Intern Alexis Harris- Museum Curator at the Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

Hi, my name is Lexi Harris. I’m from Colwich, Kansas and I have one younger brother, two dogs, and one cat that likes to hang around the property. My parents have been married for over 20 years and my dad’s mom moved in with us about 10 years ago.

I am highly interested in being a museum curator because I have always had an appreciation for antiques and artifacts. I believe my passion in this area really blossomed through my summer job over the past three years. I work part-time at a company called Caring Transitions where we help clients downsize and sell all of their used and no-longer needed items. Usually, it takes place on our online auction but we do estate sales as well. I get to see and handle a wide variety of vintage materials and heritage pieces that have been passed down from generation to generation. This job has taught me a lot about how to handle and appreciate rare and unique items and it has also taught me the value of an item’s worth in light of its rarity as well as its market value. It is very interesting to see how people would use things in their every-day lives and how differently we use things now.

Museum curators are responsible for the care of the museum’s entire collection and they determine the overall layout of the museum. They must be able to coordinate special exhibitions, arrange research, manage the storage and rotation of the collection, recommend additions and features to the exhibits and keep all the current information up to date. This job requires a bachelor’s degree in area of specialty and must have 4-5 years of experience in the field or in a related area.  The salary is about $53,000, but the annual salary is influenced by the size of the museum as well. Generally, the larger museums will offer higher salaries.

My interest in items of historical interest stemmed from an appreciation passed down from my parents and grandparents.  I have been going shopping with my mom for antiques for as long as I can remember. It is a hobby that she and I share and have really bonded over. That was my first indication of how much I value the preservation of special items and belongings. Museums have always interested me and I have enjoyed looking at different artifacts and antiques. It really makes me happy when I notice people interested in someone else’s life and how differently things can be for different individuals. I love the stories that certain artifacts portray and when combined with other supporting artifacts, the pieces of the puzzle start to fit together to verify the story.

I have discovered that I will have to really study and work hard to know and memorize events that have happened in history to help me understand what some pieces have been through concerning time gaps, historical moments and significance, as well as the locations and efforts of preservation they have passed through. My strong suit does not include the memorization of dates. It is difficult for me to recall exact numbers so I will have to work diligently on that aspect. Luckily, I am a very organized person, I like everything to be in it’s rightful place and I believe that skill will help me tremendously in this career choice.

I find myself more drawn to working in a historical museum. Currently, the era I am most comfortable with would be the Victorian Era. The college I would like to attend is Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. Their supporting program in the history department should allow me to emphasize in a particular era. I would like to wait to officially chose my specialty. I feel it is best if I am exposed to more information and experience.

The Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum is located in a beautiful building that was once a City Hall in 1919.  The museum collection has evolved from early artifacts to nearly 70,000 antiques relating to Wichita and Sedgwick County from 1865 to the present. There is a large display of  furniture, photographs, business records, fashions, postcards, and old house items. The Wichita Historical Museum Society, also known as WHiMS, sponsors special events such as guide tours. They even host special events for the community and operate the gift shop. I am looking forward to my experience and learning process at this mentor facility.

Intern Gabby Engels- Event Planning at Tall Grass Country Club/Marriott Hotel

Hello my name is Gabby

I’m writing today to talk about the first time I knew that I wanted to be an event planner. Well actually I’ve wanted to be in the medical field my whole life, I’ve taken CNA and was set on being a nurse. Things suddenly changed one day and I was not interested at all in being a nurse. I needed to figure out what else I was interested in because the upcoming school year I would be enrolled in an internship class. My sisters best friend works downtown at an event planning business and tells my sister how much she loves her job every day. Event planners coordinate meetings and conventions, ensure the functionality of written and visual materials, hire speakers and presenters and much more. So with school starting in a few weeks I told my teacher I was interested in event planning.

