Abigail Schogel

Comm & Urban Internship

Dr.s Langan & Tooley

12.12.16

Final Internship Reflection

Being an intern at Aid for Women was a very different experience than I had

anticipated, but turned out to be one that was ultimately beneficial and provided helpful

insights for future careers. Though not everything I learned through the experience was

positive, working there did allow me to better see what elements I should look for and

what I should avoid in a work environment. It also further confirmed my desire to work

in a non-profit setting with an organization that serves women.

Interns and volunteers at Aid for Women had similar and few responsibilities.

Primarily, my time was spent greeting clients, scheduling future appointments, and

occasionally going through the education program with clients who had partnered with

the organization through the pregnancy. I worked three to four days a week, from 9am-

5pm and learned to enjoy the commute down to the loop. Though my responsibilities

were few, I was encouraged by how much my coworkers affirmed my ability to make the

women coming in feel welcome. Being in a working environment that is very different

than any I had been in previously, so developing my skills in intercultural

communication was something I had to be intentional about. The difference in

backgrounds was only one element of complication in our interactions--I was very aware

of the fact that many clients came in under stress or worry.

In addition to skills I developed, I saw countless communication theories come to

life. Primarily, I saw Uncertainty Reduction theory and Standpoint theory in many
interaction and experiences throughout the semester. Regarding URT, with so few

axioms fulfilled in my interactions with the clients (lacking intimacy, similarity,

information seeking, shared network) I saw how essential verbal and nonverbal warmth

was in order to establish a positive interaction and make the clients feel comfortable.

Often times, the client would be left waiting for a good bit of time, leaving me to attempt

to strike up a conversation. This was only successful a fraction of the time but I was very

aware of my and the clients verbal and nonverbal warmth. In addition to Uncertainty

Reduction, I furthered my understanding of Standpoint theory through my internship,

classes, and experiences in the city. I realized how little I had attempted to understand

the perspective of the marginalized before this semester. I had truly cared, but I did not

have any first hand experience in hearing the stories of those who are marginalized by

society. Through conversations with clients paired with the literature read for classes

(Family Properties, The New Jim Crow, $2 a Day) the perspectives of the marginalized

were given life, deepening my understanding of how Standpoint theory can be a harsh

social critique.

In light of all the things I learned and my experience being generally positive,

there were a few things that went against my expectations and made me disappointed in

the organization. Primarily, I expected to have more responsibilities than what was

given to me. Because it is such a small operation and generally understaffed, it was clear

that my supervisor didnt have the time to find ways to get me more involved. This

meant that most days I simply staffed the front desk and helped the counselors in any

way I could, with very few projects from my supervisor that lasted more than a day or

two. Additionally, I was disappointed in how the organization held maintaining their

standards above the care for the clients. It was clear that Aid for Women was established
and continued to be successful because of the foundational standards that were

maintained, but I found myself questioning certain priorities. I was confused by how

easily they turned women away from the help they sought through housing. The

simplest of problems would lead to a woman not being approved to receive housing,

despite there being a significant number of open beds. Additionally, I was surprised by

how strongly the organization held onto the standard of not condoning birth control,

and preaching abstinence to the clients. Though I cannot empathize with the Catholic

belief, I am conflicted because the majority of the clients who came in do not have the

same religious foundation for that standard, nor are they given any support in order to

be abstinent. Because of the difference in perspectives, I would have hoped for the

organization to teach about safe, protected sex instead.

I do think that it was a good experience, however, for me to work in an

environment in which I did not necessarily agree with everything that was done. I think

that most jobs have an element of this involved, so having the first hand experience of

disagreeing with something and being intentional about it not affecting my work was an

important experience to have. Just like many other elements of my internship, this

particular element had a positive and negative side. Though my responsibilities were

few, I was able to deeply invest in the occasional meeting I had with clients and did my

best to get to know them well. And despite the fact that I did not feel particularly useful,

I was confident that the little work I was doing was a big help to my coworkers. Overall,

I would rate my experience with Aid for Women a six out of ten; I am very thankful for

the opportunity to work with an organization that is making a big impact in the lives of

many and to better understand what happens behind the scenes of a local nonprofit, but

it is certainly not somewhere I could see myself hoping to work in the future.