by Shelby Thibodeaux
As the Intern and Apprentice Program Coordinator, I am in charge of making sure that everyone in our program has a successful experience. The first step is conducting our Orientation Retreat; which equips interns with professional skills and cohort building opportunities. Another key part of my work is managing OC’s portal: a revamped online system that all interns and their supervisors now use. Since it is a new system, every now and then, users experience problems. It is my job to troubleshoot and resolve the hiccups that occur with the help of our technician. I also use the portal to monitor the intern blogs. So, right from the start, I help all of the interns and supervisors get registered in the portal, because professional products are stored there, including application, blog posts, evaluations, portfolios, and timesheets. Having these digital tools allows OC to maintain a constant communication loop with interns, apprentices, and supervisors. But that does not take away our direct communication over the telephone. Every intern, apprentice, and supervisor will have a phone call from me a couple of time (maybe more) to insure a smooth, worthwhile journey in OC’s program!
