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Student Spotlights

Makenna Andrews: Public Health

Makenna worked as a sexual health education intern with Utah Department of Health and Human Service during the 2023 Winter Semester.

Briefly explain what you did and the result of your internship, i.e. the findings of your research of the impact of your work:

The purpose of my internship was to plan for and instigate a curriculum of classes called "It's that easy" which is taught to parents to help them identify their values regarding sexual health topics and to help them feel confident about discussing those values with their families. I enlisted 5 facilitators to teach our remote, one-hour class sessions and I tracked their training and answered their questions as they committed to our cause. The classes have not started up yet, but we have plans for the first class session to be on June 3rd, on which day I will see the product of all of my hard work! I have been so amazed by how relevant some of my public health classes have been to my real-world experience as an intern. I have edited websites, created flyers, used timelines templates and even logic models as I have organize my program.

What did you learn on your internship that you were not expecting to learn?

I was not expecting to learn so much about sexual health policies in Utah and how they affect middle school and high school education. It was very interesting learning about what can and cannot be said or suggested or shown in a classroom setting. I attended a conference where a member of the Board of Education was instructing health teachers on these exact policies and I watched many of these teachers express frustration at their restrictions. Some felt like they couldn't teach the subjects properly and were leaving their students in the dark while others were confused about where the line was drawn. The member of the Board of Education had to demonstrate answering some hypothetical student questions in a way that aligned with state policies. These sexual health policies and the way that sexual health is taught and received in Utah has often made it difficult for me to find facilitators for my class and it will restrict my marketing for these class sessions because my team and I are weary of using platforms like Facebook groups or other newsletters for fear of getting reported.

How have your future plans changed because of what you learned from your internship experience?

Because of this internship, I am awaiting a job offer from the Utah Department of Health and Human Service's STD program which my supervisor said is in the works. I never anticipated having a job with the state health department, but this internship let me gain valuable experience in program planning and provides me with a meaningful cause to further dedicate myself to! In addition to that, I have found great interest and a passion in sexual health education after taking a few of my public health classes, so I am very excited to continue in this direction. My internship and the incoming job offer are both remote positions, which is perfect because I will be moving to a small town in Utah after graduation and won't be near the Utah Department of Health and Human Service's headquarters to commute everyday!

Please share how your experience led to personal inspiration or insightful revelation.

My experience as a Sexual Health Education intern made me realize that working for the DHHS requires passion and charity. My entire team in the STD program are incredible people who come from different backgrounds and are willing to work together to help progress programs (like the needle exchange program, for example) that decrease the risk of STDs/STIs in the Utah population because they are genuinely caring and compassionate. I felt so honored to be among them and I hope that I can continue adopting their mindset of helping others - strangers they don't even know - have the highest quality of life possible.

Would you recommend this internship to other students? Why?

Though I don't anticipate this exact internship being available to other students because of my upcoming job offer (where I will be continuing the work that I'm doing), I would recommend interning at the Utah Department of Health and Human Services because of the connections you can make! As I planned my program, I was in communication with people from different colleges and state and community organizations/businesses (like the Board of Education and Planned Parenthood). Even if ending up in the DHHS is not something you want, you can add to your LinkedIn connections and you can get professional direction and advice from your supervisors, just like I did from mine! The DHHS is great to their employees and are genuinely interested in your personal and professional well-being; I felt extremely valued as an intern and supported by so many people - some I haven't ever seen face-to-face before!

Is there anything else you would like to say regarding your internship?

The picture I uploaded was taken after attending the SHAPE Utah Conference which is meant for health and P.E. teachers to interact with colleagues from across the state. They also attend classes throughout the day which were taught by various state representatives and businesses. I personally represented the Utah Department of Health and Human Services and I came prepared with my flyers to advertise the position of facilitator for my "It's that easy" curriculum. I did not receive many people interested in my opportunity, but I found it an enriching experience nonetheless! This is where I learned about the sexual health policies in Utah - it was super engaging!