Clarissa Jaramillo gained experience in the field of social services as a mentor to refugee youth with Lutheran Social Services of Southern Arizona.
How did you find your internship and why did you choose it?
I came across my internship on Handshake, UA’s online job and internship hub. I used all the search strategies we learned from the PAH 383 Pre-Internship: Building Career Readiness course with professors Brittney Crawford and Stephanie Springer to filter out opportunities I was less interested in until I found one that I actually wanted to apply to. I found the internship posting for Lutheran Social Services of Southwest (LSSS) appealing because I was looking to gain experience in the social services field and this would be a great stepping stone.
I also wanted to make sure I was choosing the right path for me, so trying out work in social services as an internship made sense. On the LSS posting, there was a link provided that sent me directly to their website to apply. There was a step-by-step process on the website that required me to create an account and sign up for volunteer hours. After I created an account one of the managers emailed me and gave me further instructions for orientation and introductions.
What type of work did you do with your internship?
I worked as a Refugee Youth Mentor to two girls from Syria. The goal of the internship aims to foster self-discovery, create a strong sense of community, and equip refugees to successfully navigate new systems while honoring their own cultural contributions to society. This often required that I communicate with refugee children who barely spoke any English. I helped them practice their English, showed them around the Tucson area, and offered support for them if they ever had questions.
What was your favorite part of the internship?
My favorite part of the internship was building a relationship with my mentees and being someone they can talk to aside from their families. I enjoyed this the most because I could only imagine how hard it is for young refugees to feel comfortable and confident in a new place. I hope their experience building that relationship was just as amazing as mine was.
What did you learn from your internship?
My internship taught me how to be patient. I'm already a patient person, but having to communicate with others who don't speak English really put me to the test. I had to make sure I was being patient and be sure to not communicate any frustration to my mentees if I wasn’t able to communicate with them in the exact way that I wanted to. The internship also taught me that I’m on the right path in pursuing a career in social work. After having this experience, I feel more confident that I will enjoy a career in social services.