Week 8 Journal

Kingswood Community Center

Although my internship is completed, I am still learning a lot. I actually visited

the site where I interned this week. It was nice reconnecting and discussing a lot
of changes that have been made to the programing. The changes were made
based on grant monies received and allocated to the appropriate departments. In
most cases, the change meant Kingswood Community Center could now proceed
to hire the appropriate number of staff to support its programs.
In addition to hiring additional staff, I was also offered a full time job as an
Executive Assistant. The Executive Director and upper management loved my
work ethic as an intern. Im glad I gave Kingswood Community Center onehundred percent during my 120 hours. I can see now that it did not go unnoticed.
So I know have a full-time job to look forward to in August.
Thinking back on my last week in this class, I can honestly say Ive learned more
about my class-mates organizations, mission, visions, and etc. Because they
shared so much about their agency I had something to compare my own to. That
was important because I have spent the last sixteen years in sales. And I had very
little experience in Human Resources.
Also, our slide presentation taught me a lot about the Cs in Human Services.
Some of the main points were very obvious. While others shed light on how we
as Human Services providers affect our clients. I thought the presentation was
most helpful as we develop into leaders.

Week 9 Journal

Kingswood Community center

This last week was great working with the Early Learning center. I have a new job
title and function which was very different from being an Executive Assistant. My
new job requires that I help students with reading comprehension. And
ultimately create a book report at the end.
As an ELC instructor I have also found that I have fewer I also have fewer
responsibilities and more interaction with the children. My new
title is an ELC instructor. And I work under a program Director and with 6 teenage
staff persons. The emphasis of the program is reading literacy. There are 30
children in the program who take advantage of reading assistance. The program,
like many other, is run by a grant. I found that i still had administrative duties such
as contacting schools to get reading levels for each student where
applicable. Once that was done I had to document each interaction. And
ultimately order the proper books based on each students reading level. I find this
job to be refreshing because there are less politics involved. It is also not stressful
and its very rewarding.
On the other hand, the organization as a whole is starting to crumble. The
Executive Director, who was once on administrative leave, has been fired. And i
am starting to see what takes place behind the scenes. From the
Administrative office to the Board of Directors. There are many different Political
Agendas that are starting to surface. The biggest is purging all the staff who came
in with the Executive Director.
In summation, I am happy to have completed my 120 practicum hours while
the ED was still active at Kingswood Community Center. And grateful for the
opportunity. I have a much different outlook on the organization and the field of
Human Services.

Week 10 Journal

Kingswood Community center

Since my intern hours are completed I have focused on our course content.
This week I paid special attention to ethics. When I think of ethics I think of
doing the right thing regardless of the circumstance or the person. This approach
can be challenging because there will often times be conflict.
Ethics in the Human Services field is imperative. Ethics keep the Human
Services provider from crossing lines and boundaries within the professional
relationship. It also allows us to focus on our primary goal or objective which is
helping our clients.
As I think back on my internship experience I think about how we as providers
come close to being unethical. Or how many times we have to weigh our options
and finally make a decision. Many times we want to help so much that we can get
too involved. Other times we can make the decision to not be involved as much
just based on how someone looks or sounds. It sounds harsh but its realistic.
I found the code of ethics to be very informative. It gives Human service
providers a comprehensive guide to the expectations of offering help. Each
category is spelled out since many times the conflict can be in grey areas. I
believe it is a great reference for anyone who considers working in the Human
Services field.

Week 11 Journal

Kingswood Community center

This weeks course content gave me a more in depth look at cultural

awareness. I have always considered myself to be an empathetic person. Also
Ive always been someone who looked for a deeper meaning for everything. I
rarely take things at face value. The aforementioned have always helped me to
appreciate people, things, values, and traditions that are different from me.
Ever since I can remember I have always immersed myself into different
cultures. All that was different was always embraced by myself. I was the person
who would go on vacation and demand we leave the tourist areas. It was always
important for me to be in the middle of how people really lived.
Those experiences were breath taking to me. I felt closer to the culture. And I
felt like I had a better understanding with first-hand experience. To know where
someone comes from and what theyve been through is always important. Those
things allowed you to connect and relate.
What I learned most about cultural awareness is how important history is.
Especially as it relates to servicing a particular population. I always paid attention
to history if it was presented. I now realize I need to go out of my way to seek the
history so I can better serve in the field of Human Services.

Week 12 Journal

Kingswood Community center

This week I was able to reflect on my internship experience. The refection

allowed me to think about how I can apply my new professional development to
my next job. In the discussion I pointed out how I was able to tap into many
strengths I possessed.
In addition to that, I have been thinking about how I was cast in many sink or
swim positions. I found from that position that I work well under pressure. I also
learned that I work well unsupervised and can be very creative. Basically I do what
need to be done to get the job done.
Whether I am familiar with the task at hand or not. As I enter the Human Services
field I plan to be more mindful of the different cultures we serve. Also, how to do
more research to make me a more effective provider. The coursework
of this practicum was very enlightening. It showed me just how important being
knowledgeable of other cultures is to a Human Services provider.

Week 13 Journal

Kingswood Community center

As we near the end of the practicum I think back to areas that i can improve in
once more. I was approached by a young lady who felt I was not acknowledging
her. Despite me greeting her daily at the start and end of the day. The reason she
felt that way is because she would see my interaction with my 20 year plus friends
who worked at night. Although we didnt work together we would cross paths as
I left for the day.
She made me realize that I could do a little more to make her feel included in
conversations. I have to admit it is difficult since she is 28 and not a great
communicator. The young lady is brash, aggressive, and confrontational. And she
was right, with that combination of communication skills I will give someone my
professional minimum. So she gave me an area of opportunity to work on. And I
plan on engaging her more in conversation as my co-worker.
Overall, the internship was a great opportunity to learn so much about myself. I
learned my strengths and weaknesses. I feel very fortunate to have experienced
it. Also to receive the feedback that cultivates growth.

Week 14 Journal

Kingswood Community Center

As I reflect on the last week I can honestly say I learned a lot. I am grateful for
the experience. I feel as though I will be more prepared to take on tasks and
responsibilities in the field of Human Services. From an administrative standpoint
I feel like a received the best hands on education. I was put in a position where a
lot tasks were put upon me.
The desire to succeed was overwhelming. I didnt want to let my Executive
Director down in any way. He taught me a lot. And he was there for me at every
turn. Im glad I had the opportunity to be mentored Mr. Powell. The only regret I
had is that the practicum experience didnt last long enough.
The coursework was also a great tool for learning more about the field of
Human Services. It required plenty of research and leaving my comfort zone. I
feel like this definitely made me feel a lot more comfortable when I walked
through the doors of Kingswood Community Center. And I will take this
experience with me as I continue in this