First-time intern gets top-notch experience at Juvenile Detention Center

This guest post is from Krista Rangel, a St. Mary-of-the-Woods student majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Sociology and Psychology. Krista will graduate in 2013.

My internship at Chicago Juvenile Detention Center was not only my first internship, but I was also the first intern to my site supervisor. I can honestly say this was one of the best experiences I have ever had. I learned about so many facets of the system — from the judges to simply being in the building; I would not have been able to gain these hands-on experiences in a classroom.

My internship at the detention center allowed me to see the system’s process first-hand. Working in a big building with a bunch of lawyers and judges was initially intimidating because I had never been in a corporate environment. After a few weeks, I got to know some of my co-workers and realized that although they have “big time jobs,” they are all very humble and ready to help me — the intern — learn as much as possible. I utilized the resources around me (namely, the people), each with different job titles and backgrounds, so I could discover their career trajectories and their perceptions of working at the detention center.

Not a day went by that I didn’t learn something new. I observed different cases, attended multiple meetings, and made plenty of phone calls. Many scenarios during this internship pushed me out of my comfort zone. I had to step-up and refine my skills in order for me to get the best out of this internship.

Besides “acting like a sponge” and constantly observing throughout my internship, I was able to see what interests me after graduation. It opened my eyes to help me consider a possible career choice, which I think is the best thing about internships.

It’s never too early (or late!) to begin your internship search. Register today for your free Indiana INTERNnet account to begin searching for the perfect internship match.