Last year, the previous Story Gathering Intern, Sarah Allen, used one of her last blog posts to ask herself the questions she’d been asking others all summer. I thought this was a fun idea. I hope that by doing this twice, it is now a tradition.
How did you hear about ASP?
Through my university, we have an application called Handshake to apply for internships. I saw this internship listed on the website, browsed through ASP’s own, and I thought it was a perfect fit. Fun Fact: part of the application process required me to submit a website with my writing portfolio. I didn’t have one. So I made an entire website just for the application for this position.
How has ASP impacted you?
My summer serving with the Appalachia Service Project has formed my worldview and given me invaluable experience in the field I hope to work in. The number of different perspectives you hear through interviews is almost kaleidoscopic. I’ve had my opinion on the South, Appalachia, and our country as a whole changed more times than I can count, all for the positive.
Plus, this is one of the only jobs I’ve ever heard of that allows you to travel, get to hear people’s life stories that are worlds away from your own, write about it, and serve God all at the same time. I can’t describe how exciting this summer was. It has changed me wholly.
How has ASP helped you grow in your faith?
I chose this position specifically because of its intersection of resume-building work and faith-based mission service. I’ve grown so much in my own personal connection to God. I’ve prayed on the job with countless homeowners, and I feel so privileged to do that as a part of my job.
Why should others apply to work with ASP?
There really is no other job like this. For this position specifically, this job is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for writers. I know I will be pulling from the experiences I’ve had this summer for years to come in my own material.
It’s like stepping into another world. I’ve found myself at a loss for words when friends from back home ask me to catch them up on what I’ve been doing here. Just the lingo alone would take over a week to explain. It’s no wonder that there are talks of how to handle the “adjustment period” when the summer concludes. This job takes over your life in a really beautiful way.
You become a vessel of love and light in a disparate region of this county, the hands and feet of Christ.
Addison Pozzi
Story Gathering Intern
