My Intern Experience at Hospitality House

When seeking out an internship to fulfill my Non-Profit Organizations minor, one of the first places that came to mind was Hospitality House. I had heard great things from my professors, community members, and friends who had volunteered there before the pandemic so I knew I wanted to apply for an internship there. I was lucky to get a Non-Profit Management internship for this summer, perfectly encapsulating my major of Business Management and minor in Non-Profit Organizations.

I was worried before starting that I would not be skilled enough or that I would not be able to live up to the expectations set out for me. However, everyone I worked with at the office and interacted with at the shelter was always willing to help answer my questions and give me any advice I needed. The staff is something that made this internship so amazing. Seeing so many young working adults so heavily involved in the non-profit world was so refreshing to see.

During my time at Hospitality House I mainly worked on social media and planning the Hope Auction. One thing about this internship that stuck out to me compared to other internships, was the freedom I had to create any project I wanted and learn about what interested me. This gave me the ability to cultivate skills that I am interested in and know I will be doing in my future career. Going out of this internship I feel confident about my skills and ability to thrive in a non-profit workspace, something I was nowhere close to before.

This was my first summer spent in Boone, everyone talks about how amazing summers are here and I was so excited to get to experience it. I can confidently say this summer was one of the best of my life. Hospitality House is a big reason why. The time I spent learning, talking to community members about our work, and developing friendships with my fellow interns was time well spent. If anyone is interested in working for a non-profit I would highly recommend looking into Hospitality House.