My Last Day

Well today was my last day of interning for this summer. Fortunately I was able to go out with a bang. I and seven other CASA volunteers had the privilege of going to the correctional facility in Sheridan for a tour this morning. We got there a bit before 9:00 a.m. and the tour lasted until about 11:30 a.m. It was a fascinating experience. The facility that we toured in Sheridan is a medium security facility yet in contrast to my expectations it really had a rather laid back vibe for a prison. Prisoners walked about fairly freely during passing times and didn't seem very ill tempered.

We saw the educational center, library, recreation gym, the yard, one of the housing blocks, and the woodshop. The gym was very impressive as was the woodshop where toys are made and donated to toys for kids. I learned a lot about prison life and the kinds of choices that lead to it. For my last day it was a really interesting thing to get to do. After we got back my supervisor and others in the office had a going away party for me which was a really nice gesture.

Looking back on the summer I can definitely say that the prison tour was one of the highlights. But it was just another addition to the eye-opening and worthwhile experience that I had this summer with CASA. After interning with CASA I feel more comfortable and sure about my decision to go to law school and I also feel more capable and ready for the challenge. All in all, I am very happy and glad that I had the opportunity to intern with CASA this summer. It was a great experience.

A day in the Parking lot

Last week was the same old routing. I shadowed the physical therapist and assistants, made copies of evaluations for the re-evaluations, picked up the gym, went through exercises with patients and also assisted them when they needed help. One thing that was different was that I got to do a ultra sound on one of the therapist. I had to do it on a therapist due to the fact that I if I were to hurt the patient at all, it would put them at risk of being sued, etc. So I did it on a therapist and learned the technique and not to take it of the skin because it could possible shock them. Also you can't stop or go to slow because it could almost burn the deep muscle. It was a very neat experience and was fun learning something new.

Then on Thursday, I spent almost all of my time out in the parking lot setting up tables and food for the picnic that we organized for the gym members and or faculty. Around 40 members came to the picnic and they all brought some type of side dish. Needless to say, we had a ton of food. South West Physical Therapy put on this picnic to show their appreciation to all the gym members and also to just have a little fun out in the sun. While doing the picnic I also saw some people who you could tell that they hadn't eaten in awhile so we sent them home with some food from the picnic. Its sad to see the poverty around us and what this economy is doing to our community.

After the picnic, I spent the rest of the day picking up and washing all of the dishes that we had used earlier. It was really nice to spend a day out of the office and spend some time with the gym members. It gave me more time to get to know them and find out more about their lives.

End of Internship

Friday was my last official day of internship and it was a truly amazing experience. I will be going in on Monday to say goodbye to the children and the other staff who have made a huge impact on my life. Being an education major who wants to go into the field of autism and special needs, I was able to grasp certain concepts that would be almost impossible to learn in the classroom. Although some days I was just plain exhausted and felt like I could not handle what was going on, I was able to get through and come out with so many learning experiences. One thing that makes me feel more comfortable in my leaving is that the new intern that is taking over is a Linfield alum that I know very well so I will be able to get constant updates on what is going on with the students that I have had the pleasure to spend my summer with. It is honestly very hard to type up my weeks because so many things happen and everyday seems to meld into the same day but I have learned so much and am able to better understand the field that that I want to go in.

8/9-8/20

These last weeks of my internship have continued to be heavily fragmented. I had my wisdom teeth out the 10th so I missed that day and the next. Lars was on location at the Tillamook County fair. For some reason when he isn't in studio, people do not call as much.

But the only time when people call less is when Lars is not doing the show at all. He took a vacation from last Monday to this next Tuesday. It was a lot of work trying to find stories and help the hosts get things organized with times, stories, guests, etc. Also, my co-worker who helps me was out Wednesday and Friday which puts added pressure on my boss and I, especially when Lars isn't in.

Needless to say, these last weeks haven't been as smooth as we'd like. One of the guest hosts had never done the show before and it was really difficult getting everything together for him to make a good show. But my job has stayed the same, but a lot more of my stories are being used and I am still talking to important local and national political figures on the phone, which I am keeping a list of for some sort of future reference if I need it in the future.

Job Shadow

On Monday I had the opportunity to take a break from my CASA duties for the afternoon and job shadow a local court appointed attorney. Janmarie Dielschneider was kind enough to let me follow her around all afternoon and sit in on court. I found it all very fascinating. Up to this point my courtroom time with CASA has only involved family law and not criminal law. On Monday afternoon the docket was filled with, what even Janmarie admitted was a full docket for a Monday, arraignments of individuals who were in custody. These individuals appeared on video as the judge read what they were accused of and set their bail or scheduled them for release. The crimes ranged from small misdemeanors to major felonies. There were cases of criminal mischief and theft all the way up to murder. Even though the procedure for each individual was practically the same, only differing in whether they were to be released or bail posted and trial date set, I was surprised by how interesting it was. There was a full range of reactions from those in custody, ranging from contrite acceptance to absolutely rude indifference resulting in another year in jail for contempt of court! It was even a little tense at times. I really enjoyed it. Janmarie was really helpful and informative about what was going on and gave me her own reactions and thoughts as well. The afternoon made me give more thought, consideration, and interest to criminal law, which I hadn't really thought I possessed prior to Monday!

8/9 - 8/13

Last Week in addition to my usual office duties such as filing case information and going to hearings I finished one of the books that CASA uses as a training and informational tool for its volunteers. The book I read was called Lost Boy and it was written by Brent Jeffs who is a nephew of the former leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The book detailed the abuse and neglect that the author suffered in the FLDS. For those who don't know the FLDS is the fundamentalist sect of the Mormon church which still continues to practice polygamy. I was very surprised to learn of how drastically polygamy affected the families within the church and the extent to which children in the church, especially young boys, were neglected and often forced our of their own families. It was a fascinating read and very eye opening in that it occurs in 21st century America. I would definitely recommend reading it.
This week I am looking forward to job shadowing a couple of attorneys and hopefully getting a good idea of what their day to day lives are like and hopefully some tips on law school as well.

Exception to the Rule

Today was my officially last day of my internship, which was bitter sweet because I am excited for RA camp, but sad to leave my work family behind for a month. I have learned so much from all of my mentors at AKT.

Recently, I learned that in Accounting firms and almost any business there are exceptions to almost every rule. this can be the case in GL coding for expenses. One expense can be one code one time, but the next time it can be something completely different because of the person.

I have learned a lot about working in a CPA firm not just during this internship period, but over the last three years that I have been working for AKT. I have learned how to deal with partners and they people who are constantly not following company policy. I also have learned that company policies are more like guidelines because there is room for interpretation.

I have been training the person who will replace me as Accounts Payable Administrator for a week and a half now. This was a real test of my knowledge to have to train someone on something that I just learned. This was a challenge because she did not realize that I actually knew something about accounting. She did just graduate from Corban with her accounting degree, and I understand that it must be hard to learn something from someone with no credentials and younger than you.

I am very confident after this internship that this is the career for me...maybe not accounts payable, but accounting. This internship will be very valuable for me when I become an auditor. I will know what the accounts payable people go through on a daily basis.