So when one of my classmates did a presentation about St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, a local organization that works with abused and neglected kids, I knew I’d found my place. I had to do an internship for my Supervised Field Experience class, and I arranged to do it at St. Jude’s.

My main job as an intern was to tutor kids on their schoolwork; some of the kids were having trouble with their grades because of their family situation. I could see their potential, though, and it was very rewarding to help them develop their skills and start to catch up. I also observed the full-time counselors as they worked with the children. Throughout my work there, it was exciting to see the theories I had learned in class put into action.

It wasn’t always easy. But anytime I ran into a problem in my internship, I knew I could bring it back to my class for help. Every week the class met with our professor to talk about our experiences. It was a great opportunity to ask questions, address ethical issues, and get feedback on what was going well and what could be going better.

Now that I’ve graduated, I’ll be working full time at St. Jude’s. Eventually I’d like to go to graduate school, but in the meantime I’m thrilled to have found my passion—and to be making a real difference in these children’s lives.