Just a little bit more about me, my full name is Gabrielle but mostly everyone calls me Gabby. I have a family of 6, two brothers and one sister. Yes, I am the baby of the family which is very nice because our house is quiet with everyone moved out. My sister is the oldest, she is a dental hygienist and very successful. My brother Tyler has a very good job at cessna and is still in school. My other brother Aaron is currently in the Air Force, he is stationed in Alaska but got orders for Panama City. We visited Alaska this summer and I took my senior pictures up in the mountains, it was definitely one in a life-time experience. I come from a small town and wouldn’t trade it for anything. The Friday nights here are something that I’ll miss the most about being a high schooler. I’ve grew up with the same people for 12 years and going to college will be such a different experience.

So here I am writing this blog, we are in our first week of school and it has been so bittersweet being a senior. We start our internship September 14 and I will be going to the Marriott which is in downtown every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. My class of 17 students is the first to ever experience this opportunity. I can tell that everyone is just waiting to see if they’re going to like it. I personally am a bit nervous, just meeting so many people and experiencing something that I have never done before gives me hope that this is for me.  I get nervous around big groups of people but I’m hoping I can overcome that fear. Other than that I’m very outgoing once you get to me. It’s going to take a lot of perseverance but I fully believe that I can do it. Event planners don’t make a lot but I’m hoping to maybe make my own business and making more.

During this experience I hope I get to learn how to propose ideas and conversate with clients to identify their needs. For event planning you need time management and communication skills and the ability to manage multiple projects independently. If I find myself not having these skills or it just wasn’t for me it still will be an unforgettable experience. Another thing I’m excited for is weddings, I love weddings. Just seeing a couple who are so in love and being able to share that experience with them is so amazing.

My plan is to go to college and get a bachelors in communications or public relations. Getting a bachelors in communications can lead to so many different job areas, such as journalism, writing and many more. If it doesn’t go like I plan than my other option is to be a flight attendant, I’m not sure why but I’ve always wanted to be one. I know a lot of people who’ve gone into it and I’ve heard nothing but good things. It’s only a few months of school and you’re ready to go. I mean you get free trips out of it and get to travel the world so why not!    

Thanks for letting me share a little bit of my life. I know this experience will go well because I’m outgoing and love meeting new people so this job seems to fit me well. Event planning is all about your attitude and how you interact with people, and communications skills is something that is hard to be perfect at but I know I’ll be able to work on it!

Inter Myka Dalton- TRUE Physical Therapy

Hi my name is Myka Dalton.

I attend Andale High school, and also live in Andale. I am 17 years old now a senior in high school trying to figure out what I want to be in life. For as long as I can remember I always was really interested in becoming something in the medical field. Both of my parents work in the medical field, my mom works in the radiology department and my dad is a sonographer. I used to think I wanted to be a nurse, but then I realized it probably wasn’t something I would enjoy. So that’s why I’ve decided to intern at TRUE Physical Therapy and look into becoming a physical therapist. I also think nutrition is something I’m really interested in so I will also be looking into interning a dietitian or nutritionist.

Other reasons I have chosen to spend my internship learning about a physical therapist career is because I really like to help people. With physical therapy you can work with all different types of people, from newborn to the oldest age and work to help them regain the ability to live a healthy life. I think I’m a good people person so I really like to meet new people and have a job that gives you the opportunity to get to know that person and help reach them to a certain goal of health.

I’ve also always been interested in the way nutrition works and how eating habits can affect the body. nutritionists offer you personal medical advice that help in making your health better. They work in many different settings such as: hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, doctors office, schools and more. They may also work with people struggling with eating disorders or certain people with medical diseases such as diabetes or cancer. To me, I take a lot of interest in a career as a nutritionist, that has a variety of options of different people to help and places they're needed.

I hope to learn a lot of different things at my internship, I want to know what the daily tasks of a nutritionist and physical therapist are. I want to know they knowledge they need to have for the career to answer many questions for people and know exactly what plan to make for a person. I’d like to know how much science and math is required for both the careers. I also am nervous to start my internship mostly because it's a big step of maturity. Growing up has always scared me so it’s weird to be going and shadowing people that we might become that profession someday. There's also a lot of responsibility a person needs to have to do an internship and I hope to do my very best. But I am mainly more excited than nervous because I really do want to figure out what I want to be to make college and life planning easier.

