The internship investigation

As a Speon, my program requires that I locate an internship this summer in the area of public affairs. It can be paid, and doesn't necessarily count for any actual course credit, but it is still a SPEA requirement.

So...the investigation began...

For those of you who don't know, I was an intern this past summer at Childplace in Jeffersonville, IN, working with at risk youth. I love those kids and had a wonderful experience working at Childplace. But I really hope to broaden my horizons and try something new this coming summer.

Here are the options that have arisen thus far:

1. Working with Judy Schwank in Bowling Green, KY. Judy is starting a new non-profit called Kids Care in Kentucky which will work with immigrants needing foster care. She also works with Children's Aid Missions International, a non-profit that provides aid for children in Guatemala, Honduras, and China.

(For those of you who don't know the background, my familiy housed a Guatemalan baby named Cristian Eduardo Gramajo Garcia when I was about three years old. Judy at that time was part of the organization that facilitated Cristian's placement with my family.)

The internship with CAMI/Kids Care in Kentucky would be unpaid, but I would get to stay in Bowling Green and see my friends and also would possibly have the opportunity of joining with one of the teams that go to Guatemala!

2. Betsy wants me to move to Ecuador for the summer. I miss her SO much and would love to spend the summer in Ecuador, but I need an internship. So, Betsy is getting in touch with a professor she knows and he is supposed to look for something for me. I will let you know if they find something!

As you can tell, I am hoping to experience something unique this summer. This is my last internship opportunity, essentially. After this, I think I have to join what is ominously referred to as "the real world." The thought of it at present is cause for a moderate sense of fear and dread, but I know God will prepare me in His time. At present, I am excited about what this summer might hold. I will keep everyone updated as additional opportunities emerge.

For now, I am hoping to work an externship (basically an internship worked from home) with Judy Schwank and her new project Kids Care in Kentucky. I am excited to have the opportunity to help her get this new initiative started! It is such a blessing to get to be a part of what God is doing here and in Latin America!

Dios te bendiga!