Internship Profile
Katie Wood, Health Promotion<=
/o:p>
Written by: Debbie Ka=
ylor
Would you consider giving up your summer break and your
apartment with all the comforts of home in order to fly halfway around the
world and live in primitive conditions in a third-world country? That is exactly what Katie Wood, a
senior in Health Promotion, did when she accepted an internship opportunity
with Plan International as a Reproductive Health Technical Aid in Ethiopia.=
After Katie’s return I had the opportunity to le=
arn
more about her experience and wanted to share her story with you.
One of the reasons Katie had this extraordinary opportu=
nity
was because her sister was already over in =
Ethiopia working on reproduct=
ive
health issues and family planning and asked Katie to join her for the summe=
r.
Katie was very interested and felt like it was a great fit with her degree =
in
Health Promotions so she accepted the challenge. While Katie initiated the
internship, her faculty coordinator, Caile Spear, was extremely supportive.
Katie says “In my case, going to Ethiopia
was a big and scary step. It =
is always
helpful and encouraging to know that someone is supporting you and is excit=
ed
to watch you grow.”
Katie traveled acros=
s Ethiopia
working in reproductive health and family planning. She attended focus group discussio=
ns,
shadowed community-based reproductive health agents, and assisted in data
analysis. Plan International =
will
use this nationwide study to create new programs and interventions in their
program areas.
In addition to the knowledge of her field that Katie
gained, there were also numerous rewards that could not be gained through
reading a text book. Katie had the opportunity to interact with many childr=
en
who were either parentless or homeless. The smallest gesture would put a sm=
ile
on their face. She learned that a little TLC goes a long way especially when
you are dealing with children in such desperate circumstances.
Although working with the people in Ethiopia was
very rewarding, it did not come without challenges. Katie was exposed to de=
ath
on a daily basis. People were dying of hunger, =
AIDs,
and other diseases or illnesses.
Many died in the streets all alone. Seeing the conditions in which t=
he
people of Ethiopia
live and die had Katie struggling with an overwhelming sensation of guilt. =
In
her words “It is difficult, because we are so fortunate here in the <=
st1:place
w:st=3D"on">United States,
yet often times it goes unnoticed.”
When ask=
ed
what she learned from this internship experience, Katie said “The thi=
ngs
you learn from an internship are endless.&=
nbsp;
Some of the key issues are work related experience, how to work and =
deal
with others, and most importantly you start to discover your passions,
strengths, and weaknesses.” Katie knows that this experience created a
lot of awareness of her field. Health is a field that includes the whole wo=
rld.
Katie has now had the experience of working and living abroad. Her perspect=
ives
are no longer limited to just what is happening in the United States. This will be a major benefit for h=
er and
potential employers as she graduates this spring and pursues a career in He=
alth
Promotions.
Katie’s final comment=
s and
advice to other students considering an internship are “Explore! The world is a big place with endl=
ess
opportunities. You never know=
what
you are going to find!”
As the Internship Coordinat=
or for
Boise State, I congratulate Katie for ta=
king
on this challenging opportunity. Stepping out of your comfort zone is never
easy, but once done can be very rewarding and educational. Students, such as
Katie and the many other students in the Internship Program are one of the =
reasons
Boise State is such a great place to lea=
rn and
grow.
Bois=
e
State faculty advis=
e more
than 1,300 interns annually. =
Our
students are doing exciting things right here in the Treasure
Valley, throughout the United States,
and even internationally. If you know of a student who is participating in a
particularly unique internship, please let me know. We would love the opportunity to l=
earn
more about their experience and share it with others.