Meet Courtney, Our Newest Intern

September 11, 2017 – Contrary to most college students, I thrive off of the idea of having my own desk within a coffee scented office space. But while I do love a good cup of coffee (more than most things) and having my own desk, it’s not why I’m excited about joining Michigan’s children.

As a senior in the BASW program at Michigan State University, I have found a love for all things policy. My experiences of macro social work began in the classroom but grew as I witnessed the effects of policies in everyday life. Working in a residential home for adults with mental illnesses intertwined with my budding awareness of policy and it started to change the way I saw things. Suddenly those daunting terms mentioned on the news were relevant in my life – Social Security wasn’t just money taken off my paycheck and Medicare wasn’t something only the elderly had to worry about. Not only was I becoming aware of the struggles these clients were facing, I was realizing that they had very little voice to change it.

The next obvious move for me was to find out how I could help. I met up with a professor and he pointed out that there are actually careers dedicated to policy – how cool is it that there is a field of work that can influence so many different people’s lives? From that moment I have been researching and learning about laws and their impacts on real people; knowledge is something I love to gather, but experience is the next step. I’m thrilled to be an intern at Michigan’s Children because it gives me the opportunity to gain first-hand experience at advocacy and action in the lives of children statewide. I am passionate about helping people on a broad basis and advocating for people who help people on an individual basis – this is a priority of Michigan’s Children, and one that will positively impact the community for many years to come.

The expansive list of opportunities provided to me by Michigan’s Children further proves that this is an organization that is doing its part in the community. I can’t wait to help serve children in Michigan by learning more about policy and the interconnectedness of it all.

Courtney Hatfield is a student intern at Michigan’s Children for the academic year and will graduate this May with a degree in Social Work. Courtney is from Grand Rapids and is a graduate of Forest Hills High School.