Valley of the Sun YMCA

Intern

August - November 2020 • Phoenix, AZ

What I liked

Staff

What I wish was different

Nothing

Advice

To be yourself

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Executive Intern

June - August 2020 • Phoenix, AZ

What I liked

The ability to learn nonprofit management from human resources, group and private training, child care, health and wellness, membership marketing, and other aspects of running the largest and oldest nonprofit in Arizona. The diverse opportunity in the Covid era allowed an inside look at a large operation in trying times and the decisions made every day for the longevity of the YMCA well staying true to there core values.

What I wish was different

I wish this opportunity was in a pre or post covid environment, as all the programs changed significantly due to social distancing and state restrictions that shut down the majority of the operation. Also how the summer ended, All the YMCA interns with the Valley of the Sun YMCA got laid off due to budget cut to keep the YMCA afloat when they entered the phase of keeping mandatory essential childcare employees only.

Advice

The open-mindedness and flexibility of shadowing anyone to learn more from each person in the operation. At first, I dreaded having to listen to an intro into human resources and now I use the skills and experience I learned on a daily basis to solve problems an analyze situations as well as more of an understanding into the position and how it plays an overall role into the mission of the YMCA.

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Bus driver

May - August 2019 • Cave Creek, AZ

What I liked

I liked working with kids and going on a bunch of really fun field trips.

What I wish was different

I wish that the YMCA had allocated more funds to more entertaining field trips.

Advice

I would like to say that most everyone going to work here make sure that they focus on maintaining professionalism even with children. This really helps when interacting with parents.

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Camp Counselor

May - August 2018 • Phoenix, AZ

What I liked

Great work environment, rewarding work, and good hours

What I wish was different

Advice

Act confident, even if you're not!

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Child Watch Attendant

May 2018 • Chandler, AZ

What I liked

I got paid to hang out with little kids and to play with them. It gave me a glimpse into parenthood and it was just a really fun job over all. I really connected with some of the older children and I made a lot of friends.

What I wish was different

I didn't get as many hours as I originally believed I would get. I had to get a second job in order to fill my time because I wouldn't work for weeks at a time.

Advice

You have to be willing to be flexible. Sometimes you won't get the hours that you wanted. Sometimes the kids aren't listening and you have to be firm with them to try and get to them. Overall, it was a good experience that taught me patience and let me tap my inner kid.

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