Experience
Below is more information on skills developed from my work and volunteer experience.
Administration & Admissions Intern ~ Journey of Faith Church
- May - July 2024 - Organized and completed admissions paperwork on paper and digitally using Excel - Researched and provided feedback on current employee self-evaluation questionnaire and gave improvement suggestions - Created a redesign for the school website that would be updated, professional, and functional for new and returning families - Assisted in preparation and planning for upcoming events - Organized inventories and worked to create a better system to manage items stored
This internship was very beneficial to my professional growth as I gained experience in a sector I am very interested in, the non-profit world. I was able to use my business education and apply it to see what the business side of a church setting is like. Some of my favorite experiences were learning more about HR through the employee self-evaluations and being able to redesign to website to better suit their needs. One soft skill that I developed during this internship was flexibility. I had to stay willing to adapt to change as every day I could be assigned a different task. Overall, I experienced a variety of tasks and feel more equipped to take on another business position in the non-profit world.
New Student Orientation Leader (volunteer) ~ Biola University
- July & August 2023; July & August 2024 -Communicated and interacted with about 30 new students over email to welcome, give information, and answer questions -Collaborated with about 40 other orientation leaders to put on orientation events -Individually led a small group of about 30 students in ice breaker activities, games, and creating community -Assisted in events and answered questions from parents and students in a helpful and caring manner
This has been my favorite volunteer experience so far! It combined my love for helping students and my love for my university. I definitely had to step out of my comfort zone to be a leader to so many new people, but it was a rewarding experience. I was able to interact with students and parents from diverse backgrounds. I improved my people skills as I made conversation with new people and worked alongside a team of 40 other leaders. I developed public speaking skills as I spoke in front of a group of students. I developed leadership skills as I led my group of 30 students in games, conversation, tours, and creating community. From this experience, I learned that working in a university setting is something I am interested in as a career. This position made me feel fulfilled in my work as I could see the impact that helping others as an orientation leader was having on the new students.
Child Care Worker ~ Journey of Faith Church
-June 2019 - present - Co-lead a group of approximately 20 preschool-aged children in both academic and social development activities during childcare to provide an ideal warm, nurturing, and organized atmosphere that fosters children's spiritual growth - Integrate an attention to detail during interactions and prep work to reflect the worth of each individual - Communicate effectively with parents about children’s activities to resolve daily issues and maintain strong relationships - Organize classroom activities while executing on-the-spot problem-solving skills to create a controlled, orderly, and safe environment - Adjust quickly to changes and communicate effectively with managers to switch to whatever task is needed
This work experience opened me up to the working world and has helped me gain many transferable skills for my future career. I developed my communication skills as I talked with parents about updates, safety, and general reports of the child's day. I developed leadership skills as I led classrooms of children and sometimes led my co-teachers. I also developed my problem-solving skills as working with children presented many unexpected and last-minute challenges.
Vacation Bible School Leader (volunteer) ~ Journey of Faith Church
-Week-long camp in June 2019, '22, '23 & '24 -Co-led a group of approximately 15 students ages 7-10 -Collaborated with other volunteers and leaders to provide a safe, fun, and nurturing environment for children with crafts, games, stories, and conversation -Dialogued with children to build relationships and reinforce teachings in small groups -Handled conflict between children when it arose and acted proactively to prevent unsafe situations -Assisted with set up and tear down of daily activities
This volunteer experience has been valuable to me in that I have been able to participate many times since I was in middle school and beyond. I only listed more recent years, but I have seen growth in my leadership, communication, and people skills through volunteering for VBS. When I was much younger I was quite shy, but I have been able to break out of that and now confidently lead groups of children at VBS. I enjoy this opportunity every summer!