My Internship from Start to Finish

Everyone will have the choice to take advantage of an opportunity that comes their way and when they do, it is not only the opportunity, but the individuals surrounding the opportunity as well. My opportunity was working at The Kim Foundation where I was a part of a great foundation, surrounded by great people. Throughout this summer, I learned and experienced an incredible internship.

My summer started with the Nebraska School Mental Health Conference where educators, providers, and advocates gathered to learn different strategies and hear stories surrounding suicide prevention, mental illness, and mental health. I came to The Kim Foundation at the end of the planning for the Nebraska School Mental Health Conference, so I began helping with preparation, event days, and post-conference analysis. This experience allowed me to see the true gravity and drive needed to plan a conference. It also gave me a great foundation to build on my experience with The Kim Foundation.

Throughout the summer, I was able to write about different topics I was passionate about and share them with each of you. It was something I truly enjoyed and spent a lot of time researching, planning, and bettering the communication on the blogs to ensure they would be impactful and educational. I was able to write three blogs this summer, the first focusing on coping skills, the second on how mental illness develops, and lastly, this blog where I talk about my experience with The Kim Foundation.

Each month this summer, I participated in the Nebraska State Suicide Prevention Coalition. Here we spent time in different groups talking about how we can make a positive impact on the community. I worked with the youth group where we conversed about how to reach younger individuals. I was able to aide in ideas and had a great experience here.

The “Our Journey’s Matter” project was my big project for the summer. Our Journeys Matter is an interactive website that help individuals find resources available in the community to best serve their needs. This was a final internship project that fellow intern Jasmine Boyce and I dedicated our summer to. We also worked with the C&A Industries marketing team including: Graphic Designer, Pam Bifaro; Web Developer, Patrick Garber; and Director of the Marketing Department, Teresa Lauver. The Executive Director of The Kim Foundation, Julia Hebenstreit, assisted me in content confirmation. The site is still in progress and will be available soon.

Working at The Kim Foundation was an incredible opportunity for me where I learned several hands-on skills and was given the chance to thrive. I want to thank The Kim Foundation for the opportunity to be a part of this incredible team and to learn more about suicide prevention, mental illness, and mental health. I am so grateful that I was able to be a part of this team who made such a positive impact on me and my future.

Allison Kohl was an intern with The Kim Foundation during the summer of 2019. She is currently a student at Nebraska Wesleyan University majoring in Psychology & Communication with a minor in Biology. She has intentions to continue her education in graduate school to earn a PhD in Clinical or Neuropsychology where she hopes to further the current research surrounding mental health and illness. Allie enjoys singing in her university’s women’s choir and spending time with friends.