Internship Stories

Salem Khalaf Hunger Solutions Institute
I interned at Auburn University’s Hunger Solutions Institute during the summer of 2021. I went into the organization not expecting to be moved or inspired by the organization. I had other plans for my internship, but they did not pan out and left me unamused. I planned to just clock in my required hours as this internship was a part of my major’s curriculum. However, I started working and very quickly saw the benefits of the program to the community and the benefits it would have on my future.

I am interested in going into the healthcare field, so I got involved in their Nourish Wellness program. The idea of using a multidisciplinary approach to medical access and preventative health education that empowered participants truly spoke to me. I believe that medicine is about giving people the chance to determine their own future, and I saw Nourish as the most comprehensive path to ensuring the health and wellness of the people. I have dreams of opening up my own clinic one day, and this approach to local healthcare gave me ideas for what it will look like. They also have a research component to the program, which I found interesting at first but then began to view it as a means of improving the program by understanding our efficacy and the participants better. Needless to say, but I will be using this combination of research, healthcare, and preventative health education.

I had always wanted to learn grant writing, and HSI gave me the opportunity. I was also able to grow in my research skills, something that has been a weakness of mine. I felt myself becoming a more well-rounded person which is something that I have prided myself upon. I want to be able to make the biggest impact, and to do so, I believe in having the most learning experience possible.