Self-Reflection SHORE UP! Inc.

This semester I completed my communications J/PR practicum under the supervision of

Mrs. Alicia Robinson, planning director at SHORE UP! Inc. SHORE UP! Inc. is a private, non-

profit Community Action Partnership located in Salisbury, MD which serves low-income and

disadvantaged persons throughout the Eastern Shore area. SHORE UP! is an acronym for Self-

Help on Rural Economics which is why it remains capitalized throughout my paper, webfolio

and on their website and documents. During my time at SHORE UP! Inc., I faced very little

challenges and feel I achieved many successes. The main challenges I faced were more personal

rather than a result of the program since this was my first internship and my first time working in

an adult, for lack of a better word, workplace. Even so, I overcame my inexperience and

insecurities and was able to achieve a number of things during my time here. My biggest

accomplishment was improving my skills on Microsoft Publisher to create the annual report

which is very important to the success of the agency.

As I mentioned before, one of my greatest challenges was overcoming my insecurities

and asserting confidence in a new environment in order to be taken seriously. I often find it

difficult to speak up and ask questions because though I am inquisitive, I am a quiet person by

nature. I am used to observing and figuring out things for myself. I have discovered, though, that

in the work place and in this internship, specifically, I have to step out of my comfort zone, speak

up, ask questions, and express my thoughts in order to demonstrate my skills and leave a good

impression on those with whom I am working. My first day at SHORE UP! Inc. I didnt ask too

many questions since I was given a lot of information to research myself and it was a little bit

overwhelming with all the people I met and the uncertainty of what exactly I would be doing
during my time here. However, once I made myself familiar with the agency and got my bearing

around the building, I was able to find my voice. I asked questions when I was curious about

something or unsure of how Mrs. Robinson wanted something done. I talked to others around the

building to gain insight on what their specific job in the agency was, and I did research on my

own time so that when I was spoken to or participated in meetings, I was aware of the topic and

able to give my own input or ask even more questions.

While this may seem to be a miniscule challenge for many people, for someone like me,

who is not comfortable speaking up and often worries to much about what others may thing or

that I will say something wrong, this was a huge challenge for me to overcome. Though I have

been steadily gaining confidence with each job I have had, this experience was the first one in

which I felt like an adult because it was a real job. I believe this internship was a huge help in

terms of preparing me for the real world of work and for future internships. It also gave me

insight into what kind of job I would like to have when I graduate. I now have better

understanding of what to expect and what is expected of an intern and, most importantly, I know

that I can challenge myself to step outside my comfort zone and be successful and appreciated

for doing so.

Regarding accomplishments, I think my biggest accomplishment was all the work I

contributed to the agencys annual report. The annual report is a compilation of where all the

money the agency received was spent, what services the agency provides, how many people and

who exactly benefited from said services, etc. It provides critical information and justification of

the need for the agencys services. For a nonprofit agency, this is an exceptionally important

aspect of being successful because what happened the previous year can greatly impact the

amount of funding the agency receives in the following year. That being said, this was a lot of
pressure and I wanted to make sure I did a good job on this aspect in particular. I did a lot of

research before I even started creating the new annual report and took a lot of time organizing

information and pictures. I went through the website as well as the older documents on the

system to find previous years annual reports to determine what I liked and didnt like about

them and areas on which I wanted to improve. I also took the time to read what each service

provides and who benefits from it to gain a better understanding of the agency; this was more for

my personal knowledge but also proved to be helpful when I had questions or when I wanted to

find and place pictures.

Once I felt I had all the information I needed, I began working in Publisher. Now, I

consider myself very tech savvy and able to figure things out on computers through playing

around and discovering things myself. However, I previously had little experience in Publisher

so completing this document in a new program was in itself an achievement. I was told to create

two drafts of the annual report before we would begin plugging in all the facts and statistics so

that Mr. Mitchell, the executive director, could pick the draft he felt was best. As soon as Mr.

Mitchell chose one, it was my job to then begin plugging in all the facts and statistics. This

seems simple enough, however there were many in between steps to this process. First, I had to

go through an extensive excel document which contained all the data regarding individuals who

received benefits from the SHORE UP! Inc. programs. Next, I had to select the biggest numbers

of those who received benefits from the excel document. Once I chose the ones I thought were

the most prominent, I sent it off to Mrs. Robinson who then narrowed it down even more and

even threw in a couple extras. Then I had to compile the data into the report in a way that looked

presentable and caught the attention of the reader. I also had to pull some facts and information

from the previous years brochure and plug that into the new one which was also a large task.
Additionally, I had to incorporate and find all the graphics and ensure the pages look attractive in

general.

The compilation of the annual report was a significant achievement for me during my

time at the agency. And, completion of the report was the most rewarding accomplishment

because not only did I complete something that was important to the agency by myself, I learned

a great deal in the process. On the smaller scale, knowing Mr. Mitchell liked my design and

approved it without it needing any changes was an accomplishment about which I felt very proud

because hes the make or break of anything and everything at the agency. His approval of my

work meant a great deal and boosted my confidence in my abilities. On a larger scale and overall,

I was proud I was able to hone in my technology and creativity skills to create something

significant, do it well, and know that it will be used to help further the mission of the agency and

be used and distributed by so many people.

Throughout the four weeks I spent at SHORE UP! Inc. I learned a great deal about not

only the agency, but about nonprofit organizations as a whole and it couldnt have been at a

better time than during the inauguration of President Donald Trump. While seemingly a small

challenge, I overcame my insecurities and stepped outside my comfort zone and was able to

successfully interact, ask questions, complete tasks and so much more. I succeeded in completing

an important document for the agency which was not only just an accomplishment because I did

it but because I did it well and received positive feedback. Overall, I was able to be a part of an

organization that is so much bigger than myself and creates many positive changes in the

community in which I live. Its incredible to experience and understand the amount of work that

goes into running a nonprofit agency and how little credit is given to those who work there;

however, having had the opportunity to get to know the staff, I learned that the work they do and
the number of people they help provide many invaluable services to the community. The staff

there do the work because they know they are changing peoples lives for the better and its

worth all the sweat and tears. It was truly my honor and privilege to have been part of this

amazing organization and I am most grateful I had the opportunity to play a role in the good

work they do each and every day.