Hello, my name is Kaci Demant and I spent the summer as an intern with Silver State Service Dogs. Silver State Service Dogs is a non-profit, 501(c)(3), that assists in training service dogs and pairing them with veterans and first responders in need based on their individual disabilities in the state of Nevada. My primary responsibilities included social media management and planning, updating and logging dog progress reports, and organizing and volunteering at fundraisers. This internship helped me a lot both personally and professionally. While it doesn’t necessarily tie into my field of study, it was a wonderful experience and I learned plenty of skills, such as managing a fundraiser and how to communicate in a professional environment. It also helped me refine some skills I already had like spreadsheet organization and logging information. These experiences and responsibilities will definitely benefit me professionally because they are the foundation of most job-related skills. Since I was mainly in charge of communication and data management/organization, I can use the knowledge I obtained during this internship for my future career and studies to communicate effectively with my peers and employers. Organization is necessary throughout every aspect in life, so I can use this skill for everything, not just in my career or future studies.
In terms of educational requirements, I don’t think any classes are necessary, but I think some classes at UNLV might make this internship easier. For example, the topics I learned in IS 101 really helped me with spreadsheets and organizing data in Google Drive. ENG 101 and ENG 102 would also be beneficial because talking and communicating through email was a major part of this internship. Although I haven’t taken the course, I’ve heard COM 101 is also extremely helpful for this internship. This internship involves a lot of professional communication and messaging, so taking a class like communications would give a potential intern a big advantage.
I would like to continue interning for this organization in the future. At Silver State Service Dogs, everyone is either a volunteer or an intern; there are no full-time or part-time positions. Even though there are no career opportunities, this organization is always looking for volunteers to help out with the dogs. This includes service dog trainers, puppy raisers, and even dog walkers. While no skills are required, those who choose to help out with this organization should have experience with taking care of dogs. If an intern would like to be a service dog trainer, they would need to have work experience as a trainer and certifications. This internship is a great opportunity to give back to the community and make a difference in people’s lives. It’s amazing to come together with the community and help those in need. Organizing and participating in fundraisers is a great way to get creative and present your ideas to the community. If you wish to intern at this organization, even though it might be overwhelming at times, it’s a wonderful and fulfilling opportunity; have fun with it and let your creativity shine through!
Have fun! Great advice- for life in general!
Hi Kaci,
I think it is awesome that you were able to gain some new skills and gain knowledge from your internship experience even though it did not tie directly into your major. I am also happy to hear that you have enjoyed your internship experience and would like tp continue to help out in the future. I would also say that it is extremely beneficial that you were able to refine your communication skills as these are also a vital tool to have outside of the workplace too. Goodluck !