CrittentonAppreciates the Dedication of Our Student Interns
As our nation continues to slowly open up the economic impact has been felt by different communities and individuals in different ways. One group of loyal Crittenton supporters that have been deeply affected and have been in our thoughts since the beginning of the stay-at-home orders have been our interns.
This group of young professionals have been an instrumental support system to our mission for years, and it was heartbreaking to see the implosion of so many internship partnerships because of COVID-19.
“Crittenton takes pride in making sure that our organization sets high standards of learning and that every student accepting an internship with us obtains solid work experience,” said Martha Jasso, Crittenton’s Communications Director, “Not only is it important to us that the students validate our employer of choice reputation but its important to Crittenton that we do right by those we serve and partner with – including our interns. We did everything in our power to save as many internship opportunities as possible during this time period and now we are recalibrating our internship program to adapt to the needs of working remotely moving forward.”
In a recent article by CNBC, the National Association of Colleges and Employers, stated that according to their internal research 75% of employers continuing an internship program during and after the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders have made at least one significant change to their internship programs. In fact, 40% percent of employers surveyed nationwide are now changing their internships to become virtual opportunities, another 40% are delaying start times and shortening the internship experience starting this summer, and another 20% of employers are reducing the numbers of interns they can accept per semester.
“Working withCrittenton has been a pleasure. We can always count onthem to provide interns with a fun and challenging learning experience. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic they didn’t miss a beat, remaining committed to our students to ensure that they fulfilled the requirements to graduate on time. We love Crittenton, we are appreciative of their support of our students, and look forward to working with them in any capacity in the future,” said Amber Chitty, Internship Coordinator, CSU Fullerton College of Communications.
Based on national trends and the realities of future employment practices due to the public health crisis nonprofit organizations like Crittenton will need to adapt and adjust to the new reality.
However, for the time being we are happy to have obtained good feedback from the Spring semester students that were able to complete the internship experience and use that feedback as we recreate our internship program for the Fall 2020 Semester.
“I think ultimately this experience was made as simple as possible. None of us could have ever expected any of this to happen, so we really had no time to prepare for it. It was literally one day I was in the office and touring, and the next day I was working remotely. It was a transition for all of us, and I really think that my program and Crittentonhandled it pretty well. Crittenton adapted assignments and expectations very quickly and I appreciate the support as so many other college students I know were not so lucky to keep their internships. My time here was short, but I really appreciate this wonderful organization, what they do, and the people who work here. They have really shown me they really do care about the community,” said Katie Di Falco,Public Relations Spring 2020 Semester Intern, CSU Fullerton.
This academic year has come to a close and usually the students would have an exit luncheon wherein we would celebrate their time here and the number of hours they donated to Crittenton. Of course, this year is different. However, there is still much to celebrate about Crittenton’sInternship Program and most importantly takingthe time to thank every student and higher education partner for continuing to support our mission.
Despite the interruptions that occurred to the internship experience we are also happy to report that a number of our human services and social work students were hired and are now a part of our team. We would like to congratulate the following students who have now become a part of the essential services workforce. We also wish you nothing but continued career success and we are grateful to have all of you on #TeamCrittenton.
Community-Based Services (Mental Health):
- Lisa Pham
- MeilotLeikun
- Pricilla Saucido
Residential Services:
- Michelle Cervantes
- Viviana Perea
- Alexis Barajas
- Jaylene Mendoza
- Anyssa Hernandez
- Diana Zavala
- Eunice Guevera
- Stephanie Olascoaga
Family-Based Services (Foster Care):
- Vanessa Vasquez
For those interested in a career within social services and the nonprofit community we encourage you to consider Crittenton for your future employment goals. We are currently hiring and looking forward to working with students this upcoming Fall 2020 Semester. For more information about open job opportunities and for further information about our internship program feel free to connect with our Human Resources Department.
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Crittenton Services for Children and Families of Southern California (CSCF) is a non-profit social services agency whose mission is to heal the wounds of abuse and neglect; strengthen families; and help troubled adolescents reach their full potential. Established and incorporated in 1966 Crittenton has a highly trained workforce operating 24 hours a day / 7 days a week providing comprehensive mental health services, shelter care, and other support services to the clients in our care. We provide a full array continuum of care programming that includes short-term residential, family preservation, wraparound family services, outpatient mental health, school-linked mental health, transitional age youth programming, and foster care services with a service planning area throughout Southern California that covers Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside Counties.
Visit www.crittentonsocal.org to learn more about our programs and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Flickr