Morgan Colquitt

Reflection Paper

April 11th, 2021

Introduction

The organization that I am a part of during my internship is the Life Enrichment Center

(LEC), a private nonprofit facility that serves adults with intellectual developmental disabilities.

The LEC was founded in 1967 and serves many adults around Baldwin County and the

surrounding areas. The LEC’s mission is to support and enhance the client’s quality of life of

through different programs and services. The purpose of the LEC is to provide clients with the

tools and life experiences needed to make their own goals and follow their dreams. Barbara

Coleman is the executive director at the LEC, she always puts the client’s needs first and

genuinely wants to enhance the lives of all of the clients we serve. Mrs. Coleman is always so

involved in all of the different programs that the LEC offers, and she wants to ensure that the

clients have the tools they need to succeed in life.

Description of Experiences

My role of an intern varies day to day. The programs and activities at the LEC are ever

changing and with that comes the responsibility to adapt quickly. As an intern I would facilitate

different activities throughout the day including arts and crafts, games, nutrition, fitness, as well

as encourage and motivate the clients to participate. As an intern I made it a responsibility to

get to know the clients that we serve. I want them to feel comfortable with me and make sure

that they know that I care about them. My sole responsibility throughout my internship has
been “Eat Your Heart Out”, a nutrition course that teaches the clients new recipes and ways

they can introduce healthier foods into their everyday diet. I tell them about the nutritional

properties of the foods in the recipe and then they get to try what I have made. Many of the

clients that we serve have underlying health conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes,

which makes it essential for them to have a healthy lifestyle. Many of the clients that live in

group homes do not have the freedom to eat what they want; in some cases, the clients bring

unhealthy meals filled with carbohydrates and sugars for lunch. We also have a problem with

many of the clients bringing multiple sugary sodas to drink throughout the day. We aim to

teach the clients about ways they can incorporate healthier foods into their lifestyle that will

make them feel better. I would have to say that the most rewarding part of my internship is

being able to teach the clients about ways they can live a healthier and be more mindful about

what they are putting into their bodies. The clients have told me on numerous occasions that

they have never tried foods like cauliflower but ended up loving it after I taught them how to

cook it and they got the chance to taste it. I am glad that I have the opportunity to teach the

clients to make changes to improve their health. I think the clients are more open to trying new

foods outside of their comfort zone and that makes it rewarding! The most motivating part of

my internship so far has been the work ethic and motivation that many of the clients have. The

clients are always so helpful and encouraging to each other. Seeing them be so positive and

energetic about life encourages me to work harder and be more enthusiastic at the center. I

have loved getting to know the clients and seeing them interact with each other.

I would have to say the most challenging part of my internship would be keeping a high

energy level throughout the day. Many of the staff told me in the beginning that this job can
drain your energy very fast, and it is important to stick through it and be positive. I now know

what they mean. There are constantly new activities and programs going on throughout the day

which requires me to stay focused and adapt quickly to changes. I have noticed through

different activities that the clients do mimic how I act and follow my energy level. When I am

not as energetic about something I can tell that they follow participation level. After I noticed

how much they mirror my excitement and energy level, I realized that I had to be more mindful

about how I was acting and my participation.

One thing that I wish I could have done was have a health fair about basic health

practices and protecting yourself from COVID-19. I think that would have been very beneficial

to clients. Before spending time at the LEC, it never occurred to me how the pandemic has

affected those with intellectual developmental disabilities. I wish that I would have had the

opportunity to talk about the pandemic from a public health approach so that the clients would

be more aware of how COVID-19 spreads. I do not think that some of the clients understand

the severity of COVID-19 because they still share food, pull their mask down, and do not follow

social distancing guidelines. I believe that if I had the opportunity to have a discussion with all

of the clients about protecting themselves and others from COVID-19 then they would be more

mindful.

Perception and Evaluation of the Internship

Before my internship at the LEC, I honestly didn’t know much about the organization

and I didn’t know what I was walking into. I remember a meeting with my supervisor in the

beginning and she asked me what my expectations were, and I told her I wanted to make a

lasting impact at the center and the individuals that we serve. I believe that I have made an
impact at the LEC and I am hopeful that our legacy as interns this semester will be remembered

and valued for a long time.

