because i am this precise type.
so i'm pasting in here an evaluation i had to fill out for my federal work-study job. the career services office employs me through the school but at a non-profit organisation in town as a way to be a bit community-service-ish to those who cannot afford to pay real wages to extra employees. so i went crazy on this shit because i just love my job so much, and i know i am very unlikely to ever find such a wholesome, caring, and easy to get along with group of co-workers ever again ! so. yea. here it is. i hope they take my prolixity seriously. !! the people who run my paycheck & employment business, i mean.
& i should say that these women believed in me more than my own family has seemed to, at times. they've also treated me more like family than family attempts to, sometimes. so i am very attached and grateful, to say the least. i plan to send them a box of various flavours of apple butter once i move home. it will surprise them !
Please comment on one aspect of the year at your site that was very successful or very positive.
The employees at PASSAGES, Inc. are the most encouraging, friendly, and grateful group of people I have ever worked with or met. They constantly thank me for my efforts and express their appreciation for any help that I offer, even though it's my job to do whatever tasks they need done.
Please comment on one aspect of your position that needed improvement.
There was really no actual negative aspect to my employment at PASSAGES, Inc. The only slight inconvenience (which I hardly minded at all) was that there was sometimes limited work-space, but it's difficult to complain about a thing like that knowing that the organisation is non-profit and working with the smallest means imaginable in order to sustain their cause. My site supervisor always apologised for any inconvenience she witnessed, but honestly, I was not very bothered. I would just like to point out that the staff was almost always in polite concern of my comfort while working, which made me feel very fortunate to be in such company.
Why did you select this site?
Originally, I saw it as a type of employment I could become interested in; today, the purpose of PASSAGES, Inc. is a defining element in my life and the person I have become.
Did your experience meet with your expectations?
My experience far exceeded my expectations. As I've said before, the staff was a group of some of the nicest people I have ever known in my entire life. They work with a very difficult social issue that involves physical & psychological damage; I have come to admire their efforts and the will of their hearts in a way that I have never quite valued any single group of people. They gave me a very diverse set of tasks to accomplish throughout my two years in the office, and every challenge they've presented me with helped to make me a stronger person in my work ethic and in the specific skills I have developed. The very way I perceive and respond to daily life has altered greatly, but for the better, thanks to being immersed in their working environment.
How has your experience at this site affected your career goals?
I have become more confident in myself and what I am capable of in life due to the encouragement and admiration these women have bestowed me. They treat me with more respect than I have ever received in any of my past employment, and they offer it so naturally that work is always something I've looked forward to in my day. The various tasks they've given me over the past two years have tested my abilities both physically and mentally, and I've gained very practical experience from that. My future job will not be in the non-profit sector, and it will not be with the exact cause of PASSAGES, Inc., but the values instilled in me from my work with these ladies is something that is now a part of me; I cannot separate myself from what I have become, thanks to these wonderfully hearted people working with such limited means. I will never lose the intellect and understanding I've developed from working with the issue of sexual violence. Even when my own financial situation is still uncertain, I will do whatever I can to help PASSAGES, Inc. and agencies like it. I have learned a brand of kindness from the staff that I can never lose, and for that I am so grateful.
Any other comments?
I know that financial situations are not exactly getting easier at the university, but if I could ever express anything more adamantly, I'd be beyond myself in more ways than one ! My one wish is that the Career Services Center at Clarion University will always be able to offer PASSAGES, Inc. at least one work-study student. As they are a non-profit organisation working with limited funding at all times, they cannot afford to pay even just one more employee to do the work that a work-study student does for them. My first-hand experience at their Clarion office has showed me that they need every inch of extra assistance they can get. I have never in my life been thanked so many times for the completion of just a single task. The employees at PASSAGES, Inc. are always grateful for any work that can be done by a volunteer or work-study student; their gratitude is in more than just their words-- it's a part of their being, and I believe the character of their agency has infused that into their individual personalities. So please, do whatever you can to make sure that PASSAGES, Inc. is always fortunate enough to have a work-study student who can really benefit from a paycheck while also having her heart tucked into the cause of the agency. I know that the staff will always be appreciative if this connection is able to continue. Thank you ! I LOVE my job & absolutely plan to keep in touch with these ladies !