Meeting People Where They Are: Shae’s Internship Experience at The Landing MN
This Spring, The Landing MN was grateful to welcome Shae as a social work intern from Luther College. Throughout her internship, Shae worked alongside both our medical clinic and social services teams, assisting with care coordination, resource navigation, and client support.
More importantly, she became part of the relationships and community that make The Landing MN what it is.
As her internship came to a close, Shae shared a reflection on her experience and the lessons she will carry forward into her future social work practice.
“Most importantly, I learned about the importance of human connection.”
- Shea
Reflections from Shae
“My social work internship at The Landing MN is one that I will never forget.
During my time working with the organization, I worked with both the social services and medical services teams, assisting with care coordination and resource navigation to ensure clients were connected with needed services in the community. I learned so much about the intersection between social services and healthcare, and got firsthand experience navigating many of the complicated systems and processes that individuals experiencing homelessness often find themselves lost in.
Most importantly, I learned about the importance of human connection.
Often, people experiencing homelessness are not treated with the dignity, respect, and compassion they deserve, and they lack much of the human connection we all need to thrive. However, at The Landing MN, the standard is the opposite. I deeply admired the way staff members and volunteers connected with and worked in partnership with clients, and I found great fulfillment in building relationships with them myself during my time with the organization.
The Landing MN embodies the social work philosophy of meeting people where they are, evidenced by the variety of services offered and by a culture of saying ‘yes’ as much as possible.
Having no prior experience working with individuals experiencing homelessness, I will admit I was a bit apprehensive about this kind of work. However, this experience shattered many of my previously held assumptions about homelessness and strengthened my understanding of the systemic barriers that contribute to it.
Ultimately, my experience at The Landing MN reinforced the importance of treating all people with compassion, dignity, and respect, no matter their circumstances. I am honored to have gotten to learn from such a fantastic team and client base, and I hope to carry the relationships, experiences, and lessons learned into my future social work practice.”
We are incredibly thankful for the compassion, dedication, and care Shae brought to The Landing MN during her internship. Her willingness to learn, serve, and build meaningful relationships made a lasting impact on both our team and the guests we serve each day.
Thank you, Shae, for sharing your time and talents with us. We are excited to see where your future in social work takes you, and we know you will continue making a difference wherever you go.