I worked as a resident assistant for first year college students in the dormitory of Tingelstad Hall at Pacific Lutheran University. In this role I assisted in supervising residents in my wing and in the building. I worked on-call shifts during the week where I would do building walkthroughs and respond to any complaints, reports, requests, or emergencies made by residents. I would often submit reports on any violations, work orders, or safety issues in the building. I worked the front desk 6 hours a week, which included greeting residents, organizing and giving residents their mail, and giving residents access to utilities of the building. As a resident assistant I encouraged members of my wing to be active members of the Lute community. I would connect with my residents through meetings called “Luteconnects” as well as simply eating at the dining hall together, having study groups, or hanging out at community events. I helped in putting on and promoting residence hall events put on in our building. I also personally planned, budgeted, and put together many successful community builders. The work of being an RA was challenging with working 20 hour or more weeks while being a student. However, the leadership and organizational skills I developed during this job will forever have an impact on the person I am and will become.

During the summer of 2023, I worked as an intern at the Arizona State University Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research, also called STIR. The STIR office is in ASU School of Social Work within the Wards College of Public Service and Community Solutions in Downtown Phoenix. During my internship I was assigned tasks for a research project called “City of Phoenix In Their Shoes” by ASU Social Work Professor and STIR Director Dominique Sepowitz. I was given the task of inserting research data exploring the responses of high school students in Arizona to questions and discussions of domestic and relationship violence. In addition, I also volunteered at a program called Starfish Place for Survivors of Human Trafficking. I spent 6 hours a week learning about their services and spending time with survivors and their children.