Name: Kate Southerland Class Year: 2023 Major: Growth and Structure of Cities Hometown: Johnson City, TN
Internship Organization: PACT for Animals Job Title: Grantmaking and Outreach Intern Location: Gladwyne, PA (remote)
Hello! My name is Kate Southerland and I am a third year student majoring in Growth and Structure of Cities at Â鶹AV. This summer I am a grantmaking and outreach intern at PACT for Animals in Gladwyne, PA. PACT for Animals is a nonprofit organization that helps pet owners find temporary pet care and works nationally, connecting me and my work to multiple cities across the nation. I applied for this position in the spring 2022 semester for my community-based work study (CBWS) and continued my internship for the summer. My previous tasks included making and organizing two databases that focus on finding general resources as well as pet transport specific grants/services.
What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?
There are a variety of things I have learned throughout my internships. One skill I have acquired is my most recent project, which is designing a pet transportation brochure for military personnel. With this project, I am learning how to communicate with specific audiences and be creative with layout designs. Moreover, I did not expect to learn website mapping skills since I am not in a STEM-heavy major. However, I did realize that website mapping is not highly difficult and is useful for keeping information about a nonprofit on a webpage organized. I also appreciate learning these skills because it helps identify what are the main goals and purposes of the organization.
My workspace featuring my Pet Transportation database project!
What is the most rewarding thing about your internship?
The most rewarding thing about my internship at PACT for Animals is knowing that I contribute to a worthy cause. There are so many pets that are in need of temporary care/placement and pet owners have difficulties finding proper placements for their animals. On another note, I am thankful that I am able to use the things I have learned as a Growth and Structure of Cities major such as analysis and planning into my internship. The projects I have completed in previous classes have given me artistic instincts that help me create layout designs. My work in previous courses have also taught me time management, which I use on a daily basis in my internship to avoid any issues with my projects.
Overall, I am enjoying my summer internship with PACT for Animals and am thankful that Â鶹AV has given me the opportunity to fund my endeavors. I have learned a tremendous amount of practical skills and have applied many of the skills I acquired from my classes into my work.
