This summer I will begin a new adventure! As of now, I have three new jobs lined out for this summer and they could potentially last longer. I'm excited about having a few things to occupy my time this summer as I do not have classes for the next few months. Within the past few years, I've discovered that I need responsibilities to keep my mind and body active. I've learned I don't like sitting at home for hours on end without interacting with others. That being said, I am really excited to start a few jobs this summer!
1) "Transitional Living Specialist"- This will be my title as I work with individuals with traumatic brain injuries through an organization here in Kansas City. Ideally I will work close to 20 hours a week going into the home of consumers who need guidance getting back to their everyday lives. The heart of the position is to support individuals that have had a brain injury to attain independence and to achieve the goals they set for themselves. Tasks might include: helping consumers fill out job applications, guide consumers in initiating appropriate social interactions, and encouraging consumers to reach for their goals.
2) I will be working with a family to provide therapy supports for their son with Autism. I will be trained by the parents and other therapists to learn how to best support their son in his daily routines. I am excited about this opportunity in order to learn more about Autism and see how therapy services affect this family. I expect to work with this family about 6 hours a week.
3) "Community Outreach Program (COP)- Student Director"- I have accepted a student position through the Office of Student Engagement at KU Med for next year. This position is really self-driven in a lot of ways and will hopefully grow my leadership skills even further. COP is an organization that recruits students to be interns who volunteer with various community agencies. My job is to recruit students, recruit agencies, and connect the student interns to the community agencies. I will also be responsible for training student interns and creating a group community service project for each month of the school year. I will be responsible for all the administrative work as well as completing my own volunteer hours. I'll begin working on things this summer and continue through next May.
I am excited about what lies ahead. I'm nervous in some regards, but overall I feel ready for the challenge and adventure. These jobs really do provide what I've been looking for in a summer job... I want to work with adults to get experience in that area, I want to work with a child with autism to see if that's really what I want to do, and I truly want to be more involved in the community. And I'm sure each of these areas will enhance my professional growth as well!!