Intern Welcomed with Open Arms at Rehabilitation Facility

June 24, 2018

Leann Kleintop ‘19, Criminal Justice
Community Solutions (Bloomfield, Conn.)

The first few weeks of any new experience can be daunting, especially when you walk into a room full of people you have never met. My first few weeks at Community Solutions Incorporated (CSI) went better than I could have ever hoped for.

My supervisor helped me transition into the culture of the office and helped me to understand the ins and outs of the position I would be entering for the summer to come. Internships can be challenging because it is temporary, so sometimes no one gets to know your name but rather refers to you as "the intern" for the entire you are there. This is not the case so far at CSI.

Everyone has been very friendly and outgoing and is willing to have me shadow their day-to-day work so that I can get the most out of my internship. This was much appreciated as I am only with the company for three months, so I am glad that no time was wasted and that there was little need for adjustment.

The culture in the office is very carefree and tends to be quiet most days. Clients are coming in and out, but the day-to-day work is manageable and not overwhelming so far. Given that the organization is a criminal rehabilitation center, it is common for clients to have moments of high stress and low motivation to show up and complete their work.

Sometimes it can be a struggle to work with some clients. My co-workers have been open to helping me in the process of understanding how to deal with these clients and how to still ensure that they are doing what they need to do. Although most of the time it is quiet, there are some days where there are several incidents that need be addressed, and it is important that my coworkers are willing to help me manage these incidents.

This office was easy to adjust to because my personality fits into the culture naturally. When it comes to the position itself, there are many days that appointments are far and few between or clients do not show up, which makes for a quiet day. I personally work better in a fast-paced environment.

This being said, if I were to search for a job here in the future, I would work for the company, but perhaps at a busier location where there is more work to be done.

The experience so far has been an easy transition, as everyone really works well as a team, and has gone out of their way to accept me as part of that team. Leann Kleintop ‘19

The Bergami Summer Internship Program is funded through the generosity of Board of Governors member – and former Board Chair – Sam Bergami ’85 EMBA and his wife, Lois, and the Division of Student Affairs. The students are blogging about the experience throughout the summer.