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Purpose
Purpose
I participated as an intern for La Casa de Amistad's Youth Program: Crece Conmigo in South Bend, Indiana. I was working with students between 2nd and 5th grade from low to medium income families, and mostly first generation. My tasks involved supervising and working directly with the youth who were assigned to me. I would help students with projects, enforce positive language and behavior, promoting an environment of community, and engagement with all youth. I chose to do this experience because I have been a part of the positive impact they have shared with every student. It was a great way to get into persepective of different backgrounds and practice my communication skills.
Logo of La Casa de Amistad
Youth selecting traditional Aztec intruments to play together and perform a dance
My Experience
My Experience
As a biology pre-medicine student, I was not using my knowledge form biology or organic chemistry in the classroom, instead I found myslef using my core strength which I deiscovered in my CliftonStrengths assessment. I felt that my communication skills between children and adults had significantly improved and that I no longer feared asking for help when I really needed it. As someone who will be entering the medical field, it is important to understand the aspect of communication, from regular communication to asking for help. Through my internship, I also used a lot of my leadership skills to get engagement with my group of kids and get things in order with the volunteers and interns that I was working with. Even if it was getting students to get up and play or instructing them with step-by-step instructions for a project, I was able to reflect my strength within those actions. The greatest impact that I felt was being able to get perspective for different backgrounds and behaviors within the environment that I was in. Although it may not be considered a skill, it was a great way to really understand the people around me, even with just the children around me.
Collage of students involved in summer program and La Casa Workers.
Community Connections
Community Connections
When working with the younger generation of the Latino community of my hometown, I was able to get perspective for the different backgrounds and behaviors of the students and volunteers that I was working with. With most of the students in the summer program coming from Hispanic, low-income family households, I was able to feel more connected to them and have a better understanding of my role in service for the program. The growth in my attributes and personal beliefs came from understanding this responsibility of being there for the students that I was in charge of. The responsibility in encouraging curiosity, creativity, and empowerment for everyone in the program. As someone who wants to get into healthcare, I feel more compassion and patience since working with La Casa. It was not only a place for the children to grow and learn, but also for the volunteers.
New Skills and Lessons
New Skills and Lessons
As I began my journey through La Casa de Amistad. The use of communication and leadership was prominent throughout the entire course of the program. I learned how to commnuicate not only with the students surrounding me, but with the adults that were also guiding with me. We all worked together as a team to lead our groups and be present the entire time in the program. I personally have felt the most growth in my teamwork skills and communication. Since my engaged learning, I have found it easier to ocmmunicate when I am not understanding something or provide input when needed or suggested. Communication is also a big step for me to get out of my comfort zone and not be afraid to reach out for guidance or even an opportunity!
Volunteer gathering celebration with La Casa staff after the end of summer programming. As a gift, we were all given an image of each of us working within our groups, most of us never even noticed the picture being taken!!
Instructor teaching La Casa students how to hold and play instruments for an activity.
The Impact
The Impact
La Casa de Amistad has taught me the importance of empowering youth in my community. It is often said that the younger generations are the pillars of our future society, and I believe that to be even more true now. From teaching things from our past, which would specifically be Latinx History in this case, we are able to progress into the future. I personally felt that empowerment by seeing the students have questions and be genuinely curious about their culture. I also felt the responsibility in understanding each of their perspective of their ideas and helping them grow witihn them. It is definitely en experience and feeling that I will hold onto.
Career Connections
Career Connections
Although my engaged learning did not have have to do with anything medical related, the value of connecting with communities and immersing myself in a setting that empowers lantinx youth reflects well on how important it is to branch out and gain perspective. I believe that involving myself in a community-based environment will allow me to get a social perspective of people to better connect with them in the future. As I continue my education, I plan on making sure to incorporate my grown skills of leaderships, communication and teamwork to use. They are not only good attributes to have in the medical field, but also to incorporate in my daily life.
I also made a new friend who is on the same journey to medical school as I am. Although we do not go to the same school, we have networked and have encouraged each other to continue pursuing medicine.
La Casa students getting in a circle to start an activity prepared by La Casa Staff.
My Experience
My Experience
From my overall experience of working at La Casa de Amistad as an intern, I have found myself growing as a leader and a teammate. There were definitely times throughout my experience where I became exhausted or felt a lot of pressure, which I believe is normal when working with a considerable amount of young children. Even so, I was able to connect with other volunteers and interns like myself to help empower and inspire growth within our community, which ultimately starts from teaching the younger generation. Although, as I mentioned before, this engaged learning experience did not pertain to my desired career interest in medicine, the values of teamwork, leadership and perspective play at hand for how I want to be as a doctor and perform for future patients. I realized then, how much more I want to provide my services to present community in my hometown or possibly expand to another.
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