My first week of internship at Opportunity Enterprises was successfully completed this Friday and I am already looking forward to coming back after the weekend! Opportunity Enterprises offers inclusive opportunities for work, transportation, leisure, among other opportunities, for people of all abilities, opening doors to a more equitable and fairer world. In this first week I met incredible people, felt extremely welcome, felt a good sense of home, and learned valuable lessons.

This first week of training included several lessons, such as First Aid (CPR) and Crisis Prevention (CPI), which are essential for ensuring the well-being of the children who will be spending the summer with us. However, what was most significant for me was learning about the company’s history, how it arose and why. For many years, people with disabilities were neglected, excluded and mistreated, kept in isolation within institutions with no intention of re-socialization and under abusive “treatments”. Today they are seen as the human beings they are, they are valued and receive humane treatment because in the past there were people who advocated and fought for their rights. It comforts my heart to see that despite established social norms, human beings are capable of empathizing, fighting for others and transforming lives!

Every day since I got this internship through CAPS, I’ve become more certain that my calling in the field of psychology is to transform lives. We all study so that one day we will have the opportunity to apply theory to reality, but there are some skills that only experience teaches, and I can’t wait to get to know them and learn them. The next two weeks of the internship will be specific training in which I will learn the responsibilities of the position, and it will certainly be two weeks of a lot of learning and preparation. Then the summer camp and the real experience will begin, which I’m really looking forward to!

One of the reflections I made this week was that we don’t need to be heroes and wear capes to transform a life, small acts make more of a difference than we usually think. Every single person at Opportunity Enterprises manages in their own particular way to transform the lives of the people they work for, from the maintenance worker to the counselor who works directly with clients, because their efforts in their specific role are what make the company work and provide the values and mission it believes in. Even if you’re not part of an inclusive environment, you can do small things to make someone’s world more inclusive and have a big positive impact on their life.

I want to be a person who makes a difference in the world, I believe that my purpose in the field of psychology is to serve, to provide support for those who need it, from a “Good morning!” to emotional or physical help. I look to my future and I can’t see myself doing anything other than promoting help, support, equality and growth for all. That is my purpose.