Internship reveals new career path

This is a guest blog by Melinda Frazee, a student at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC). She is finishing a major in Psychology and a minor in Sociology. She recently completed an internship with Crawfordsville High School.

Like many interns, I went into my internship questioning my qualifications. I was not sure what I would be able to take away from the program as I am only an undergrad in psychology. But I learned so much about the job, and even about myself!

During my internship with Crawfordsville High School, I was able to take charge of four groups of teenagers and hold discussion hours where we would discuss topics focused on diversity. Through this experience, I learned that I am flexible and a fast learner, as this was a completely new and somewhat uncomfortable situation. I’m proud that I was able to make it work. The ability to roll with the punches is something that I saw the guidance counselors constantly doing.

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“My career goal is to become a guidance counselor.”
–Melinda Frazee

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Near the end of my internship, my site supervisor suggested I play a game that they do once per month with the special needs classes. Each student participates in a board game-style game that focuses on real-life topics. We then discussed these topics among the class. I realized that being in front of a class was something entirely different than anything I had experienced. I was quite shy with the first class and simply observed the guidance counselor. The next class I forced myself to take charge and I found it very rewarding to be a part of the teen’s conversation and hear their views on topics.

This internship has been one of the most amazing experiences throughout my college career. I had an idea in my head that I would continue school until I earned my Ph.D. While that goal is still there, I have realized this would be impossible with a husband and two young children.

I was unsure about where to go or what to do when I got great advice from advisors and professional friends of mine. Guidance counseling was something I thought I would never enjoy; however, this internship completely changed my mind. I love every aspect of the job. The moments with teens working through issues, the mundane scheduling and scholarships, the plethora of meetings, and so on. I never considered this career track, and now, thanks to this internship, I can’t wait to start my career.