I mentioned before how I had always took interest in the medical field, because of that matter I decided to take a CNA course my junior year. I am CNA and CPR certified. I have had experience working with older people in the nursing home and I really enjoyed it. I loved to help them, talk to them and take care of them, because usually they appreciated it and it made you feel like you did something good for someone.

As a physical therapist you need to get your DPT (Doctor of Physical Therapy) degree, that takes at least three years to complete. Then will need to pass a Physical Therapy Examination and are required to have at least a bachelor's degree. There are many classes involved in getting the degree especially science classes, but I believe with a lot of determination and hard work a person can accomplish a lot. With nutritionist you’re required to have at least a 4-year bachelor's degree studying lots of science like anatomy, physiology, and chemistry. You take courses in English to better communication skills. Also take courses in food and nutrition to learn about the way it can affect the body and different types of diseases from food. So mainly for both careers, you need to be prepared to take lots of science courses.

I haven’t fully decided on my plan for college yet, but I am looking at Kansas State University if I do want to become a Nutritionist. Kansas State University is a college for lots of engineering based jobs, but I have met a nutritionist who graduated from the college and really enjoyed it. Also on the TRUE Physical Therapy website bios, there are two physical therapists that went to Kansas State and studied Kinesiology before enrolling in their other colleges. There are other colleges I have in mind like Wichita State University or Pittsburg State University, but I do really want to get away from home and learn how to be more independent. My brother, who is now an engineer, graduated from Kansas State and really enjoyed it so I’ve really considered it because of the good things I’ve heard.   

The place I will be interning at is in Wichita at TRUE Physical Therapy, their website is filled with lots of information about their business. I still don’t know where I’ll be interning at for a nutritionist, but I can't wait to find out. At TRUE Physical Therapy they work with all different types of injuries like: traumatic, sports, chronic pain and more. Their team of workers have a very experienced background and I’m excited to meet them. It seems like a very positive environment for workers and patients, I’m happy I’ll get to experience my internship at True Physical Therapy.

Intern Ashley Burks- Wesley Medical Center/Children's Mercy Hospital (Wichita, KS)

Hi, my name is Ashley Burks. I’m from Colwich and I currently attend Andale High School. I am a senior intern, which is a new program at Andale High School that offers students the opportunity to experience some daily tasks in their desired career choice. I have three brothers and I plan to attend Wichita State University next fall. In my free time, I enjoy spending quality time with my family, going on walks, and shopping. I’m extremely close to my dad and Fall is my favorite season by far. Overall, I’m excited, yet nervous for my internships.

I am interning at Wesley Medical Center and Children’s Mercy Hospital for pediatrics. Since I was in middle school, I have wanted to become a nurse that specializes in pediatrics. I have been working as a CNA for 6 months now and have experienced many things that relate to my internship and that I can transfer to my career choice. I already have some experience in this specific work environment. I believe empathy is a very important personality trait an individual could have, going into the healthcare/medical environment.

I chose this career because babies have always been special to me and I have been around them for many years. Recently, my baby brother was born and being able to be included in that was truly amazing and it just reminded me how certain I am of pursuing a career that involves the care for babies and young children. The median annual wage for registered nurses in 1997 was $41,400 and the median hourly wage was $18.88. However, some 30 percent of all registered nurses earn between $40,000 and $50,000 and another 16 percent earn from $50,000 to $89,000.

Reaching this rewarding but challenging career goal of mine will be difficult but well worth it. To become a labor and delivery nurse, it is required that you have either an associate’s degree in nursing, a bachelor’s degree in nursing, or a nursing diploma from an accredited nursing school. The next step is becoming an RN and passing the NCLEX-RN and gaining hands on work experience in labor and delivery. The final step is to obtain certification.

I hope to learn about more basics of nursing and hope to experience an understanding of how to assist with complications in the delivery room. I also hope to be able to identify some complications a mother could possibly experience throughout her pregnancy. I am very excited to see what being part of the hospital system would entail.

I’m mostly nervous for these internships because of my shyness, but for the most part I’m excited to experience an internship and to be a part of something new at Andale High and also to make sure pediatrics is something I want to pursue in for a career.

