Three's Company
When I was accepted into Cal Poly’s internship, every possible good feeling went through me including a solid happy cry. However, in the next few weeks when my acceptance began settling in, I realized I needed to move out of state and then the tears became a little more real. Born and raised in Washington state, I am a self-titled homebody and very close with my family. Moving away from them, even for just ten months, was overwhelming. It seemed all aspects of my life were changing as I went from being employed full-time and seeing my family every day to having no set income and seeing family only on holiday breaks. During this crazy time of my life which included moving out of state for the first time and beginning the next steps towards becoming a dietitian, I have found an amazing support system in my fellow interns and internship director.
The main reason I chose Cal Poly as my top internship choice was the emphasis they placed on supporting their interns throughout the program. From day one of the internship I’ve felt this support making my transition out of state and into the internship much smoother. Along with our Monday class sessions where everyone can connect and update each other on how things are going, a big source of support has come from living with two of the ten Cal Poly interns, Sara and Joyce.
Personal Life
Since moving to SLO in August, some of my favorite memories have come from weekly outings with Sara and Joyce. Each week, we choose an evening where we can take a break from being interns and explore SLO. From Terrace Hill to Pirate’s Cove, this time each week has been both an opportunity to fully experience my new home while also developing a new support system outside of my family. The views rarely disappoint and the time away from intern responsibilities provides a good mental break. Speaking as someone who usually prefers to stay home in comfy clothes and catch up on the latest reality TV, being pushed to get out more and move beyond the comfort of my sweat pants has helped with any homesickness and fostered personal growth.
Intern Life
Along with our adventures, living with interns has helped with the challenges and victories experienced as a dietetic intern. During my community rotation with the UC Cooperative Extension, I had the opportunity to work with low-income elementary school students. Spending time with this population was really eye opening for me and provoked deep thought surrounding the nutrition challenges this population faces. At first, I was really frustrated with the school lunch systems for being ineffective at meeting students’ nutritional needs. The more I thought about the challenges, the more I became discouraged thinking the problems involved were too big to address. Many times during this four-week rotation I came home and emptied the millions of thoughts that had been circling in my mind all day onto Sara and Joyce. As interns, they could relate to the challenges faced during community rotations and provide insight and feedback that helped me reframe my thinking. Even just having someone there to listen some days was beneficial in helping me unpack my day.
The Warm Fuzzies Are Real
Living with interns has benefited both my personal and intern life. While I am still a homebody at heart and will probably continue to call my mom at least once a week, living with other Cal Poly interns has already fostered personal growth in the short three months I’ve lived in SLO. I can’t imagine what my experience would be like had I chosen a different living situation. If living with other interns doesn’t interest you, Monday class sessions are still a good space for similar outcomes and connecting with those who understand the crazy life of a dietetic intern. For me, learning to create a new framily (friend family) in SLO has been instrumental in my success as a dietetic intern for Cal Poly. Have faith that the support network emphasized with the Cal Poly dietetic internship is more than just something nice to say on the website. It’s in full force and present throughout every rotation, Monday class session, weekly scenic outing, and discussion with Kati our amazing program director.
