Meet Our Intern: Kyle

So you remember when we mentioned we have three amazing interns this year?  Well...we lied.  Unintentionally, of course.  After we began our Meet Our Intern series, we were lucky enough to have another intern join us!  Kyle is a BSW student at the Kent School of Social Work at the University of Louisville.  While Anna, Ashley, and Sarah are completing their internships at the Elder Program and KRM, Kyle is completing his internship at the Elder Program and Catholic Charities.  Friends, meet Kyle.

(and his super cute girlfriend Sarah)

Why do you want to complete your internship with the Refugee Elder Program?

I am primarily interested in administrative and policy practice, and I feel that it is crucial to experience and understand the smaller details of the bigger picture in order to practice effectively.  I felt that the Refugee Elder Program was a perfect setting for me to acquire the interpersonal contact with clients that will enable me to see things through a clearer and more realistic lens when working on larger projects that pertain to their community.

What about your internship are you most excited and most nervous? 

The diversity of the people that participate in the program is what excites me most.  I thoroughly enjoy learning about the cultures of the world, and I believe there is no one better to learn from than the elders of these cultures.  I am most nervous about language barriers.  It is hard for me to realize, as a native English speaker, that sometimes I need to alter my words in order for someone who is not a native English speaker to understand me.  I must raise my awareness of this fact in order to better communicate with the elders.

What are your long term goals for your career and life?

I plan on moving on to the MSW program focusing on administration and policy practice at either the University of Washington or the University of Texas and settling down where I end up.  My goals may change, given the multitude of social problems I am interested in alleviating, but I have the most experience with refugee resettlement, so perhaps I will seek a career in the state department for refugee resettlement of whichever state I attain my graduate degree and then attempt to work at the Office of Refugee Resettlement in Washington, D.C.  A doctorate accompanied by a career in research may be my future as well, but we will just have to see how things go!

Anything else?

I love anything that has to do with being outdoors or traveling.  I am also pretty brave in terms of trying new things, especially when they have to do with outdoor recreation or venturing to unfamiliar places.  I want to someday hike the entire Appalachian Trail, which is almost 2200 miles!  I also have a list of sites around the world that I wish to visit; the number one item is the Coliseum in Rome.

Kyle works with Naina and Hong in Carolyn's class.

Welcome Kyle!  Remember, you can meet the rest of interns by reading their stories here.