This summer I was fortunate enough to do my Beyond the Classroom experience at the Boys and Girls Club located here in Missoula. My global theme is Inequality and Human Rights. Through interning, I was able to further develop my interest in my global theme and my future career. I plan to one day become a School Psychologist. This summer I was able to teach kids about important skills such as emotional regulation. This internship gave me an insight into the ways that children see the world and how it differs from adults and the need to treat kids like human beings and not inferior people. A human right is being able to receive an education whether it is about school subjects or mental health awareness. 

The Franke Global Leadership Initiative gave me the tools to be an effective leader and teacher to these kids. One of my favorite activities that I would lead this summer was our emotional wellness circle. This was a time when the kids were able to express their feelings in many creative and practical ways. By doing so, the kids were able to learn how to recognize emotions and elaborate on them. Sometimes they would do so by playing their favorite song and describing how it made them feel. Other times they would associate their feelings with the weather. In the course of two months, I was able to see a great improvement in their ability to name their emotions and find effective ways to deal with them. This taught me that is never too early to teach children to prioritize their mental health. I am glad I was able to help so many kids this summer by providing them with a safe space where they were able to learn and grow.