based on what is available at the pantry, something that I have been involved with. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the pantry has been doing things a bit differently. To minimize the risk, drivers are asked to pull up to the facility and open their trunks so we can drop in a box filled with food. Recently we have had an increase in families requesting food assistance, many are first-time visitors of the pantry and it is not uncommon to see the line of cars wrap around the block! People really appreciate what we do for them and it is so rewarding to see how happy they are to receive food. These are trying times and it is important to take initiative and support others. I have learned that even in difficult situations, we can all rise to the occasion and collaborate with others for a good cause.
So far, food service has been one of my favorite rotations. My experience has been in the clinical setting working as a diet tech and interacting with dietitians for many years, so being pulled out of my element was a great learning experience for me. For my rotation, I was placed in one of Sodexo's accounts at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. I was able to build great relationships with all the employees, from the cooks to the cashiers and management. To me, this was so rewarding as I learned that everyone plays an important role in the operations of a business. It is imperative to understand and get to know the employees and assure them that they are appreciated; productivity will go so far if a person feels like they are an important member of the team. This is something I will remember if I ever step into a management role in my career.
A piece advice I'd like to give future interns is to be able to adapt and grow from every experience. There will be a handful of situations in which you might feel out of place or receive a piece of information that will seem so foreign to you that you might give yourself a hard time for not understanding. It's okay to feel this way. Remember that everyone wants to see you succeed and is willing to help you. So, ask a lot of questions and soak it all in. Most of all, have fun and enjoy the internship. You have worked so hard for this!
For my community rotation, I am helping at the Marie Wilkinson food pantry. Through the generous donation of grocery stores, members of the community can pick up produce and basic supplies. The great thing about the pantry is that it has partnered with various schools in the area and they are able to reach students as well. Students are also given healthy recipes based on what is available at the pantry, something that I have been involved with. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, the pantry has been doing things a bit differently. To minimize the risk, drivers are asked to pull up to the facility and open their trunks so we can drop in a box filled with food. Recently we have had an increase in families requesting food assistance, many are first-time visitors of the pantry and it is not uncommon to see the line of cars wrap around the block! People really appreciate what we do for them and it is so rewarding to see how happy they are to receive food. These are trying times and it is important to take initiative and support others. I have learned that even in difficult situations, we can all rise to the occasion and collaborate with others for a good cause.
So far, food service has been one of my favorite rotations. My experience has been in the clinical setting working as a diet tech and interacting with dietitians for many years, so being pulled out of my element was a great learning experience for me. For my rotation, I was placed in one of Sodexo's accounts at Lewis University in Romeoville, Illinois. I was able to build great relationships with all the employees, from the cooks to the cashiers and management. To me, this was so rewarding as I learned that everyone plays an important role in the operations of a business. It is imperative to understand and get to know the employees and assure them that they are appreciated; productivity will go so far if a person feels like they are an important member of the team. This is something I will remember if I ever step into a management role in my career.
A piece advice I'd like to give future interns is to be able to adapt and grow from every experience. There will be a handful of situations in which you might feel out of place or receive a piece of information that will seem so foreign to you that you might give yourself a hard time for not understanding. It's okay to feel this way. Remember that everyone wants to see you succeed and is willing to help you. So, ask a lot of questions and soak it all in. Most of all, have fun and enjoy the internship. You have worked so hard for this!
