Makayla was a child protective services intern for the Utah department of Health and Human Services during Spring Term 2023.
Briefly explain what you did and the result of your internship.
For this internship, I shadowed several social workers in the Child Protective Services office in Salem. These Case Workers would let me come on visits with them to interview children and families to make sure that everything was okay and that the children were safe. Additionally, when things were not going well, I was able to watch the court get involved and participate in different court hearings where I was exposed to judges, attorneys, and other legal individuals that participate in advocating for child safety. I am leaving this internship as a much more informed individual of how this government program works and with more Social Work skills than I started with. I was given opportunity to ask questions in formal interviews and contribute to the work that was being done even though I do not yet have a Bachelor's Degree.
What did you learn on your internship that you were not expecting to learn?
I learned a lot about the diversity that exists in Utah and just how hard advocacy can be. There are so many rules and regulations that are in-place to promote child safety that I was unaware of which has helped open my eyes and given me the ability to see what was not evident to me before.
How have your future plans changed because of what you learned from your internship experience?
Before this internship I was very adamant about going to graduate school to go into social work. While this internship has been very beneficial to me, it has helped me decide that I do not want to do that anymore. I found that I do love interacting with individuals of a younger age, and talking to people. Because of this, I have altered my plans to work toward becoming a Guidance Counselor to youth about to graduate High School that might not know of all the potential that is ahead of them. This internship helped me see that advocacy is not my strong suit, but I can do other things to interact with individuals that does not have to relate to advocating.
Please share how your experience led to personal inspiration or insightful revelation.
After each day in the office, I would take time to reflect on what I saw and what I learned. Some days were heavier/more emotionally taxing than others, and taking some quiet time to think about what I saw was helpful. I was able to understand more about who God created me to be. Not everybody has the ability to connect with others like I feel like I have been gifted and this internship helped me see that although working with people can be challenging, it can be helpful and rewarding to do so to change the lives of others.
Would you recommend this internship to other students?
Yes! It was something that pushed me out of my comfort zone and helped me to grow in so many ways. There were times where I felt scared, but I was always supported by the team that I was working with and they never expected me to do something I wouldn't be comfortable with. I have a new perspective on the world and believe that this has been one of my most enriching and beneficial experiences that I have had at BYU.
Is there anything else you would like to say regarding your internship?
I really loved it despite deciding that I do not want to do this for my entire career. It is okay to learn these things, that is what college is for. I am grateful for the supportive team that I was assigned to and the growing opportunities they gave me each day. I never felt like I was in a mundane routine when I showed up at my internship; it was always growth-oriented and positive even if the interactions we had were challenging to navigate.
