Fresno READS

Last night I went to Daily Grill to have some drinks with Shawna, my site supervisor during my internship at Fresno READS. Now that the semester is over, so is the internship. I was worried that once my hours were up and I stopped working in the Fresno READS office, that I wouldn't see Shawna anymore. Shawna has been a great boss and I have had so much fun working with her for the last four months. Needless to say, I was happy that we were able to hang out, talk, and have some fun away from the office. I started the internship looking to gain some office experience as well as hours necessary for graduation. By the time I finished the internship not only had I become more comfortable working in an office setting but I also made some great connections with my fellow interns Lucy and Kristin, and my site supervisor Shawna. I looked forward to our Wednesday meetings. These meetings started as a way to touch base with one another and discuss the projects we were working on but in the end they felt more like a weekly meeting with friends.

Kristin, Lucy and I working on a Fresno READS project.



To celebrate the end of a great year Shawna put together a dinner at The Spaghetti Factory for the tutors, interns, elementary school officials, and other office staff. The dinner took place during finals week and it was a wonderful break between study sessions and exams. We gathered together at the restaurant on Tuesday May 17th at 6:00pm. When I got there Shawna was all set up in the restaurant's back room. She had put together quite an event and I was very honored to be a part of it. After looking around at everything Kristin pointed out that the poster I made for Fresno READS at the beginning of the internship was on display in the corner of the room.

We made a point to take a few "intern" pictures with the poster as a prop to remember our time with the organization.

We threw professionalism out the door and had some fun.

That evening Shawna recognized all in attendance with certificates and gifts of appreciation. She held a raffle in which all winners chose a children's book to keep. Kristin, Lucy and I each had our tickets pulled during the raffle. *Go Team Interns!* We all decided to pick the same book. 19 Girls and Me :)

 At one point during the evening, Shawna asked the interns to stand and join her in the front of the room. She explained to everyone the projects that we had been working on throughout our time at Fresno READS. After saying some very sweet words about all of us, she presented us with certificates and gift bags. It was incredibly sweet of her. The amount of appreciation Shawna shows for the people that she works with is really something special.  

Shawna was eager for us to open up our gift bags and reveal the special treat inside. Before we left the event we tore away the tissue paper to reveal:

Piggy banks!!!!

Shawna gave each of us a sassy piggy bank that reflected our personalities wonderfully. Lucy's bank was zebra print, Kristin's bank donned a pair of festive sunglasses and said "Vacation Fund" on it's side, and my bright pink "Shoe Fund" pig was very fashionable wearing a tiny black bow and four very simple, black high heels. We were all very much in love with out gifts!

The end of the year celebration dinner was the perfect ending to the internship experience. I couldn't have asked for a better place to spend my internship hours and I certainly couldn't have asked for a better group of people to work with. Shawna, Lucy, and Kristin have become my friends. :)