In February, I got the opportunity to attend a job shadowing at the Haskell Company, an architecture, engineering, and construction firm located in Jacksonville. I immediately fell in love with the friendly faces and great location of the company. When Ms. Dee Wilcox told me I would be able to intern there, I was ecstatic. I was immediately buying business clothes and trying to research the typical intern workday. In the spring, Ms. Wilcox encouraged all the engineering students to apply for the SAME Navy Engineering Camp. At first, I was very skeptical, since I have never attended an overnight camp, much less one at a military base. But once I arrived, it was nothing like I expected.
As soon as I got to the camp, I was able to talk to other high schoolers from all over the country. I was also able to make friends almost instantly. The SAME Camp was action-packed with different construction and engineering activities such as: creating and shaping concrete beams, designing and building a doghouse to donate to a local shelter, and creating and racing cardboard boats. We were also able to do recreational activities like bowling, going to the beach, and playing volleyball. I was able to learn so many different things about the Navy and a career in the STEM field, while also forming close relationships with people I never would have met if I had not gone. If I had not heard about the SAME Camp through the Annie Ruth Foundation, I never would have had the leadership and construction experience that allowed me to succeed in my internship at the Haskell Company.
The following week, I was able to start the second part of my internship experience at the Haskell Company. I was able to quickly adjust to the workplace environment due to my prior visit to Haskell and my training in workforce development through the monthly business seminars. As an intern, we had the opportunity to learn about everything that goes on within the company, from architects to structural engineers to project managers; we were able to talk to them about any questions we had regarding their specialty. But my favorite part of the experience was the Green Apple Day of Service Project. During this service project, we had the opportunity to revamp Sally B. Mathis Elementary School. With a limited budget and timeline, we got the chance to experience what a real project is like, learning vital aspects of a project like brainstorming, budgeting, scheduling, and even pitching a proposal to the principal and other faculty of both Haskell and Sally B. Mathis. I loved being able to use my strengths in design and leadership to create a project that will affect both children and adults alike for years to come. I could not have done it without the Annie Ruth Foundation.