Alice Dewes empowered women through her GED tutoring services provided during her internship with the YWCA of Southern Arizona.
How did you find your internship and what was the focus of your experience?
I found my internship while reading a Spanish department’s email (I’m on that listserv because I’m a Spanish minor) where they were advertising some internship opportunties that were accepting bilingual interns. After considering the opportunities, I spoke to the Applied Humanities Department Internship Director, Stephanie Springer, and she supported me in my decision to apply for and take the internship with the YWCA of Southern Arizona.
My primary work during my internship with the YWCA was to serve as a math tutor for women planning to take the GED. Even though I don’t consider math my strongest skill, the passion that I had to help the participants of the GED program helped me become better and strive to be the best tutor there was. Because of this, I’ve learned to be more patient and understanding of everyone’s needs and wants, something I had not necessarily mastered before this milestone in my professional journey.
What was the most rewarding part of your internship?
While interacting with a bilingual community, I was able to practice my interpersonal, humanitarian, and bilingual skills, to communicate with the students and to understand their personal and educational concerns. I also learned what is to be part of a non-profit organization. I’ve learned about the lives of women who are survivors of domestic violence and who wish to advance in their personal and educational journey. Perhaps the most satisfactory reward I have received from my senior year’s internship was to do something because my heart wanted to do it, instead of just being a responsibility since I elected to continue my internship for a second semester (beyond the one semester that was required).