Batch 7: Thank You

Dear CSA,

Thank you for the wonderful experience that I am humbled to have been a part of over the past three months. I have learned all that I intended plus plenty more. This was an experience that I will never forget, as I will be able to take a lot of what I learned and use it in my future career. I truly do believe that you have set me up for success in my future career. You have put a lot of time into me and the work that I have produced over the past couple months, and I thank you for that. It was a pleasure working with each and every one of you and I look forward to keeping in touch and sharing success stories in the the future. Again, thank you CSA.


Sincerely,

Ryne

Batch 7: Conclusion

CSA has offered such an amazing opportunity for growing in the public sector and gaining skills that will be useful going forward in my career. It's has been such a wonderful experience working with all the employees at CSA, as they all had a major influence on the work I did and the skills I have acquired.

There were several important things that I have learned from CSA. I have learned so much about research, expanding my research skills tremendously. I have had to do some research for school related assignment, but never really had to put those skills to use in a real-world work environment. Through my internship, I was able to do all different sorts of research, utilizing many different resources. Another important skill I gained is using Microsoft Excel. I would consider myself proficient in Microsoft Excel after all the work I did using it throughout the three months working at CSA. I also gained a better understanding of organization, time-management, and presenting information. I have acquired skills through CSA that are invaluable. CSA consists of such a wonderful group of people that I was happy to work for.

I would say I have met all three goals and some. I have improved my research skills, was able to meet so many people throughout the state of AZ, and also have a much clearer idea of what CSA does and the importance of their work. Just an overall great experience. I would recommend an internship at CSA to any students who are actively looking for an internship in the public sector.

Batch 6: Career Service Write-Up #2

I attended a job fair in the Phoenix area that was very beneficial. Although I did not end up taking a job from any employers I spoke with, I did get offered two positions. I met with Aetna and Mayo Clinic at this particular job fair and then had an interview with both companies a couple days later. I think both opportunities were great, I just happened to be interviewing for an even better opportunity at the same time.

The job I ended up taking was a healthcare IT consulting position for Cumberland Consulting Group. This position will be a great fit and actually uses both my Master's and my Bachelor's degrees. I got my Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration at NIU, which made me quite unsure if I was ever actually going to use this degree. I have been applying for positions that can utilize that degree and and also the MPA that I am currently working on and almost done with. It has been a stressful journey, but I am beyond excited to start this next chapter in my life.

Batch 6: Free Write

I am going to use this post to talk about how thankful I am to have the internship at CSA and work with such wonderful people. Over the past couple months, the employees at CSA have helped introduce me to as many people as possible so I can have a job lined up by the end of the internship. I have also had meetings with members in both the house and senate to discuss future internships and full-time employment opportunities. I even went to the Gammage and Burnham Law Firm for an interview. I am beyond thankful for all the support and help I have gotten from CSA, as they want to make sure that my path in this field continues after the internship ends.

I ended up getting a job offer from a consulting firm, which I will be starting in December. I could not have done it without the help of CSA. They have helped me prep for my interviews and given me great advice. They truly want what's best for their interns. As I start my new job at Cumberland Consulting come December, I know that I will be able to take a great amount of the knowledge I gained at CSA and use it in the field of consulting. I look forward to my future, thank you CSA.

Batch 6: Free Write

This past week I was able to go on a tour at the juvenile facility that is located in Phoenix. This was a very unique experience, as I did not know what to expect going into it. This building was massive and had kids from ages 9-18 in it. Seeing a young boy at the age of 9 in this facility was not a pleasant site, as I personally believe this is way to young and in a sense unethical. The building was secured very well and alarmed at every door to make sure no one escapes or tries escaping.

Most kids that go to this facility are just brought in for a day or a couple days. The purpose of this facility is to scare kids so that they do not commit a crime again, especially the same one. This facility usually holds kids up until their court date and then they are released. There are several kids that are in there for much longer terms and actually attend classes within the walls of the facility due to repeatedly finding themselves back at the juvenile home for crimes that have been committed. Overall, it was an experience that made my stomach a little uneasy, but I also understand that its sole purpose is to better a child's life and get them back on the right path in life.

Batch 6: Strengths

I feel CSA has many strengths and very minimal weaknesses. A few of their major strengths are time management, presentation skills, lobbying, and leadership skills. Maybe one weakness would be being over worked at times which could alter decision making. I mention this weakness because they do work 10-12 hours a days most of the time which can really take a toll on them. I have seen certain instances where this has shown to have an impact on their daily work.

Time management is the most important strength due to the amount of work that comes to CSA's attention on a daily basis. There are always projects for each employee to work on. Presentation skills (which ties into the lobbying) are important to CSA because they need to be able to use their knowledge they have attained to convince others about the best possible situation with each topic that is discussed. There are many debates going on around the state on a daily basis and CSA has to make sure they are clear with their points in order to get their points across, keeping in mind the people's best interest. Finally, leadership skills are acquired by all employees because they need to be able to lead all 15 counties and help guide them down the best paths for success. This is much easier said, than done.

The only thing I would change, if this was my own organization, is the amount of hours that are worked. This department is made up of six employees. Therefore, I would hire more employees to divide the workload up and get everyone closer to a more standard work week. At times, to many hours in a week can really take a toll on those working for CSA.

Batch 5: Free Write

Over the course of my internship I have had the opportunity to expand on my research skills. As I am sure we can all attest to, there is plenty of research required in school. But how many of us has the opportunity to take the skills acquired and use them in the real world? CSA made it clear upon being hired, that research will become a intricate part of the internship. I have had to do several research project already and continue to expand my research skills as the internship progresses.

At CSA, we have a library with statutes and meeting minutes that dat as far back as the early 1900s. It has been beyond interesting being able to utilize these resources in order to get answers that comply to work being done in the present time. I recently got registered and got and ID card from the Arizona archive office. This card allows me to have access to any information that is available at the Arizona archive building. I have used it a couple times not and I have just been amazed by the service this department offers. Their research skills are off the charts and whenever I have a question, they are able to help me resolve it in no time. Research is a valuable tool that we all should continue to work on and expand our skills set as much as possible. No matter where we work, there will always be some sort of research that will need to be done.