Marlee was an intern for Help Me Grow Utah during Fall 2024.
Briefly explain what you did and the result of your internship.
I worked with Help Me Grow Utah to send out and interpret developmental screenings for families. I also helped connect families with informational and community resources to address any of their concerns.
What did you learn in your internship that you were not expecting to learn?
I learned professional phone etiquette which I was not expecting to need. I spent a lot of time on the phone and learned how to get people to open up to me even when they could not see me.
How have your future plans changed because of what you learned from your internship experience?
They haven't. This internship only reinforced in me that I want to work with families in the future, specifically the parents.
Please share how your experience led to personal inspiration or insightful revelation.
I felt God's love for a lot of the families I worked with. I remember a specific intake phone call that I made about halfway through my time at HMGU that made me feel like an instrument in the Lord's hands. One morning, I called a referred family, a woman picked the phone up, and within five minutes she told me how much she needed my call. She had recently been working with a home visitation program, but her baby had aged out of it. She was a single mother and needed the support of the nurses who came to her home, so she was not sure what she was going to do now that they were gone. My offer to enroll her in HMGU was exactly what she needed. Every time I am an answer to prayer or can brighten someone's day by simply giving them adult conversation amid their child-filled days, I feel closer to God. I feel the love that God has for those that I help because it is clear he put me in their path to help answer their questions or give them the support they are seeking.
Would you recommend this internship to other students?
Yes! I learned so much about child development and parenting. If you are interested in those fields, I would 100% recommend. The management are super kind and supportive!
