While interning at HRI this summer, I was excited to utilize my database skills and learn hands on how a nonprofit operates. My internship was an 8 week project as a Client Services Intern and my experience at HRI involved so much learning, time, and entertainment than I ever could have imagined. As my final days with the agency approach, I wish I had another 8 weeks to work here with this amazing team.
I’m proud of the database I was able to create, and grateful for the help I received from the HRI staff and fellow interns while researching the different North Texas agencies. I really enjoyed working on the database, and learned more about nonprofits in North Texas than I ever thought I’d know. From a personal growth perspective, I feel as if I am walking away with so much more than improved database skills. I feel I benefited immensely from the time I spent sitting in intakes and at trials, hearing the stories of victims of human rights abuses who have endured more hardships than I could ever imagine. This humbling experience has helped me put everything into a much better perspective, and fueled my desire even more to help others in need. Additionally, the time and relationships I formed with other interns made the whole experience so much more energizing. Lunch on Friday with the interns and staff really helped to create a close, family-like atmosphere that I’ve grown to cherish during my time here.
I honestly could not have asked for anything else out of my internship with HRI this summer. It has been such an incredible experience with a team that has motivated me to work harder and with more passion for those in need. Indeed, the one thing I will always carry with me from this internship is the amazing passion everyone here at HRI has to help others. I am not sure any other place could have helped me gain these technical skills while witnessing just how powerful and contagious this passion to help others is. The learning experience for me has been invaluable, but the meaning and work ethic of the HRI staff -from the Executive Director to the interns- made HRI a truly special place for me to work.
