What I’ve Learned as a Club Intern

The members at the Club frequently ask me…“So what are you doing here, are you staff?”

To which I reply, “I am an intern.”

And every time they respond with, ”What’s an intern?”

If I’m honest, I cannot, with 100% certainty, say that I know the answer to that question.  All I know is, The Ohio State University provided me the opportunity to be an intern at Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbus.

And, I love it.

The members are great. The staff is great. The building is great. I am very blessed to have an opportunity here.

Now don’t get me wrong. There are numerous challenges.  My patience is stretched further than I would like.  Sometimes, at the end of the day, I just want to go home and crash on the first thing with pillows.

But, it’s worth it.

The reason that it’s worth it is because the members are worth it.  Each member is an individual person that is wonderfully made.  Each member is a valuable person.  Far too often, I tend to view people as projects that I need to fix, rather than extraordinary individual people.  But, the members at the Club are teaching me to think differently.  I am learning to realize and appreciate that each member enters the Club with their own stories, thoughts, and experiences.  Each person comes from a different home, with different values, and different backgrounds.

And that is what makes the Club extraordinary.  We are a collection of unique individuals coming together to experience life.  From high fives, to intricate handshakes, each day at the Club presents its own set of awesome memories.

In addition, working alongside the staff has been incredible.  Building relationships with other people that want to see young people succeed is something beautiful to be a part of.  Finally, working alongside the students really is not work at all.  I am so grateful for the opportunity.  It is a blessing that I refuse to take for granted.