Audrey Cooper says "It feels good to be lost in the right direction."

Getting “lost” in Colorado is so incredibly easy to do. I’m not talking about just getting lost on the countless hikes or one way streets in downtown Denver, but also getting lost mentally, which is the one kind of “lost” I can actually appreciate. I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to be when I “grow up” (a genetic counselor), where I might end up going to grad school (Madison-Wisconsin), and ultimately where I would end up living for the rest of my life (Iowa!). Then Wartburg West and Colorado happened. I now am not sure I know exactly what I want to do with my life, and maybe I don’t want to stay as close to home as possible for future schooling or to live the rest of my life. However, as “lost” as I may feel at times, I still know that this state, and Wartburg West, is helping me move in the right direction.

My internship Wartburg West found for me is at St. Luke’s Presbyterian Hospital in the Health One Center for Maternal and Fetal Health. (It’s close enough to the apartments that I get to bike to work every day, which is another awesome experience that I do not want to ignore!) I am interning under a genetic counselor named Cathy Burson, and she and the other three ladies in the office have been incredible to me! Throughout my internship they have given me not only the opportunity to shadow Cathy and see the day in a life of a genetic counselor, but I have also been exposed to what a day of a patient coordinator might look like, multiple surgeries, watching neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses and doctors in action, ultrasound technicians showing families pictures of their unborn babies, being involved in weekly meetings, and working on projects that will be used to help enhance patient care. They have also put me in contact with other genetic counselors around the Denver area and I have had opportunities to meet and shadow them as well! At the end of the day, “working” here doesn’t really feel like work at all!

So maybe it is now obvious why knowing what I want to do when I grow up is not so clear to me anymore. I have been so lucky to have had the exposure to so many different, awesome practices in the medical field that I just feel like I want to do them all! However as I said before, I feel so blessed to have had this exposure now so that this experience can help me decide what I want to do with my future. Lost? Yes. In the right direction? Most certainly!

Check Out Levi Endelman's Amazing Internship!

Greetings from Denver! My name is Levi Endelman and I’m a rising fourth year biochemistry and biology major out here at Wartburg West. My internship out here is with the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner (DOME) at Denver Health. My internship placement is unique in that I am the first Wartburg student (and potentially the first Iowan) to intern at the medical examiner’s office.

I am just beginning my third week at my internship and I love it. My duties include assisting with all of the daily operations of the morgue and, when there are cases to be completed, I assist with autopsies and external examinations. I’ve learned how to do everything from forensic photography to fingerprinting to drawing vitreous humor samples (if you want to know what that is, look it up; I won’t put it here for the sake of people who don’t want to know what that involves). In the next couple of weeks I will also be taught how to properly open the skull cap during an autopsy in order to remove the brain, brain stem, and pituitary gland to aid in the determination of the cause of death.

Thus far, this internship has been everything I had hoped it would be and more. I am one of about twelve interns that rotate through every few days. I work 3-4 days per week for 8.5-11 hours per day. This internship has allowed me to apply several of the things that I have learned in my anatomy and physiology and biochemistry classes at Wartburg. The learning pace at this internship has been extremely fast, but I have felt well equipped to handle it. I have felt very welcomed at this internship and the technicians who supervise us interns are absolutely phenomenal people.

. I am in the process of applying to another internship at the medical examiner’s office in Boulder County to the northwest where I will be doing approximately the same thing. This will push my weekly time commitment to somewhere around 40-55 hours per week, which I think is awesome as I want to capitalize upon the opportunities out here while I can. I’m enjoying myself and my internship.

Read About Kaitlyn's Exciting Internship at Wartburg West

            Hello everyone! My name is Kaitlyn Williams and my internship placement for the summer is at Denver’s Department of Environmental Health focusing mostly on water quality and mosquito control. So far, my biggest project has been community outreach. I’m working on creating plans so that the community can know everything Denver is doing. A big part of this is taking scientific documents and translating them to a language someone with no scientific background can understand. I find this particularly exciting because it’s a great combination of my chemistry and communications majors!

            I think the best part of my internship was yesterday. I got to go up to Summit Lake which is very close to the peak of Mount Evans. There I assisted and was trained on taking samples. It was absolutely gorgeous weather and the view was amazing. We were watching the snow melt off the peak and run into the water we were sampling. On the way down we even got to see a pack of sheep running. I can’t believe how lucky I am to get to do things like that for my internship.

            Denver itself is absolutely amazing. I love that I’m able to do so many different things whether it's attending that weekend’s festival, going hiking, or eating dinner at a piano bar with friends. Wartburg West is an experience I will never forget and I’m having such a good time. I’m very glad I came out to Denver this summer.

8 things I’ve learned from my first internship - Elizabeth Jewitt

As my amazing internship at The Denver Center for the Performing Arts comes to an close this Thursday, I took some time to reflect on everything I have learned in these short three months. For myself and the countless others preparing for summer internships, here are 8 things I’ve learned from my first internship that might save you the trouble of figuring them out yourselves.

#1 Ask Questions!

As an intern, your employer doesn’t expect you to know everything. I was so nervous to keep going to my supervisor with questions the first few weeks, especially when I was still learning the ropes of the company. I didn’t want to be a bother, but I knew that asking questions was better than wasting time at my desk and trying to figure everything out on my own. While it is great to show independence and the ability to figure out issues on your own, know when to ask for help. An internship is supposed to be a learning experience, so don’t be afraid to ask away!

