This summer, I had the opportunity to intern as a Student English Teacher in Córdoba, Spain, where I completed over 450 hours at Colegio Alauda. Colegio Alauda is a private school that values language immersion and development, offering education to 1st - 12th-grade students. Throughout my internship at Colegio Alauda, I had many opportunities to practice, display, and hone a variety of skills including organizing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication skills. For example, I instructed all ages from 1st - 12th grades in both conversational English and English grammar courses. I graded papers, proofread projects, and gathered activities specifically designed to strengthen English speaking and comprehension skills. I was also placed in situations that were outside of my comfort zone, which pushed me continually to be better than the day before.During the month of July, I helped plan the Summer at Alauda program. My role throughout the summer program was to provide English immersion tutoring sessions to the students who were struggling to succeed in their english classes. During these sessions, we held mock interviews and played American games.My internship with Colegio Alauda challenged me to go outside my comfort zone and experience a culture that is different from my own. It also provided me with extensive hands-on experience and furthered my development in cross-cultural diversity by allowing me to immerse myself in Spanish culture for three months. Living in Europe for the summer expanded my worldview and taught me many important life lessons and skills that will be beneficial as a professional. Córdoba, Spain will always have a special place in my heart for allowing me to see first-hand how rewarding it is to experience new cultures.

Working as a practicum student at Auburn University Marriage and Family Therapy Center not only provided me with hands-on experience but also provided me the opportunity to network with professors who have impacted me and my goals tremendously. I was also able to form relationships with other undergraduate students at Auburn who are interested in similar fields as well as graduate students currently working in clinical mental health. This was especially beneficial to me as it provided me with the opportunity to have conversations with people from diverse backgrounds, what counseling looked like where they came from, insight on counseling techniques, and how to best prepare for graduate school. While working under Dr. Ketring, I watched both recorded and live therapy sessions, coded therapy behaviors, and reached a consensus on each session coded with other practicum students. I also helped the graduate students by live role-playing different scenarios for them. Each week, we attended a meeting with Dr. Ketring, coded a session as a group, and reached a consensus together. During these meetings, Dr. Ketring made it a point to share as much advice and as many tips as he could in order to expand our knowledge of what it means to be a counselor. During this experience, I was not only provided with a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience but I was also provided an opportunity to gain valuable skills to be used in therapy that I would not have acquired until attending graduate school. This furthered my professional development in numerous ways. Because of this opportunity, I feel better prepared for my future career in clinical mental health counseling.

During my junior and senior years at Auburn, I volunteered with Rape Counselors of East Alabama (RCEA). I answered emergency hotline calls, provided empathetic and judgment-free listening, walked each victim through the legal process and provided additional resources, attended hospital visits with victims, and advocated for them.During my time here, I expanded my hands-on experience tremendously. I was able to walk with victims as they navigated their circumstances and become an advocate for them in their time of need. This opportunity allowed me to practice my active listening, empathizing, and advocacy skills in a real-world setting. These skills are crucial in a counseling setting in order to understand what an individual needs as well as to provide a non-judgemental space for them to confide in.

During my time at Auburn University Early Learning Center, I had the opportunity to volunteer at Auburn University Early Learning Center. I helped in the classroom by aiding the teacher by helping to lead age-appropriate activities during class time, supervising the children, and planning and executing class activities. This experience taught me valuable problem-solving, communication, and leadership skills. Furthermore, the children, though young, always had unique perceptions of even the most mundane tasks. This never ceased to force me to alter my own perceptions and view life in a completely different light. This opportunity pushed me to be a better counselor by teaching me how to meet people where they are, communicate in a way that makes sense to them, and create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in order to build trust.