Brandyn Blissitt interned with UCPSA-Ascend and provided reliable and compassionate care to children with disabilities.
How did you get your internship and why did you choose the opportunity?
I found out about the organization from a flier sent by my advisor. I emailed one of the supervisors asking about internship opportunities and was contacted the next day. I went in for an interview and was told I got the internship and decided to accept because it fit perfectly with my schedule for this semester. I believe cold calling (meaning I reached out with no connections to the company) showed my willingness to work for the position.
I chose this internship because I wanted to find an internship that was related to my area of study and this one was perfect for me. This internship also gave me the opportunity to try out a position before making a permanent decision. Finally, it was also important to me that my internship was paid because I believe it's only fair for interns to be paid for their work.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
During my internship I worked closely with intellectually and developmentally challenged children. My role with my clients was to create learning experiences through normal everyday tasks and activities. Most of my clients had challenges socializing or working with others and it was my job to help them learn ways of coping and working with others. I was tasked with creating games and scenarios that would help them learn the necessary skills to function independently in the world. I recorded lots of data on their behavior and challenges we faced during our sessions.
My favorite part of the internship was being able to see the work that I was doing pay off in the way the children behaved. Working with children can be very emotionally taxing, however seeing them learn from their mistakes and grow as individuals is a very rewarding thing to experience. One of the many reasons I chose this internship was because I wanted to help others. This internship helped me do just that.
What was the most significant contribution you made?
I believe that the most significant contribution I made was being able to help families better help their loved ones. My main role as a Registered Behavior Technician was to not only help the individual learn necessary life skills but also help the family learn them as well. Hearing the parents tell me how much they've seen their child change and grow with my help is very rewarding.