Mikayla Harper

As a sales associate my role includes tending to the sales floor, interacting with and assisting customers with the products they are looking for, working the cash register, and maintaining a clean and presentable sales floor. This role also requires following directives of the managers, assisting with organization and restocking, and taking inventory of products as needed. This role has given me a unique experience, different from my chosen profession, but still allowing me to interact with and help others in finding products that they are satisfied with and boosting confidence.

As a MSW clinical intern with Survivors' Pathway I have had the challenging, yet extremely rewarding experience of providing therapeutic services to trauma victims. As a trauma recovery center, Survivors' Pathway dedicates their time and efforts toward providing case management and clinical services to local residents who have experienced significant cases of trauma. These experiences range from domestic violence, to sexual assault, to grief and loss of loved ones, and so much more. The agency also specializes in its work with the LGBTQ+ community creating an environment that is safe, accepting, and can help connecting them to other resources within their community as well. During my time as an MSW intern, I have worked with clients to build rapport, gather information, target thoughts, feelings and symptoms related to traumatic experiences and promote their well-being through the provision of a supportive therapeutic relationship as well as treatment planning and skill-building interventions. I have worked with clients from various cultural backgrounds, all with differing traumatic experiences, which has significantly challenged me and improved my professional practice and approach. Under the guide of my supervisor, I have been able to target my strong areas, as well as my areas needing improvement, implementing strategies that can assist me in providing best care practices to the clients I work with.

I spent my time at NYAP as a treatment advocate for foster children. This position requires assisting foster children, mentally and emotionally as they transition to life in foster care. It requires various types of strategizing and goal-planning to help these children meet their developmental milestones, while also supporting foster parents in meeting both basic and specific needs. Much of this job is spent in foster homes working with children on basic life skills, and addressing past trauma. However, this role also required collaborative efforts with children services, schools, medical care providers, foster parents, mental health therapists, and other professionals to insure that all necessary care and requirements are being met for the child to function properly. This job has allowed me to use my education, professional skills, and a creative thought process to help adolescents improve their overall outlook on life, and maximize their potential during a difficult transition and adjustment.

My last semester of school I spent working part time in the student operations unit at the University of Akron’s student union. This job required keeping maintenance of the building so that it looked clean and presentable. Meaning changing trash, wiping table, sweeping and vacuuming, etc. The job also required setting up for events that were held there. This job taught a lot about being detail oriented and learning how to work with others as a team.

I spent my time at Beech Brook as a BSW intern with the police assisted referral (PAR) program at Beech Brook. This program works hand-in-hand with the CMHA (Cleveland Metropolitan Housing Authority) police department and community. We served as secondary responders, meaning when 911 calls were received to any of the CMHA locations, the police department would forward those reports to us, in which we were given a 24-hour period to follow up with the victim. This was a voluntary based services, so it was not mandatory to enroll in the program. However, if one chose to do so we would open a case. I would perform intake assessments, assess what was needed as it pertained to the filed police reports, build case plans, and help link clients with community resources to achieve their goals. During my time with Beech Brook, I also was able to locate community resources that could benefit our clientele, and created a book of resources that other works were able to utilize for their clients.

I worked as an assistant teacher at this daycare facility. More specifically, during my time of employment I worked primarily with the infants and toddler, which involves monitoring, changing, feeding, and interacting with them, as well as families for best care practices.

I worked as a home caregiver for this family for a year, specifically to aid their physically/mentally disabled daughter, Megan. This job required me to feed, change, and provide any other care needed to Megan. Her medical condition also caused seizures, so I was trained in treating those in the case of an emergency as well as CPR and first aid. Whenever I’ve was home from school or not working other jobs, I continued to schedule with the family as needed up until graduating from my undergraduate program in 2018.

Only In Clev is a small family owned and operated Cleveland gift shop. My position at this job involved helping customers on the sales floor and working as a cashier at the register. At times in the summer, I worked over 30 hours per week without knowing the schedule in advance, which speaks to my flexibility and willingness to work.

Camp Can Do is a summer recreational camp designed for kids with mental and physical disabilities. It was my pleasure to be a member of the staff for 4 consecutive summers. My position consisted of looking after, and interacting with the children in order to provide a fun and stimulating environment for them. I also helped a lot of them work on social interaction, writing, and other small motor skills.