Love Yourself Foundation 2023 Internship

The Love Yourself Foundation has been an incredible experience, introducing me to the world of mental health. My goal throughout college has been to become a children's therapist and to learn how to end the negative stigma around mental health. Through LYF, I have learned much about spreading the message of self-care, self-love, and advocating for yourself and your mental health. It has opened the door for me and made me feel much more excited to incorporate what I have learned for my future career and myself.

As I was looking for internships throughout the semester, I wanted to make sure that it was an internship I felt I connected with personally and my Psychology major. When i first saw the Love Yourself Foundation's name, I knew that this was most likely related to psychology aspects such as mental health/illness, but I also connected with the title on a deep level as well. Although LYF did not completely elaborate on many topics I have learned throughout my psychology courses, it was nice that it had some correlations to it in the sense the foundation surrounds psychological aspects.

With LYF, it was great going into it because, as an admin coordinator intern, I did not need any previous learning or educational requirements to do my role. With everything I did to complete my role, I was taught how to do it by my supervisor, Monica, and had her full support every step of the way. If there was anything I was confused about, she was always ready to help give me feedback or any additional training I may have needed.

I want to continue with LYF and will volunteer with them after my internship. Although it is not something I want to do as a career forever, I love the foundation and being a part of it. For as long as possible, I want to be part of it and work with the team as the foundation grows. Monica has done an amazing job of creating such a welcoming and supportive environment and creating an amazing message that I feel is worth sharing with the world.

When it comes to continuing with LYF, I need more training in event coordination and planning, as that is what I will be doing more of as I become a volunteer. Other than that, I would not need much more training, education, skills, or experience before continuing with my position. I feel that anything I feel I will need to learn more of will only be discovered as I continue with the foundation.

To any incoming interns, know that you are not alone as you learn to navigate through your position with your internship. It is okay to ask questions, and it is okay to ask for support when you need it. Balancing school, an internship, and perhaps anything else outside the two can sometimes be challenging. The best thing to do is communicate with your supervisor and express how you feel as you progress through the semester. Everyone will look out for your best interest and won't let you drown!