David D. Hunting YMCA Aquatics Internship
Hailey
Experience Information
Employer: David D. Hunting YMCA
Job Title: Aquatics Intern
Major: Sport Management
Received Credit: Yes
Paid: No
Abroad: No
Description of the Organization
The YMCA thrives under a functional organizational structure. There are heads of each department(departments include: membership, marketing & promotions, aquatics, childcare, etc.) and employees that work underneath them. The YMCA is obviously a very diverse, well-known company. We have an association here on the west side of Michigan that includes many different branches. Our association is known as the YMCA of Greater Grand Rapids, and the branch that I worked at specifically is the David D. Hunting YMCA located in Grand Rapids, MI. Our branch has approximately 350-375 employees and even more volunteers.
Description of the Tasks/Projects Completed
While working as the aquatics intern, I was fully in charge of creating the schedules for swim lessons all summer long. I ran the Safety Around Water(SAW) program, and I was the person to go to if anyone had any questions about the SAW program, group swim lessons, and private lessons. I also joined the Lifeguard Competition committee! I have been working hard alongside some higher-ups in our association to create a fun competition for our association's lifeguards to show off their skills to win prizes to take home to their specific branches.
Skills/Knowledge Gained Through The Experience
I learned a lot about professional development during this internship, and I also learned a lot of new computer programs/software. I worked closely with my supervisor to make sure that my goals for the summer were established and reached as well as they could be while working for the YMCA. We filled out and went over a mid-session evaluation of myself and my supervisor and what we could both do even better. I also learned about a program called WhenToWork which is basically an online scheduling hub. I learned how to create an entire schedule on this website, make trades, and create new shifts. I also learned a lot in Microsoft. I thought that I had always known a fair amount when it came to Microsoft Office, but I was pleasantly surprised by learning so much since I've been at the Y. I learned a lot about making different types of charts and entries for charts in Excel. I have started using Microsoft Outlook which is keeping me a lot more organized. I also have learned a lot of new templates in Microsoft Word that will definitely be useful once I start a career.
Favorite Part of the Experience
My favorite part about this internship has been how much I learned about myself personally and professionally. The last internship I had, I wasn't often challenged, and it was very much oriented where I would just have to make something up to do that day to keep myself busy. This internship has challenged me every single day that I've been here, and I have had to be flexible and step up in ways I never could have imagined while only holding the role of an intern. I'm so happy that I got to experience that because without all of those challenges, I would not have developed so much as a professional while being here.
How the Experience Influenced Future Career Goals
This experience actually has influenced a lot of my future! When I first arrived, I was dead set on being a college swim coach and eventually an Athletic Director. Now that I have gotten a chance to step out of that world, but in relatively the same line of work, I have realized that I would much rather stick with high school-aged children, and work with them on loving the sport just as much as I do so that they continue into college swimming. I also have loved working for a non-profit, so I am thinking about getting a Master's Degree in that as well. My mind has changed a lot since I've been going through this experience, but definitely for the better.