As I go into my last week of my CAPS internship, I reflect on my time at The Bridge Teen Center. It brings a certain realization when I think about my internship ending and that is how my time as an undergrad is ending as well.
When looking back through the summer, my favorite parts have to be when I would spend time with the students. As the program intern, I get the opportunity to lead and help with programs that the students are in. I was able to lead a program which was a ‘Big Room Hangout & Karaoke’ program. This was a lively program since from start to finish students were singing a song. They went up alone, in pairs, and even groups of three. The students had a lot of fun and so did I! Another program I was able to be in charge of was a ‘Project Serve: Thrift Store’. Students signed up for this program and sorted clothes that were donated to the thrift store. When leading this program I was nervous since there were a lot of things I had to remember to say since I was explaining everything around them. From the clothes racks to what was on the table and even the roles they had to do. I became the person they mainly asked questions to and it made me feel more confident since I felt like they trusted me to know the answers to what they were asking. The best part for me is when they remember my name without looking at my name tag and I am able to do the same.
Another part I have enjoyed is receiving the project of comparing the Bridge Thrift Store to other thrifts in the area. I compared the prices, the departments, the setup, and even the guests inside the store. It was interesting to do this project because I love thrifting and this was a new perspective on thrift stores I never had before. I was looking at them with different eyes since this time I was not there as a customer but I was there as a ‘secret shopper’. The founder, Priscilla, gave me this secret shopper project and allowed me to do it as I wanted to. She gave me full freedom and I felt trustworthy since she was trusting me with this project. With Priscilla, she can be intimidating since she is the founder of the Bridge and is the executive director so the Bridge Teen Center is something she built from the ground up. Getting to know her through this project has shown me that she is not intimidating but she is respected. It has been such an experience to hear Priscilla speak about this project and about her time shaping the Bridge into what it is now and what it will continue growing to be.
As I look to the future, the Bridge Teen Center will be a turning point in what path I take. This has been such a rewarding experience and it is difficult to say goodbye to a place I spent so much time in. I will continue to foster the relationships I made here and hopefully in the future I will be able to volunteer here since it is a part of the community I live in and I want to join that community.
-Mikayla Flanagan, The Bridge Teen Center