My Internship experience may be a little different than most. I had finished all my required classes to graduate, and all that was left was a120 hour internship. I had previously finished 1 out of the 3 credits required for an internship, and had strictly observed. I knew for the next two credits (60 hours per credit), I wanted real life, in the chair, interpreting experience. After applying to 10 separate locations in Utah and being turned down by all of them, I knew I had to think outside the box. I contacted a good friend and interpreter who lived in California and explained to her my situation. She then connected me with a Staff Interpreter who worked for a high school and met the requirement of holding an E.I.P.A with a 4.0+. 

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I explained to her that I would need her to be my mentor for 120 hours and that I was looking to be in the "hot seat" for the majority of those hours. Having never been a mentor, she was thrilled to take me on, all she needed was to run it by her supervisor. 

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It was at this point that I needed to make a definitive decision. Did I want to move to California for this internship? 

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My husband and I talked about what that would mean for our lives, and we decided to take on the new adventure. It was decided! After Christmas we would be packing up our little apartment, quitting our comfortable jobs, and moving to Northern California. To our benefit, I have family that live in Northern California so we were never homeless or jobless for longer than a week. 

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Now comes the fun part. Paperwork. 

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Before I go on, I do have to applaud UVU and my leaders there because they were on top of it. If I needed something, my internship coordinator was on it ASAP. 

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OK! So I moved to a new state to do my internship for a College that was located in Utah. Now what?! First off I needed a Memo Of Understanding (MOU). This nifty piece of paper is an agreement between my University and my internship location to ensure that I am a student who will be receiving college credit for this internship. The MOU was provided by UVU and signed by both the superintendent at my internship location, and the director of internship services at the University. Having this document signed by both parties will allow you to continue forward with paperwork. For my experience, doing my internship in a secondary education setting, I was required to complete a few more things. 

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1. Tuberculosis Test (TB) - This test requires 48-72 hours to read the results from the time of the shot, so be prepared for that

2. Request for Intern - The school district must have a form between the district and that desired school location in order for an internship to be present. 

3. Life Scan - Fingerprinting, background check, emergency contact information, healthcare provider, etc. (This may take a few days to clear.)

4. Mandated Reporter Information - As an adult on a school campus you may at one time be the considered mandated reporter. This includes various forms of abuse and harassment that may need to be reported to a supervisor. 

5. Orientation - As an adult on a school campus you are required to receive an orientation that teaches you about blood borne diseases, emergency procedures, and laws such as the ADA.

6. Once numbers 1-4 have been cleared by your supervisor you will likely get some type of credential or badge that allows the district and school to know who you are and why you are there.

7. Begin your internship

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Again, this was just my experience. Things may be different for you. 

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I arranged a schedule with my supervisor at the internship site, and with my mentor. I decided to go every school day from beginning to end. I wanted to get a feel for what it would be like to be a "staff" interpreter for this school. Because I was there all day everyday I felt I was more involved with the interpreters and with the deaf clients. They got to know me fast and felt comfortable telling me their preferences. Going every day opened my eyes to the possibilities within interpreting. 

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Remember that simply getting the internship and showing up is not enough. The University requires us to fill out a daily journal and find ethical situations. It is very important while doing an internship out of state, that you keep in good contact with your internship coordinator. They took a chance on you to allow you to accept this internship, you must return the favor.