Stories
Indiana Wesleyan Intern
Published on December 21, 2020
My name is Heather Riley. I am a student at Indiana Wesleyan University and will soon graduate with a bachelor’s degree in social work. With the BSW program, it is a requirement to put in 400 hours of real-life experience through internship. I was placed at Building Bridges and was able to have the most impactful internship experience during my 5 months with them. The staff at this organization expresses an immense amount of compassion, humility, and empathy with the youth that come through their program. I looked forward to the opportunity of working with youth in the juvenile justice setting. The staff made this opportunity one that I will never forget. Those at Building Bridges work with one another strongly, as a team, in order to provide the most positive experience for those who come through the program. Many times, I felt more than an intern as they treated me as part of the team.
Dealing with this unfortunate pandemic, my experience with the youth may have been limited; however, what I did get to experience with them was incredible. I participated in a field trip to Young’s Dairy, I co-facilitated a group with one of the probation officers, I attended court hearings, I made home visits…I got to engage with the youth in multiple settings and for various reasons. Therefore, my internship experience with Building Bridges was as great as it could have been, and I am so grateful for all of it. Not only am I grateful for my own experience with them, but with the fact that something like this organization exists in our community; an organization that provides various services to the youth and their families. It is apparent that they really strive to make a difference and I am so grateful that I was able to experience a part of that.
Heather Riley
Indiana Wesleyan University
Class of 2021
