A big piece of our mission is helping to inspire the next generation to live healthy, active lives. Internships are a way for us to allow future leaders to gain experience working in the non-profit sector AND make an impact in their local community. Meet Dominique Lewis, our 2018 summer intern!
Hello, my name is Dominique Lewis and I am a senior studying Human Development & Family Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I am from Champaign, IL, and I have been a student-athlete my entire life. I am a member of the Women’s Track & Field team. Being a student-athlete, I have learned the importance of time management, hard work, dedication, confidence, and courage. I really enjoy the aspect of competing and just being active. Growing up, I enjoyed working with children. Whether it was relatives, children from my neighborhood, or the track team that I was a part of, I loved giving back and helping younger children adapt to the program.
My interests include traveling, eating, exercising, playing sports, dancing, and engaging with children. I enjoy working with kids, and with this internship I will be able to use course knowledge of how children develop and interact. I will be able to work on leadership and facilitation skills, and can better learn how children adapt to different situations and develop.
Connecting to my Education
In class, I have covered material about the differences in physical, mental, and social development within elementary school age children. I can use this knowledge to better equip myself in how to effectively serve and help the children in the program. Using course information from my HDFS (Human Development & Family Studies) major, I am able to understand how to approach families of different races and ethnic groups. I know that many families do not have the same social or family supports and systems. My education has set me up to openly view circumstances and focus on the well-being of the child and family. I am interested in opening up children’s eyes to new perspectives about themselves – whether it’s fitness related or building confidence, courage, and integrity.
Internship Goals
What I’m looking forward to the most about this internship is that it relates to my professional goals/career aspirations. I love to be engaged with children and feel like I am contributing to making a child smile or feel good about themselves. At this point, I am interested in working as a social worker or childcare specialist.
This internship will prepare me to work with children of different racial and ethnic backgrounds and ages. I will be responsible for planning and implementing the program curriculum to get the children active and allowing them to feel the excitement and fun of exercising. I will learn how to evaluate my work and planning in order to determine its effectiveness.
Finally, this internship will be good for me because it will allow me to combine my passion of working with children, as well as sports. I feel like I am contributing to the effort of improving the world and having a positive impact on children, because it starts with the children first. I can serve as a mentor and role model.
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