We have uploaded the 2012-2013 issue of The Communicator onto our blog so that all may enjoy it near and far. Just click on the links below to read the articles. Enjoy!
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When I started looking for an internship, I knew I wanted an experience in the nonprofit area. Giving back to the community is important to me, so working in a mission-driven organization rather than a profit-driven organization is something I aim to do in the future. I am currently doing my internship at Tabitha Health Care Services in the Tabitha Foundation. The Foundation is a non-profit organization that lives through the mission of extending Christian compassion by building a community where everyone is valued. The Foundation believes simply that all Elders, even those who have outlived their resources or who have no family to care for them, deserve the same compassionate care. More than 75% of Elders in Tabitha’s care rely in federal- and state-funded programs such as Medicaid and Medicare to pay for their health care needs. With funding for these government programs in a constant flux, the Tabitha Foundation’s role is to work behind the scenes to ensure Elders continue to get the care they need and deserve no matter their financial standpoint.
Some of my main responsibilities as the Foundation intern include updating the database when constituents have deceased or changed information, processing gifts, overseeing appeals to past givers, and managing Tabitha’s Hearts of Gold program to honor Tabitha employees and caregivers who make a difference. Working in a facility that includes hospice, it is a natural occurrence that an individual passes during their time at Tabitha. In these instances, I communicate with the families of these individuals through sympathy cards and ways to honor their loved ones. One part of the organization that has stuck out to me thus far is the importance of relationships and maintaining them, which is a huge part of the Development aspect. Whether it is with a corporation to ask to sponsor an event, or keeping past givers updated on their gifts in action, the Foundation would not be possible without the help of others. Up keeping these relationships takes smart and constant communication in order to help the Foundation grow and live its mission.
Though I never would have expected to be a part of an organization in elder care, I find myself identifying with the values and mission of Tabitha every day I come in to work. I believe that having the same beliefs as the organization one works for is vital in order to have job satisfaction and to enjoy what one does. At Tabitha, I feel like the work that I do is making a difference in peoples’ lives, whether it is an Elder or their family. 
If I have learned one thing so far during my internship at the Nebraska State Legislature, it is this: always assume that every microphone is on, recording, and being broadcast live to the entire state.
It goes without saying that communication can be a delicate game. No more is this true than when I am working with state senators, each of who has an agenda to promote and a persona to match. In a sense, everyone in the capitol plays a role in this communication game. The senators must wade through rhetoric and interpret intentions and heir staff must interpret the hazy instructions of their bosses while keeping the office running and their constituents happy, for instance. In my position, as a legislative page, we serve in a much more unique capacity: no communication. It is not our jobs to present our opinions, nor are they permitted whilst on the clock.
This forced objectivity, however, is an asset. Separated from our own specific opinions on policy, we can focus on how well (and, in some cases, poorly) senators and staffs are communicating. Some have mastered the ability, and effortlessly navigate the swamp of Nebraska state politics. Others are comparatively struggling to achieve at this level; failing to realize that the mic is on and everyone is listening to personal monologues isn’t a great situation to be found in.
As a page, I communicate as a squire would. I do what I am told by the senators. I make copies, fetch coffee, and am occasionally witness to otherwise privileged information. But, as stated, this anonymity is an asset. I am trusted, I observe, and I learn.
1) First, fill us in on what you are up to these days… (current job, hobbies, things you’re excited about, etc.)I have been working as an Admissions Counselor for Nebraska Wesleyan since I graduated in 2010. It was the perfect transition to the working world because I had a great undergraduate experience at NWU and now I get to share that experience with prospective students every day to help them learn about all of the opportunities NWU offers. I have decided that education is definitely the environment I want to continue working in, so I am in the process of earning my teaching certificate and a Masters in Library and Information Science, so I can become a high school librarian. I studied English as an undergraduate at NWU as well, so this career is a perfect way to combine my love for communication, English, and education. Outside of work and school, I enjoy traveling, I just started a book club with friends, and I love participating in cycling classes at my gym.