Some personality traits that I display, that are beneficial to this career is carrying well communication skills, compassion, patience, and critical-thinking skills. I grew a lot of patience working with the elderly at a nursing home. Working at a nursing home and interacting with my residents has made me appreciate what I’m doing and has made me aware of what it is like to approach death. I believe the best thing an individual can do is being a positive figure in someone’s life, doctor or not, and working in a hospital setting will be a great opportunity for me to do so. I believe that I am skilled in prioritizing individual’s needs and cope well with a fast-paced, stressful environment.  

I plan to attend Wichita State University next fall while living at home and also to get accepted into the nursing program at WSU. Given the rapidly aging population and need for increasing health services, the demand for all levels of nursing services is expected to grow. Specific labor and delivery nurse job duties include, providing support for the mother during labor, monitoring the fetal heart rate, measuring the strength and timing of contractions, and the mother’s vital signs. They care for women during labor and childbirth and provide medical information to mothers and families and also assist doctors. Being a labor and delivery nurse, you will prepare women and their families for the stages of giving birth and help patients with breastfeeding after the baby is born. Becoming a neonatal nurse would be my second choice, career wise.

The internship training curriculum at Children’s Mercy Hospital is individually designed according to the goals of the overall program and the entry skills and objectives of the interns. Each intern is required to meet overall program goals in terms of general didactic and clinical experience. Wesley is the hospital of choice for thousands of people in Kansas and northern Oklahoma.

I am honored to be a part of this class and very excited for the opportunities. This will be a very eye opening experience.

Intern Bailey Bugner- TRUE Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy Internship

Hi, my name is Bailey Bugner. I have always wanted to go into a career in the medical field. My desire to become a physical therapist started a year ago when I was a junior in high school. I started thinking about physical therapy when I got hurt right before softball season last year. I tore a few ligaments around my sacrum that made it hurt to walk or exercise, or basically do anything. I play volleyball and softball, participate in weights, and workout regularly so this made things very hard for me mentally and physically. I had to start going to physical therapy every week to try to get things back on track. I never really thought about doing physical therapy until I started going to my physical therapist last year. I used to want to be a nurse but my mind has changed a lot recently so I am very excited for this class. I am hoping this class will give me some clarity for my future, telling me whether this is something that I would really like to do, or if I end up not liking it, I can change my major before going into college. The starting salary for PT’s is about 82,390 dollars per year. If I were a physical therapist, I think what I would enjoy most is helping athletes heal and get back out there. As a high school athlete, I feel as though something is always hurting or I am always hurt, so I would love it if I could be the person to eventually help other athletes.

This career that I have chosen is now a doctoral degree in college. This will take me about four years of college and then three more years of being in the physical therapy program. Going into this having some experience with shadowing and experience being the patient, I feel will be very beneficial. I am hoping to learn a lot about backs, shoulders, and ankles because those are the areas that I have always had problems with on my body, from playing sports. The part about physical therapy that interests me so much is being able to give parts of the body so much relief. The reason my lower back healed so fast was because my physical therapist did many different techniques, exercises and stretches to help my body heal much faster. If I could learn those things about all the different parts of the body and be able to help other people then I will be very happy with my future career.

My biggest fear about being a physical therapist is potentially damaging or making an injury worse than it already is. Making an athlete sit out from their sport even longer than they would of had to because I messed up with something I was doing scares me. Even if I didn’t end up going into physical therapy, I am still very set on going into something in the medical program. Anything in the medical program that you can get into would be a little nerve racking because you are most likely always going to be working with people. You will always have that potential to hurt someone or make something go wrong. Although this could be the case, you are more likely to help someone rather than hurt someone, so that part about it would be the most beneficial.

I have my CNA and I have good social skills so I think that this kind of experience puts me ahead of my competition. Also having so many injuries in my past and having to go to physical therapy so many times, I think helps me because I remember a lot of the things that they did when they worked on me. They also gave me many exercises to do, for each injury I had, so that also helps me understand things a little better than people that have never had that injury. After taking this internship class and hopefully getting some more shadowing hours on my own time, I am hoping to understand the things that they do better and be dead set on fulfilling this career.

