Name: Jasmine

Year: Senior

Major: Biological Sciences

CFS Program: Field Studies in Public Health

My internship with the English Language Training team at Heartland Alliance Refugee and Immigrant Community Services has been an incredibly meaningful experience. As a non-profit organization that helps refugees adjust to new and challenging circumstances, Heartland has provided me with the opportunity to serve a disadvantaged community and learn from passionate, dedicated coworkers.

So far, I’ve enjoyed a wide array of tasks through this experience, but I’ve gained the most from teaching my group of pre-literate students. After weeks of developing lesson plans and leading classes, it has been truly rewarding to witness their progress and to play a role in their development of such essential skills. I have also been privileged to build relationships with my students by learning about their backgrounds and sharing my own. Pre-literacy group as well as my other responsibilities would not have been successful, however, without the help of an amazing staff. Each day, my coworkers prove to be astoundingly selfless in their service. I’ve learned the most from their commitment to each participant and hope to apply that same dedication in my own career down the line.

To top off my CFS experience, my field studies class in public health has helped me to establish connections between my internship and field of interest. I’ve found that each assignment broadens my understanding of public health and enables me to form a link to the work of my internship organization. It’s also been interesting to learn about the field and workplaces in different sectors from other students’ experiences. To anyone interested in a valuable work experience coupled with an insightful course, I highly recommend this program.