Lauren Ralfs

Major: Human Development and Family Studies
Company/Organization: ChildServe
Company/Organization website: https://www.childserve.org/
Destination: Ames, Iowa
Timeframe: Spring 2022
Advisor/Coordinator Email: lenloe

Responsibilities

I was a Community Services Team Lead Intern for the Autism Day Program and Medical Childcare Program at ChildServe. During my internship I would collaborate with families and therapists to help provide the best care plan for individual children in the program. My responsibilities ranged from supply runs to filling out paperwork for a child enrollment. I was very fortunate to be able to work directly with the children and their families during my time at ChildServe.

Accomplishments

Being apart of a child's journey and watching them reach their goals is the most rewarding feeling. I feel a great sense of accomplishment knowing that I have been able to help children and their families during my time at ChildServe.

Learning experience

The greatest lesson I learned is how to communicate to a wide variety of people. Everyday I was communicating with verbal and nonverbal children, therapists, teachers, and nurses, and parents. Learning how to effectively communicate to these different populations of people was one of the most valuable skills I improved during my internship.

What advice would you give?

Have confidence in yourself and your abilities because you'll know more than you realize! But it's still important to always be open-minded and willing to learn and receive feedback.

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