US Together

Health Care Navigator

September - December 2019 • Cleveland, OH

What I liked

I love the opportunity to do many different tasks with clients and for the staff. The variety is what I enjoyed the most, we could be working on a project and then we get a notice that there is a family who is coming in and it is all hands on deck. Everyone in the office is doing their part to make sure the new arrivals have what they need and we put together a welcome package.

What I wish was different

The only thing I wish was different is that this was an unpaid internship, but I was okay with that but being reimbursed for my gas is an issue. I am the only CSU student everyone else is at Case Western and they have a stipend for travel or gas reimbursement.

Advice

My major is Social work and my internship is with a non-profit agency called Us Together which is a refugee resettlement agency. I cannot say how much this internship has help me to determine my specific population I would like to work for. Working with the clients, working with the individuals in the office, even working with the community resources has been a great experience and building that future connection and resources is vital. To take that step of just doing an internship at a company you think you might work at is a positive move because you will find out if this is truly where you want to work at or you find out “ooooh noooo” not here. Just a fantastic opportunity to say I love this field but not at this company or agency. For me, I love working with refugees/immigrants but after graduation, I would need to work where there is more stability because of the agency function off of grants, which can be denied and you no longer have a job. The best way to get your foot in the door and an effective way to find out if this company is for you. Good Luck!

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Matching Grant Intern

June - August 2019 • Cleveland, OH

What I liked

My Favorite part about my internship was being able to travel around the world while staying in one place. While being a matching grant intern, I had the pleasure to help refugees find employment, while assisting them in finding a job I was able to work closely with the interpreter! Being able to hear multiple languages spoken in one day was WONDERFUL! I was able to be taken to different countries just by sitting in a room, and it was so cool. Another part about my time at US Together I loved was the staff. They were the sweetest people I ever met; they always offered me lunch and checked in with me. They also gave me a task that I did not think I would enjoy because of my lack of creativity. But they all turned out well. A few tasks I had was creating flyers for their Microenterprise and Development Program and creating a bulletin board for clients to look at. Having this task allowed me to step out of my comfort zone, and I loved being challenged through these tasks.

What I wish was different

One thing that could have been different was I wish had more time at US Together. I was only there a few months, and by the time I got comfortable with the position my time there was over. I would love to go back there and have more time with the staff, and the clients!! I got to meet really nice people and families over the summer, and to go back and see how they are doing now could be wonderful.

Advice

One piece of advice I would give about this experience is to be flexible!!! Every day was different, and I was able to work with everyone in the office. Some people would not have liked this, but I thought it was nice to see what everyone did every day.

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