Graduate assistant interns at University of South Florida

This summer Rachel Benway, a graduate assistant in Office of First-Year and Student Transitions is supporting orientation programs for the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida as a NODA (Association for Orientation Transition and Retention in Higher Education) intern. A graduate student in Ohio University’s College Student Personnel Program, Rachel is working remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are your responsibilities?

Throughout the month of May, I am working to train our Orientation Leaders at USF. During June, July, and August I will focus on student payroll, welcoming family and guests to our online meetings, and troubleshooting issues behind the scenes for students and leaders.

What skills are you learning?

I am learning a lot about building rapport with students even though I have never met them in person. I have had the opportunity to lead a handful of training sessions already and have fun with the students over Teams meetings. I am also learning a lot about online communication! 

What are some of the challenges you are facing in your internship?

One challenge is feeling as though I am actually helping my students. I do not know them in person, nor do I know much about USF, yet so I am not able to answer some of their questions that are more specific. I am able to help them with their leadership skills and how to be a better teammate so that helps balance out my fear that I am not helping them! 

Do you have a favorite story/part of your internship?

I previously worked for Walt Disney World Company, so my supervisor asked me to present on customer service since in years past USF has used Disney's training. I personally went through Disney's training and was able to use the same ideas with our students. My presentation was fun because we talked about Disney characters and who would be a good role model for treating other people well throughout the summer. The students were commenting in the chat feature about how much they were enjoying my presentation and my love for Disney. It has been nice to pull on my past knowledge about Florida and Disney life to connect with my students! 

How did the internship help you prepare for your career?

Though I am only a few weeks into my position, I have learned a lot about the constants of orientation at different schools, even in different states. I want to be a director of orientation one day and every aspect of the job is helpful to the future of my career!