Maddie Bellis

Job: Digital Outreach & Program Intern, CARE at the Sexual Assault Resource Center

Describe the impact that student employment has had on your overall college experience.

I had a great experience working at CARE at SARC. I have further developed my passion for sexual assault prevention and education. I was able to engage meaningfully with the UCSD community by tabling with CARE at SARC to talk about consent, healthy relationships, and bystander intervention. My internship providing me with many leadership opportunities and I feel supported by all the professional staff at CARE at SARC.

What skills and/or competencies have you developed in your student employment job that you were able to capture on your resume?

I greatly developed my public speaking skills as the Program and Digital Outreach Intern. I also developed and delivered an educational workshop on sex positivity on campus. Through running this event, I grew my leadership skills by collaborating with Health Promotion Services. I now have experience with event planning and finding ways to increase community engagement surrounding important topics, such as consent. Additionally, I learned how to use Canva to create engaging and informative Instagram posts. This internship also gave me experience with coding surveys on participant feedback from CARE at SARC events and workshops.

What tips or advice do you have to share with other students on how to get the most out of their student employment experience?

My advice to other students is to take advantage of the knowledge and experience of the professional staff in your department. Don't be afraid to reach out to them and seek career advice. Learn what paths they took to get where they are now, especially if this is a possible future career field for you. They can provide a lot of helpful advice and career support!

How might you apply your student employment experience and the skills gained during your time at UC San Diego to your professional career?

This internship helped me figure out that I would like to pursue a career in sexual assault advocacy. CARE at SARC is an invaluable resource at UCSD that provides a safe space for survivors. I hope to continue my work supporting survivors outside of UCSD, and this internship has given me the tools and knowledge needed to talk about sexual assault and domestic violence through a trauma-informed lens.