The title of this post is the perfect example of the question I was most commonly asked during my time at Gladney this summer. I consider it a blessing to have been the international intern for the past eight weeks, and I can hardly believe my time at Gladney has come to an end. Since today is my last day in the office it seemed like the perfect time to write a blog about my time here!
I go to college in South Dakota so the question of how I came to Gladney is a legitimate one. My connection to Gladney starts with the same person who first shared my passion for adoption with me, my Aunt Darla. I really became interested in adoption when I was in 8th grade. Honestly, I am not sure what sparked the interest, but I knew from that point on I wanted to adopt children when I was older. My Aunt Darla and her husband adopted their daughter from China my junior year of high school, and I spent the majority of that summer living with their family and helping them the best I could as they transitioned from being a family of five to a family of six! This experience only made my love for adoption grow. Fast forward a few years and my aunt and uncle began the adoption process again...this time using Gladney! While I heard about Gladney during their adoption process, I heard a lot more about Gladney because of my aunt's involvement in the Superkids program. She has gone to China the past few years as the pediatrician for the Superkids team, and this gave me a small glimpse into all that Gladney does.
This fall my aunt mentioned to me that she thought Gladney offered internships. I immediately looked into the possibility, and when I saw the option of an internship in the international department I sent in my application. I am extremely interested in international adoption, and I knew an internship that focused on this aspect of adoption would be fitting for me! When I applied I knew close to nothing about Fort Worth (or Texas for that matter!), but I trusted God had a plan for my summer, and I knew I would intern at Gladney if that is where He wanted me.
My time at Gladney has been fantastic! I am amazed at how hands-on my experience has been, and I am so grateful for all that I have learned. I've gotten to sit in on meetings, learn about the home-study process, help prepare for the Colombia Service Trip, create profiles and write blog posts for waiting children, observe Domestic Orientation and Parent Adoptive Training, along with so much more. I want to say a huge thank you to my supervisor Lindsay who has been incredible! She taught me so much and allowed me to be involved in all that I could. Thank you Lindsay for answering my endless questions and being so willing to help! The number of people who made me feel welcome and helped me during my time here is extensive. Thank you to everyone who made my time at Gladney so memorable. It's been an honor to intern at an organization 'where hope is born'!
Tanna
International Intern
I go to college in South Dakota so the question of how I came to Gladney is a legitimate one. My connection to Gladney starts with the same person who first shared my passion for adoption with me, my Aunt Darla. I really became interested in adoption when I was in 8th grade. Honestly, I am not sure what sparked the interest, but I knew from that point on I wanted to adopt children when I was older. My Aunt Darla and her husband adopted their daughter from China my junior year of high school, and I spent the majority of that summer living with their family and helping them the best I could as they transitioned from being a family of five to a family of six! This experience only made my love for adoption grow. Fast forward a few years and my aunt and uncle began the adoption process again...this time using Gladney! While I heard about Gladney during their adoption process, I heard a lot more about Gladney because of my aunt's involvement in the Superkids program. She has gone to China the past few years as the pediatrician for the Superkids team, and this gave me a small glimpse into all that Gladney does.
This fall my aunt mentioned to me that she thought Gladney offered internships. I immediately looked into the possibility, and when I saw the option of an internship in the international department I sent in my application. I am extremely interested in international adoption, and I knew an internship that focused on this aspect of adoption would be fitting for me! When I applied I knew close to nothing about Fort Worth (or Texas for that matter!), but I trusted God had a plan for my summer, and I knew I would intern at Gladney if that is where He wanted me.
My time at Gladney has been fantastic! I am amazed at how hands-on my experience has been, and I am so grateful for all that I have learned. I've gotten to sit in on meetings, learn about the home-study process, help prepare for the Colombia Service Trip, create profiles and write blog posts for waiting children, observe Domestic Orientation and Parent Adoptive Training, along with so much more. I want to say a huge thank you to my supervisor Lindsay who has been incredible! She taught me so much and allowed me to be involved in all that I could. Thank you Lindsay for answering my endless questions and being so willing to help! The number of people who made me feel welcome and helped me during my time here is extensive. Thank you to everyone who made my time at Gladney so memorable. It's been an honor to intern at an organization 'where hope is born'!
Tanna
International Intern
Very well done, Tanna!!! So proud of you!
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