#2 Take Initiative

One of the biggest things that an employer looks for is initiative. Are you willing to come in at 6:00 am to help with a news story? Are you willing to come in on a Saturday? How do you handle down time, or not having many things to do? Do you scroll on your phone, or do you ask for more work, or another project? It’s opportunities such as these to show your supervisor that you want to be there. Also keep in mind that the company you work for as an intern could be the company that you apply for after college. Make those connections and have your employer remember you as the driven and motivated intern.

#3 Stay Busy

One of the biggest issues I had at the beginning of my internship was staying busy. It was a bit of a unique situation on my part; my employer was expecting a video intern instead of a communications intern (me). This resulted in a bit of a scramble to find projects for me to work on for the first few weeks. In that time I found myself sitting at my desk more than I would have liked. I then started to ask other co-workers in my department if they needed any help with anything, and in turn, had the opportunity to work on some pretty cool projects.

#4 Don’t Be Put Off By “Small” Tasks

The little things like scanning news articles and filing the designer’s old projects needs to get done, and if you have the free time, offer to help. It will show initiative and will be helping out another co-worker tremendously. Sometimes the small tasks given to you by your employer are somewhat of a litmus test. Accept them with grace and prove that you are a valuable to the team and capable of more challenging work.

#5 Talk to Your Co-Workers

As much as you might want to focus on your work and hide in your cubicle, don’t! Every one of your co-workers was in your shoes at one point, and would love to talk about their experiences in the field, and how they got to where they are today. I share an office with Dave, the on-site videographer, and got into a great conversation about how he got to where he is today. He actually went to school to be a lawyer, and after that didn’t work out, he taught himself how to use video editing software and eventually made a career out of it. Just be sure to not be TOO chatty. Everyone still needs to get their work done in a timely manner.

#6 Speak Up!

As easy as it is to only do the work given to you, every once in a while take a step back and think of what you can personally do for the company. In my case there were a few instances where I had a few story ideas that I pitched to my supervisor. She encouraged me to move forward with the idea, and it turned into a huge collaboration piece! Link to the story here.

#7 Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Although I am a communications major and communicating with people from all walks of life is my job, talking to new clients, or even new co-workers makes me nervous. There were instances when I had to interview a drag queen or a Broadway actor, and it turned out to be an absolute blast and something that I would never forget. If I wouldn’t have stepped out of my comfort zone, none of these things would have happened, and it would have been my loss.

#8 Remember to Say Thank You

At the end of your internship, be sure to say thank you! It can be as simple as an email on the last day, or as elaborate as a thank you video. In my case, I plan on writing thank you notes for all of my co-workers. My suitemate Jeanne Edson wrote a great blog post about The Art of the Thank You Note and how to make it meaningful and not generic. Be sure to include everyone that you worked with, and even the security guard at the front desk. A small gesture such as a thank you note can go a long way in brightening someone’s day and making them feel appreciated.

As summer approaches, and those lucky individuals who have already landed an internship (Congrats! That’s a huge accomplishment in itself!) start to work in a professional environment, hopefully these mini lessons will put you a step ahead of the rest!

And to those still searching for that perfect summer internship, (myself included) GOOD LUCK!!!

School: A Safe Haven - Elli Parker

My name is Elli Parker and I am a senior Elementary Education major from New Hartford, IA. Before coming to Denver to complete my student teaching experience, I didn’t realize what a luxurious lifestyle I lived. I have a working vehicle, an education, supportive parents, food to eat, and a place that I call home. This may not sound extravagant to many, but compared to some of my students at Tennyson Knolls Elementary, I am living a life of luxury. In the small Iowa community that I grew up in, my classmates and I all had very similar upbringings; middle class white families from a small supportive community in rural Iowa. This is not the case in Arvada, however, where many of my students come from poverty-stricken dysfunctional homes.

It didn’t take long for me to realize some of the adversity that my students faced every day. Whether my cooperating teacher, Stacey, told me directly about specific situations, my students told me stories, or I saw a student struggling to communicate because of a language barrier, it was obvious to me that these kids dealt with hardships on a daily basis. The most common issue in my classroom, and the entire school, is language. Many students came straight from Mexico to Denver and spoke little to no English. Some have been here for a year or more, but others have only been in the U.S. for weeks or months. A few of my students do not have cars, so if they miss the bus, they have no way of coming to school. One of my students has missed 42 total days of school this year. All of the students in the school receive free breakfast, lunch, and snack, and two of the students in my class take a backpack home every weekend filled with food. Another very common issue is moving. Students often talk about moving from house to house, apartment to apartment, or moving in with family members.

After reading this, you may envision my classroom or school as somewhat of a depressing environment. Surprisingly, this is not the case at all. I am amazed every day at how positive, funny, and hard working my students are. School is definitely a safe haven for many of them; a place of structure and stability that many of them do not get at home. Students who speak little English are able to rely on bilingual classmates who graciously translate when needed. These children have truly touched my heart, and I look forward to coming to school every day. Wartburg West has allowed me to experience a lifestyle and diverse experience that would have never been possible had I not participated in this program. I am so thankful for the time I was able to spend in Denver and lives that I was hopefully able to touch in the classroom.