Intern: Alexandra Dalbec

Major(s)/Minor(s): Psychology, minor in Communication

Semester of Internship: Fall 2019

Internship Site: The American Red Cross of Greater Phoenix

Give an overview of your site and what you did while interning there.

I am currently an intern at The American Red Cross, I work in the disaster relief services department. I have three main responsibilities in this position, case work, DAT on-calls, and an intern project. As a case worker I help clients who have experienced and been affected by a disaster. More specifically I help the clients with their recovery plan through follow ups over the phone. I also sign up for DAT shifts once a week. During this shift if a disaster occurs, I am called in to respond and meet with those who are affected by it and see if they need the Red Cross’s assistance. I am also responsible for an intern project as well. The intern has an option to choose what they want their project to be, as long as it is towards improving the disaster relief department. The project I choose is to update and add to the case workers resource directory. For example, by the end of this semester I will have provided more resources for temporary and long-term housing available for clients.

Why did you choose this site for your internship?  Discuss how the site fits in with your career and/or academic goals. 

I am currently conflicted about what career I want to invest in. I figured the best way to determine what I want to do after I graduate is to seek experience or a better understanding of options I am considering. That is how I became interested in an internship. I was specifically looking for an internship that was involved with case management and I became aware that The American Red Cross was offering one. There were many internships that involved case management, however The Red Cross appealed the most to me because it offered other responsibilities in disaster services.

What did you like most about working at your site? What activities/responsibilities did you enjoy and learn the most from?

I have enjoyed everything about my internship so far. It makes me happy knowing my responsibilities contribute to the success of The Red Cross and help with clients’ recovery. I recently went out with a Red Cross team to briefly assess damages in Apache Junction from a recent storm and I enjoyed that activity very much. 

What skills/knowledge did you gain at your internship that you will carry with you in your career path?

I have enhanced my interpersonal skills at this internship. Clients can be emotional and unpredictable at times, therefore developing effective tactics to interact and communicate is extremely important. I have also learned a lot of new knowledge as well. Instead of listing everything I have learned, I will just highlight a key concept. This concept is client autonomy. As a case worker I want to help my clients as much as possible, however encouraging client autonomy is part of the recovery process. My responsibility is to help clients but to a certain extent, I should not be taking away the clients self-government.

Discuss your career goals and what your next steps are after you complete your Psychology degree.

I have not decided what I am doing after I complete my degree. At this moment I am exploring my options, but I will say my internship has definitely opened my eyes to case management as a career. 

What advice can you give to other students interested in pursuing an internship?

I highly recommend pursuing an internship, it is a great opportunity. An internship can help you determine your future career, enhance your resume, and gives you skills and connections that can be used in your career.