I have been a Commercial Lines Underwriting Intern with Allied Insurance, a Nationwide Company, for 4 months now. I absolutely LOVE it! The Lincoln Regional Office is located on the south side of town. The large office building has an open atmosphere where I have my own cubicle in the Commercial Underwriting Department. Commercial Lines Underwriters review policies for Independent Agents in 8 states. As an intern I am in charge of many things, I am here to work on the underwriters smaller tasks. I request information from Agents like driver’s lists and loss control inspections. I run monthly and weekly reports for the Underwriting Managers as well as department wide production reports. One large project I recently completed was for liquor liability. During the three month project I researched over 1,000 policies and recorded information about the location, the website, hours of operation, liquor receipts and national franchises. After researching each policy I communicated with the underwriters and managers about what policies will be non-renewed due to new underwriting guidelines. I have learned a lot about the insurance industry and large corporate structure. During the holiday we celebrated Christmas which included an ugly sweater contest. In my picture is Dustin, a coworker, and I after we tied for 1st place!
I am currently a Senior Intern at the Nebraska Ethanol Board located in the State Office Building downtown. I have taken on more responsibilities and projects in comparison to my intern position last semester. In addition to answering phones, managing our website and social media sites , and attending events I prepare for board meetings and am currently getting ready for our annual forum. Getting ready for board meetings includes contacting all members for availability, coordinating a location and time, collaborating with a guest speaker for their information to send out press releases and notifications on our sites, preparing packets full of the meeting agenda items for each member, and attending the meeting to aid the guest speaker. At some board meetings I have to present the projects I have been working on to the board.
The annual ethanol forum is a major project that I have been given the chance to help with. I am in charge of marketing, which has included creating save the dates, invitations, email updates that included newly confirmed speaker information, and event information being posted on our website and social media sites. In addition to marketing the forum I have also been given the responsibility of collecting presentations from our speakers and keeping track of paid registrants.
It has been a great first half of the semester and I look forward to what the rest has to bring!
I am currently in my ninth week as an Account Service intern at Swanson Russell advertising. Fellow communication studies adjunct professor, Jeff Deans, recommended that I apply for this internship last semester, and I am very grateful that I did. I have been able to explore various aspects of the agency and develop my own personal skills in the Account Service department.
My time at Swanson Russell has allowed me to engage in market research, new business research, and help on a variety of short and long-term projects. I have had the opportunity to attend several company meetings, both internal and external, to gain valuable exposure to the industry and to our client, the National Propane Education and Research Council (PERC).
My favorite project so far was doing research on spokespersons who could effectively communicate the dangers of self-installation of propane. I got to search for famous T.V. hosts and construction experts on two of my favorite networks, HGTV and DIY. I conducted research on several things to determine who was the best fit for the audience we are trying to reach. The areas of focus were on the amount of media exposure of the candidate, their credentials and past work experiences, awards received, and much more. It was invigorating to contribute to a real client and account in hopes of making propane installation safe for DIYers.
One thing I have learned form this position is to never pass up an opportunity because of the ‘unknown’ or because you are unsure if you meet the qualifications. The internship description was largely based on market research, which I had never done. However, as communication scholars we need to be resourceful enough to figure out those ‘unknowns’. It’s okay to not have experience in something as long as you reject passivity when exploring new tasks. Also, don’t be afraid to try something that might not ‘jump out’ to you on paper. The thought of working on a propane account caused me to hesitate at first, however, if I would have let that thought get in my way, I would have missed out on working with some of the most intelligent and driven individuals I have ever met. I am thankful to be interning for a company who, from the inside, holds true to its positive external reputation.
This semester I am completing an internship with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). I specifically work in the Office of Juvenile Services (OJS), so I deal with juveniles who break laws such as truancy or being a runaway, and youth who break criminal laws. I was interested in interning with HHS because for the last two summers I have worked for a law firm back home and through that job I worked with HHS on multiple occasions. So, I applied for this internship in hopes of learning more about what HHS does and how they help people in our community.
