Summer Internship Reflections

The summer of 2016 was a memorable one. The 2016 Rio Olympic Games (where the Canadians won 22 medals) have finally come to an end, Kevin Durant shocked the world in his decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors, Donald Trump was selected as the Republican candidate for the 2016 American presidential election, and most notably Jaxson Creasey (Yours truly) completed his first ever job. Yes, this glorious position was, indeed, my first ever position of employment. Can you tell? Don’t answer that. In this post I will be discussing how this remarkable experience came to fruition and exactly what I did in my three months with bridges.
To begin, I’m sure many of you are wondering how I actually got involved with bridges. Well, as I may have mentioned once or twice (I promise, I hate bragging and I apologize if it sounds like I’m doing just that) in my previous posts, I am one of twenty recipients of the 2015 TD Scholarship for Community Leadership. As part of the award, TD offers their recipients four summer work terms with the bank – the first as a bank teller. However, due to my limitations I was unable to participate in a job at the branch where I felt I could contribute in a meaningful and impactful way. The bank did offer me the alternative of working as a member of the “lobby leadership” department at one of my local branches, but I felt that that position did not present a good fit. So, they most generously offered me the opportunity to work for a nonprofit of my choice. To be honest, at that time I was unaware of any nonprofits in my area that I felt I could make a difference for. But, luckily I thought of just the place that would suit my talents… So, immediately contacted my soon to be boss, Nate Schwartz at bridges to the future. Since then, I have worked for Bridges as their summer intern.

Another question I’m sure that you’re probably asking yourself is, what exactly did I do there? Well, to give you a brief outline of some of my responsibilities, I was tasked with the duties of posting a series of blogs (one of which you’re reading right now) offering my honest perspective on various issues that people disabilities often face. Additionally, I was in charge of the social media pages and their outputs (motivational Monday, tic Tuesday, wellness Wednesday etc.). In doing this, my goal was to reach a younger demographic that could benefit from the information that bridges has to give. Finally, with the help of Nate, Sarah and Shailynn I produced a series of four webinars advising individuals with disabilities who are considering going to postsecondary on some of the issues they might face in first year (be sure to check them out in the link below).

Overall, this experience has undoubtedly provided a positive impact for me in my future. I’ve never been given the opportunity to work and for this new knowledge I’ve gained, I am obviously extremely grateful. Thank you TD, Muscular Dystrophy Canada, Bridges to the Future, and last but certainly not least, thank you Nate Schwartz.
For the final time (sort of) stay classy folks,
Jaxson
PS do not worry. There will be many more blog posts to come over the course of this year – enjoy.