My plan for the future is to go to college and play softball at the collegiate level. I am hoping to play for four years while I am getting my bachelors degree. I want to play at either Newman University, Emporia State University, or Pitt State University. After I get my bachelors degree I am planning on going to Wichita State University to get in the physical therapy program and finish out another three years there to get my doctorate degree.

My biggest goal in this career would be to help others reach their goal.

Intern Cooper Bradbury- Goddard Police Department

Taking Down Criminals and Cancer

Hi my name is Cooper Bradbury and I am a senior at Andale High School.  I live with my parents in Colwich, Kansas, along with my two brothers and sister (of which I am the oldest).  I enjoy hunting and all types of shooting sports, from three-gun to precision rifle to skeet to tactical training.  I also enjoy walleye fishing and playing baseball.  This semester I will be working as an intern for the Goddard Police Department and for Children’s Mercy Hospital in Wichita, Kansas.  I am excited about the Internship Program because I will get to experience actual workplace environments and learn about some of the opportunities available within law-enforcement and the medical field.

I chose to intern with these groups because I enjoy helping others.  Police departments exist to protect and serve the people, and officers’ jobs have become increasingly difficult thanks to biased media and false reporting.  I hope to make the officers’ lives easier by taking care of their paperwork and re-establish community trust through interactions with different activists and groups.  Hopefully, the GPD will also allow me to assist in drug busts and warrant searches.  I also know many officers in Wichita, Maize, and Kansas City police departments, and this experience will give me a better understanding as to what they face everyday.  I also hope this experience will open a pathway to become a SWAT counter-sniper if I choose a career in law-enforcement.  Although this is a potentially dangerous and stressful internship, I look forward to being involved and assisting the Goddard police force.

During the summer I worked at Wesley Medical Center and I spent a great deal of time in the Oncology department.  This experience has prompted me to examine careers dealing with cancer diagnosis and treatment.  A career in oncology would allow me to help a large number of people, many of which could potentially die if not correctly treated.  At Children’s Mercy, I hope to establish a network of doctors as well as examine how they deal with heart-breaking cases on a day-to-day basis.  This experience will help me whittle down which area I want to study within the medical field (whether that be oncology or neurosurgery or whatever).  

The pathways to become a SWAT sniper and an oncologist are very different.  To become a SWAT sniper, I would have to obtain a degree in criminology and be accepted into a police academy and become an officer.  Then, through rigorous training, I have to be referred to SWAT by co-workers.  Through more training I can eventually be chosen to become a sniper by other counter-snipers.  To become an oncologist, I have to get a bachelor’s degree and then get accepted into medical school.  I have to finish med-school and take a residency in oncology.  Choosing either one of these careers can turn into a long and tedious process, but, in my opinion, it’s well worth it.

The demand for both of these jobs is growing.  For police officers, jobs are growing at 4%.  Although this growth is slightly lower than most occupations, demand is expected to rise as police work is becoming an increasingly difficult job.  For oncologists, jobs are growing at a rate of 18%, and this number is also expected to rise due to advancements in cancer treatment and technology.  Normal police officers received a national median pay (for the year 2015) of just over $60,000 compared to a median salary of $218,000 for oncologists.

If I choose to take a law-enforcement career, I will attend Wichita State University and major in Criminology.  Then, after several preliminary tests, I will attend the Wichita/Sedgwick County Police Academy.  If I choose to become an oncologist (which is the more likely path I’ll take), I will attend Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas, and be a Pre-Med major.  Upon graduation I will try to attend TCU/UNT Medical School in Dallas and then take an oncology residency in the Dallas-Fort Worth hospitals.  TCU is one of the best cancer research schools in the nation and Horned Frogs are twice as likely to get accepted into medical school than Jayhawks or students from UMKC.

The Goddard Police Department is extremely busy.  They are responsible for patrolling parts of US 54 (Kellogg) and protecting all of the students within USD 265.  GPD is often called upon to eliminate or stop threats and suspects that are headed west and trying to escape Wichita, so it should be a very exciting (and potentially stressful) experience.      

I hope that my ambition and drive will greatly help both of the agencies that I will be working at this semester.  I have background knowledge and training in both areas and I hope to improve the areas in which I work.  I expect this experience to be well-worth the time and effort and I hope to learn about the opportunities available to me upon graduation.   