The LEC is a very laid-back facility that encourages new and ‘out of the box’ ideas. I love

the freedom that I have here to create programs and activities that I enjoy. My supervisor,

Barbara Coleman, is very open to new ideas and encourages us every day to come up with new

activities to facilitate. My supervisor is very hands on at the center and she is always so friendly

and understanding when we ask for help and provides great resources when we need ideas.

One way that my experience could have been improved would be to know a little bit

about each individual client before we got on site. I feel like this would have helped the other

interns and I to better serve the clients because every client has different needs and ways

communicating. Overall, this has been an amazing experience that allowed me to grow and be

more confident serving others of different backgrounds, but I do not see myself having a career

in this setting. Like I have mentioned in my discussion posts, I would love to have a career in

Epidemiology and study the transmission of different diseases and outbreaks around the world.

Internship Preparedness

I feel like I was very prepared for my internship at the Life Enrichment Center

throughout my many Public Health courses at Georgia College. All of my different courses

taught me different traits and skills that I have used during my internship. I feel like my

Community Health course allowed me to be prepared to interact with those with disabilities

and those who come from diverse backgrounds. This has allowed me to enhance my skills in

cultural competency and communicate and serve those of different backgrounds. Another

course that has prepared me and made me more confident in my internship is my nutrition
course. All of the valuable material that I learned in that course prepared me to teach the

clients about healthier ways they can improve their diet and lifestyle. This course allowed me to

be confident when discussing nutritional properties of different foods that I prepared for the

clients. The Personal Health and Fitness course has prepared me to be more confident in the

fitness courses and exercise activities that I lead sometimes at the LEC. All three of these

courses have greatly impacted my internship experience and allowed me to serve the clients to

the best of my ability.

In terms of what the university can do to better prepare students for real life

experience, I feel like more out of class experiences would be beneficial to students to gain a

deeper understanding of how to serve different populations. We can only be taught so much

inside the classroom, but I feel like the most learning comes from getting out of your comfort

zone and actually engaging with different members of the community.

Internship Performance

This internship was definitely a learning experience for me, and I have gained many skills

and developed more confidence to serve others. I have learned to be more outgoing when it

comes to interacting with the clients and other staff at the LEC. I really have come out of my

shell and the other interns have mentioned how shy I was in the beginning compared to now. I

have also become eager to serve others and put others needs before mine. I have also learned

to work quickly to resolve conflicts that arise in the work setting and be quick to adapt to new

changes.

I would say that I am pleased with the quality of my performance in terms of my

projects and activities that I have facilitated. I know that my time management and focus on
certain aspects could definitely be improved on. Sometimes I would get distracted from the

task that I was assigned, and I would have to catch myself and get back on track. For my overall

rating, I would have to give myself an 8/10. I have tried my best, but I know that I could have

been better throughout this whole experience.

Personal/ Professional Insights/ Benefits

This internship has impacted my personal goals to help people throughout my life and in

my career. There are many people that need to be cared for and this opportunity has allowed

me to be an advocate for individuals with intellectual developmental disabilities. I feel like

these individuals are often discredited and looked down upon in some cases because of their

disability. They are labeled as disabled when there is so much more to them than their

disability. Some people think they are incapable of so many things, but they function better

than most people think. The clients that we serve very, but they are all determined to do their

best and work hard to gain respect from those around them.

In terms of my personal growth, I can confidently say that this experience has caused

me to mature more and be more confident in my ability to serve others and connect with

others in a work setting. I have gained many lifelong skills that I will carry with me throughout

my career and future endeavors. I have learned to communicate more and ask for help from my

supervisor when it is needed and get advice from others. I have also learned to be a better

listener and think about what the best approach is to serve others.

Overall, I am so grateful for my experience at the LEC, and I know that I will miss all of

the clients when I graduate. They have taught me so much and opened my eyes to how

individuals with disabilities live and the day-to-day struggles that they face. The LEC is such an
accepting facility that genuinely cares about the clients and works hard to help the clients

achieve their goals and life aspirations. I am so thankful that I got to be a part of something so

meaningful and life changing for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.