Connecting Public Health and Compassion: My Internship at Sharsheret
As a public health undergraduate student, I found it interesting to see the overlap between public health and social work through my internship at Sharsheret. I was constantly amazed by the impact Sharsheret has had on people’s lives, and I’m grateful that I was able to contribute to that.
I was excited to help move forward projects that had been put on the back burner due to how busy the Sharsheret team always is. One example was helping update the Thriving Again Survivorship Kit binder. Sharsheret receives over 1,000 requests a year for this binder, which shares resources and support for those in survivorship. I used my graphic design knowledge to create new heading titles for the documents and helped refresh the look of the kit as the team sourced new binder options. I also applied my previous experience creating educational materials at my university. It’s incredible to think about the impact these adjustments will have on the kit and how many people it will reach in the years to come.
Overall, I learned a lot. I particularly enjoyed adding my perspective to projects and meetings, learning about how the organization operates, and seeing how interdisciplinary teams work together to contribute to Sharsheret’s goals. I now understand how I can apply these skills and concepts in my future career in the public health sector.
I loved seeing how collaborative everything is at Sharsheret. When new ideas or solutions were brainstormed, everyone shared respectful feedback to move the ideas forward. For instance, the Thriving Again Survivorship Kit was initially organized one way, and then we realized it made more sense to reorganize it in a new and different way. I learned from that experience that you may be further from the final product than you think, but with extra thought and direction, it will turn out even better in the end.
In my future career, when I collaborate, I will think back to my wonderful experience at Sharsheret. Sharsheret employees don’t like to say “goodbye,” and in that spirit, I plan on staying in touch with Sharsheret and continuing to act as a Sharsheret ambassador in my life.