Thanks for reading,

Cooper Bradbury     

Intern Chase Bartkoski- Heartland Veterinary Services Inc. Andale, KS

Hi My Name is Chase

I currently attend Andale High School, but I live and grew up in Wichita, Kansas. I have three younger sisters, and also three dogs. I am very excited to be apart of Andale’s first ever senior internship class. I personally think that this will be a great way for everyone to be able to really look into their career fields and get a better idea of if that is actually what they are interested in doing. My internship is located at the Heartland Veterinary Services in Andale, Kansas. I am thrilled to have this opportunity of looking into this career field and getting a hands on experience with something that I am very interested in doing.

The first time I knew I wanted to be a veterinarian was actually not too long ago. About 4 months ago, one of my dogs that we’ve had for awhile started to get very sick. Her name was Izzy, and she was a chihuahua who we rescued from the pound when I was younger. We were all pretty close to her, even though we have two more dogs at the house. After the constant vet visits, my family decided what was best and we finally made the decision to put her down. Being able to go through the whole process with her gave me a whole new perspective on what the job of being a veterinarian actually meant. Our personal vet made every visit the best it could possibly be, even in the worst of situations. In a way, I was inspired to look into veterinary medicine because of the things I saw him do. He has always been very kind, and in the end showed what it really meant to take care of man’s best friend. In my eyes, that’s one of the greatest accomplishments you can ever experience in a profession like this.

During this internship, I hope to learn more about the everyday occurrences as a veterinarian. I’m very interested to see also what kinds of animals the particular place I am going to takes care of. I have to say though, the thing I am most intrigued by that is a common job as a veterinarian, is the surgeries they perform on a daily basis. Being able to diagnose quickly and perform tasks similar to that are all things that contribute to the reason I wanted to go into this field in the first place. I love the thought of all day being able to feel the satisfaction of helping someone else, and see the owner’s faces as they see their animal’s begin to heal. It’s a very rewarding, yet very challenging, part of this job.

Aside from all of the things I’m very excited about, some things about this make me a little nervous. In general, starting something new makes everyone nervous in some way. New people, new place, and new things to get used to doing on a daily basis. This internship is one way for everyone in it to step outside of their comfort zones, which technically isn’t a bad thing at all. For my particular internship, something that has always given me unease was seeing animals that have been beaten or neglected. Even though it would eventually be my job to care for them, it sure won’t be easy to see them in such bad condition. Another thing I am a little nervous about is the obvious potential danger to be hurt by one of the animals. Going to the veterinarian isn’t something that any animal looks forward to. Being clawed, kicked, bit and scratched is something that probably happens from any animal that you come into contact with. This is most likely something that I’ll probably just have to grow and get used to.

The obvious personality trait that most veterinarians have to have is a love and compassion for animals. I feel as if a veterinarian has to be able to connect with the animals they take care of, in a way that most average people can’t. Some of my attributes that I feel will help with this career field is my easy-going and fun-loving nature with animals. I’m more on the shy side than the outgoing one, but I still feel like I have a good connection with animals. Even though I am a pretty easy-going person, I do have a constant need for perfection. I like things to be done correctly and in the best way it can be done. In this field, I feel like this trait can be used to its advantage. You will need to be able to do things correctly and efficiently in order to succeed. I believe that I will be able to bring all of these traits to the table in this profession.

If after this internship, I fully decide to pursue my career as a veterinarian, I plan on attending Kansas State University in the Fall of 2017. I’ve chosen this school simply because of the well-known veterinary program they provide. K-State also has one of the only well-renown veterinary programs in the state of Kansas, making this school my top choice if I decide to go into this profession.

The main duties as a small animal veterinarian are treating the animals wounds, spaying and neutering, setting broken bones, and providing necessary care for older pets. Even though my internship will be focusing on all types and size, I hope to specialize in small domestic animals. The average salary of a veterinarian was around $87,590 in 2014, ranging from type of veterinarian and the location. Employment for veterinarians is expected to grow 9% from 2014 to 2024, faster than the average from all occupations.

I am very excited to have this opportunity in this internship and I can’t wait to see what this semester brings!