Name: Caitlin Homstad
Class Year: 2016
Internship Placements: Philadelphia Fight: HIV and AIDS community health clinic located in Center City. I will be interning in the Behavioral Health Sciences Department and will be continuing my Praxis. I will be shadowing intake exams, helping run group counseling sessions, administering drug tests, and running the office from time to time. I hope to conduct thesis research this summer and if not connect with other businesses involved in infectious disease work.
Philadelphia Union Select Soccer Coach: I will be assistant coaching a U10 girls team under the Philadelphia Union banner. I will help run practice, sometimes run practice, and will be traveling with the team to tournaments.
What’s happening? We’d love to hear how your internship is going!
Suite 335 in Erdman is always bustling. From early mornings to late nights, I am always on the move. This summer I am interning at Philadelphia Fight and coaching at Philadelphia Union. Besides the similar pronunciation of “phil,” both jobs differ in their day-to-day activities and clients. Philadelphia Fight is a comprehensive health services organization providing primary care, consumer education, research, and advocacy for people living with HIV/AIDS and those at high risk. Within the larger Philadelphia Fight umbrella, I work in the Teach, Recovery, Empowerment, and Education Intensive Outpatient Program (TREE IOP). This program is apart of the Behavioral Health Sciences Department and specializes in treating individuals living with HIV/AIDS who are also suffering from alcohol and or drug use. My day-to-day responsibilities vary from helping run group counseling sessions to shadowing intake exams and screening new patients. This internship provides me the perfect opportunity to interact with people, study HIV/AIDS and the social factors that contribute to the pandemic, as well as give back to the community.
Similarly, my position as the head coach of a U10 girl’s team has helped me accomplish many things. Firstly, I have learned how to simplify complex concepts regarding technical and tactical strategy. Secondly, I have reconnected with my passion for soccer and my girls constantly remind me why I chose to pick up the sport in the first place. Lastly, it has provided me the opportunity to teach developing player’s skills that will benefit them in the future. Overall, both my internships combine my passion for serving others, learning from others, and caring for others.
How I heard about my internship:
I heard of my internship from one of the career counselors in the Career Development Office. She mentioned Philadelphia Fight as an organization encompassing public health, biomedicine, and psychology so I contacted the director of Human Resources. From there, she linked me with the head of the Behavioral Health Department and I started working there during this past spring semester. They offered me an internship for the summer so I transitioned from being part time to full time. As for the coaching job, the head soccer coach at Bryn Mawr emailed the team and asked if anyone of us were interested. From there the site director contacted us individually for interviews.