Finding My Way at Wesley

By Wesley Intern, Megan S.

A year ago, I had no clue where I was headed in my life. All I knew was that I wanted a role that allowed me to build community, support people, and spread kindness as I took time to figure out my next steps. Interning at Wesley has given me all of that and more, and I am so happy to have spent the past year where I originally found a home away from home five years ago as a freshman. 

Throughout my time interning at Wesley, I have been able to build on skills and develop new ones. I have a particularly difficult time setting boundaries and Pastor Glen helped me acknowledge that my mental health matters and that work does not have to come first. Actually, work can be quite fun! I have practiced setting boundaries both at Wesley and in my personal life, and I owe it to my friends and peers at Wesley who created a safe space for me. I also learned technological skills such as using a donor database, using Google Sheets to create a grant budget, and writing a grant through a specific form. All of these skills are applicable outside of Wesley and I will be taking what I have learned with me. Above all, I learned to never settle. When you are applying to graduate school, it can be difficult to not get caught up in the ranking or resources a university may be able to offer. While those are important, what is more important to me is working and studying in an environment that fosters community and kindness. At the end of the day, not all of the programs I applied to followed these principles. Wesley taught me that working in an environment of community and kindness is the bare minimum. We all deserve to feel welcome where we work. I am excited to head to Michigan State University in the fall to pursue a Master’s in Applied Linguistics and continue spreading love. 

Wesley will not be rid of me yet, though, as I will only be four hours away! See you all at the Building Consecration on August 29th! (shameless plug!) Forever grateful to Wesley and the lifelong friends I have made along the way.