School to Work by Morgan McLaughlin

Every Waukee senior who makes it into the School-to-Work (STW) Program ends up at an internship throughout the community. I was honored with being the intern at the Waukee Rotary Club for the year of 2013-2014. I started this internship in the fall of ’13 and will finish in May of ’14. Throughout these 7 months, I have made tremendous progress within Rotary.
 
Before STW, I had never heard of Rotary. So I was very open-minded when I went in, not knowing what to expect. The first thing I noticed was how nice the Rotarians were. At the beginning, I did not know any of them, however, as the internship went on, I developed relationships with the majority of them that I hope to keep even after my internship ends. The people in Waukee Rotary are different in so many ways, but alike in one big way, they always put others before themselves. Growing up, my parents always taught me this, but seeing a group of adults living their lives by it is truly inspiring.
 
My tasks within Rotary consist of many different things. Depending on what event we have approaching, I might be entering information into a database online or tying ribbon around bags of M&M’s to hand out. There really isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to help Rotary be a successful non-profit organization. Every week the Waukee Rotarians and I have the pleasure to hear a keynote speaker from a different business or organization present to the Rotary. By the end of week, I write an article about the speaker’s presentation to recap what they had talked about in case a Rotarian couldn’t make it that day. So many Rotarians are out trying to help the world, one business at a time, so I am glad when they miss a meeting, I can help them feel like they were there all along.
 
I have had the honor to be the Waukee Rotary intern in the year of 2013-2014. From this experience, I have learned what it means to be a true Rotarian. This means volunteering around your community, starting donations for an important causes, sharing stories from life that will impact others in a positive way and much more. I admire so many Waukee Rotarians for their heart, selflessness and generosity when it comes to lending a helping hand, and I hope to be the kind of person they are someday. I want to thank the Waukee Rotary Club for not only helping introduce me into the business world, but also creating such a positive impact in my life that will stick with me throughout the rest of my future endeavors.