Interning with HHS has given me a completely different view of their department, and I have learned more about how their department works that I ever thought I would. I work directly under a Juvenile Services Officer, so I help her with day-to-day tasks. I have attended family team meetings with our youth as well as court hearings. I also document family team meetings, independent living plans, and “required contacts” on the HHS database. Required contacts have to be documented because all OJS workers are required to meet with their youth at least once a month. Most of these required contacts take place at family team meetings where the OJS workers meet with their youth as well as the youth’s parent(s), service providers, and school counselors. The family team meetings are interesting to attend because you have multiple people working together to improve a child’s life, and sometimes it is really challenging to reach the child and help them realize they are making poor decisions (such as skipping school more than attending). A lot of our youth are placed outside of their homes at centers such as Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center (YRTC) in Kearney or Boys Town in Omaha, so I have also learned more about these organizations through my work with HHS. My favorite part of my internship is going to court. There is just something about a court room that I love, and I really enjoy watching all of the involved parties interact throughout hearings. Communication within a court room is extremely different than communication outside of a court room, because every single word you say is impacting someone’s life. If you phrase a statement poorly, or say something in a different manner than you originally intended it could affect the judge’s decision. I also like watching people’s nonverbal communication in the court room. Some individuals are really strong self-monitors and they maintain stoic facial expressions throughout entire hearings while others express all of their emotions through their nonverbal behavior, and I really enjoy watching those individuals who let it all show. Basically, if I could sit in a court room and observe nonverbal behavior all day I would!
Overall, I have enjoyed my internship with HHS. I have learned a tremendous amount of information regarding how HHS processes their cases, and how they work with the court system in criminal cases. I have realized how important communication is within HHS on multiple levels. OJS workers have to constantly be in contact with their supervisors, their youth, and all parties involved in their cases (parents, counselors, etc.) I have also been exposed to how communication plays a role in the court room. My internship with HHS has allowed me to observe everything I have learned in my communication classes over the past four years out in the real world, and it has made me appreciate my communication background on a deeper level
This semester I am completing an internship at First Step Recovery, a professional recovery and counseling center. First Step provides care for individuals and families, offering services for substance abuse and mental health. I work directly under Dr. Rick McNeese, a licensed psychologist. Dr. McNeese does individual and family counseling as well as court evaluations, testing, and addiction treatment and consulting.
As an intern, I assist Dr. McNeese with all of his daily tasks. I type up progress notes from his counseling sessions on a regular basis, and of course help him with all of his filing. I also score tests and provide Dr. McNeese with a general narrative of the results. Along with these daily tasks I also have had the opportunity to work on some larger projects within the office. One of the first cases I had the chance to work on was a parental alienation case which was really interesting. Dr. McNeese was contacted by an attorney for help with the case, because he was trying to prove that the father was turning the children against their mother. Another intern and I coded nearly 300 emails between two divorced parents regarding their children and searched for statements that showed the father was excluding the mother in decisions for the children. An example of this was the father scheduling medical appointments for the children without the mother’s consent, and then informing her of the appointment after it had taken place. It was not only really interesting to read the emails, but it also provided me with a background in Parental Alienation Syndrome, which I had not previously heard of. The most exciting part of my internship has been meeting clients. I have had the opportunity to talk to a severely depressed OCD client and had the chance to sit in on part of a counseling session with a schizophrenic. These opportunities have given me a chance to learn more about these mental disorders than I could have learned in the classroom.
Overall, my internship at First Step has been really exciting and beneficial. As a psychology student I have learned more in the counseling center than I could have learned by simply reading a text book. I have also enjoyed having the opportunity to talk with professionals in the field of psychology. One thing that helps make my internship so awesome is that I enjoy working with the First Step staff members, and I have thoroughly appreciated getting to know them. This internship has provided me with more knowledge than I could have imagined, and it has provided me a glimpse into what I hope my future looks like working as a counselor.
