Staff Stories - August 12, 2024
By Maria Fruchterman
As a rising senior in college studying communications with a concentration in public relations, I sought an internship related to my field of study. As I began to look for opportunities, I remembered that I like to work with older adults and narrowed my search to marketing internships with senior living and healthcare organizations. That’s when I found Goodwin Living.
I was so excited when I got the position. I have lived in Annandale, Virginia, my whole life, so I looked forward to the opportunity to work somewhere local and familiar. I learned that Goodwin Living is a Washington Post Top Workplace. I was impressed and couldn’t wait to begin my internship and find out why team members loved working here.
I remember the first day I came to orientation at The View Alexandria, the campus where I’d spend much of my time as an intern. I learned that my fellow interns would be working in Brain Health, Health Administration, Finance and several other departments throughout Goodwin Living. Everyone was so nice; it made me less nervous starting this new venture knowing that the other interns were so friendly.
At the orientation, I met Luella, my resident mentor. We connected immediately, sharing a love of travel. As we bonded, she gave me wonderful recommendations based on her own wide-ranging travels. I even discovered that she’d been to Cuba after telling her of my own Cuban heritage (I am half-Cuban).
Luella and I continued to meet for lunch every Wednesday throughout my internship. She always asked about what I was working on during my internship with the Goodwin Living marketing and communications team. I enjoyed sharing experiences about our lives and discussing my work.
I find it beautiful that the Goodwin Living mission statement (to support, honor and uplift the lives of the older adults and the people who care for them) not only focuses on older adults but also those who care for them. I saw Goodwin Living express its mission during my internship experience.
In addition to the work that we did in our departments, Goodwin Living offered workshops for all the interns from my cohort. The workshops were one of my favorite parts of my whole internship experience because I learned skills that are important for my future endeavors. There were presentations about public speaking, networking, interview skills and more!
After one of the workshops, I drove Goodwin Living Health Information Services and Goodwin Hospice intern Neha Jamarkattel to her bus stop. Since then, we started having lunch together and even hung out outside of the internship.
Developing friendships with other interns also gave me the opportunity to learn from them! My fellow Marketing & Communications intern Jackie Dua started her internship with Goodwin Living earlier this year. We were able to collaborate on one of my projects and enjoyed bouncing ideas off one another. Jackie gave me helpful tips and new perspectives to consider as I worked.
When the workshops ended, I realized I didn’t have the chance to talk as much as I wished to many of the other interns, so I was thrilled at the opportunity to interview them for a blog article. Read on as I share what I learned about them and their experience as Goodwin Living interns!
Jackie Dua is a senior studying healthcare administration and management at James Madison University. “I never expected to do an internship in senior living, though doing an internship at a healthcare facility wasn’t a surprise,” Jackie shared. “It was an opportunity to get experience in a career I aspire to get into as a full-time job, and I like that I got to learn more about an industry that I did not know much about.”
Neha Jamarkattel is a rising senior studying business information technology at Virginia Tech. Since the start of her internship, her perceptions of senior living and healthcare have changed as she’s been exposed to the industry’s complexity. Neha believes this internship experience left her with greater conversational skills, patience and precision.
Daanish is an undergraduate at Virginia Commonwealth University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in financial technology with a focus on financial engineering. He also minors in health services. Daanish interned with two departments: health administration and human resources. Daanish speaks highly of both of his supervisors, Goodwin House Alexandria Health Care Center Administrator Jackie Barbarito and Senior Director of Human Resources Trish Povlitz . Reflecting on his internship, Daanish shared his favorite memory: attending the farewell party for Josh Bagley, former Executive Director of The View Alexandria. “Josh Bagley’s going away party was so special,” he said. “The speeches were inspiring, and it was emotional when everyone was hugging.”
Ellie Bentz is another intern I have gotten to know well. Ellie interned with the life enrichment team at The View Alexandria, focusing on art-related events. She recently graduated from Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania, where she studied psychology with minor in studio art. Ellie found out about this internship when she was looking for opportunities online. “I wanted to work at a nonprofit, and this opportunity is a good cause, so it was appealing,” Ellie explained. “I was not familiar with senior living and healthcare before, but the residents are so social here and have so many fun activities, which is amazing.”
Dhara heard about Goodwin Living from various alumni at her university, George Washington University (GWU). All spoke highly of the organization. “My program director shared a personal story about how his father received exceptional care at one of the Goodwin Living senior living communities,” Dhara said. She also enjoyed sitting in on a guest lecture from Andy Siegel, the Goodwin Living Chief Business Development Officer, another GWU alum, who talked about the innovative approaches to senior living and healthcare at Goodwin Living.
Rachael Gardiner is a rising junior at William and Mary, majoring in psychology with a minor in data science. She heard about Goodwin Living by looking at senior living centers near where she lives, and Goodwin Living came up with very high employee satisfaction ratings. Rachael is from Fairfax, Virginia and she likes playing cards/games, reading, cooking and baking, hanging out with friends and doing anything outside. “I would like to be a therapist of some sort, so this gave me some experience working with a population I hadn’t worked with before,” Rachael said. “I also have gained experience working with adults that have dementia or are undergoing cognitive decline.”
Sophia has lived in Moers, Germany and Marshall, Virgina, though she’s lived in Arlington most of her life. She attends Northern Virginia Community College and Arlington Career Center where she is taking specific aviation and culinary courses. Sophia’s favorite part of the internship experience was having lunch with her mentor. “Goodwin Living is an organization dedicated to enhancing the quality of life of older adults through compassionate care and community support,” Sophia said. “I’m grateful to have had the opportunity to get to know everyone while working here.”
Yensi Vasquez just graduated from Wakefield High School and is going to Northern Virginia Community College in the fall of 2024 to study social work. Yensi grew up in Arlington with a love for dancing and basketball.
“Goodwin Living gave me a rich learning experience about social work and how it looks like,” Yensi said. During her internship, she most enjoyed meeting residents in their unique apartment homes at GHA, learning about their lives and practicing new skills.
Born in Afghanistan, Hosai Rasuli is a graduate of Alexandria City High School, and she is starting college at George Washington University in a pre-med track, majoring in biology and minoring in art. Hosai heard about Goodwin Living through another program in the city of Alexandria called Summer Youth Employment. At Goodwin Living, Hosai joined the Life Enrichment team to learn how senior living health care and health services are run at their best. She enjoyed putting together different activities and events, including art classes and supporting the health care center.
The internship experience at Goodwin Living has impacted everyone in different ways, though all in positive ways. Everyone with whom I spoke had their own story to share. I am so thankful for this experience, and I know the other interns feel the same way. Goodwin Living is such a good place to work, and it is no surprise that this organization has been a top workplace since 2019. The team members love the environment and the support they receive.
If you’re interested in learning more about Goodwin Living, I strongly encourage you to apply, especially those seeking internships. You can see more of the fun if you follow us on Instagram @GoodwinLiving!
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Maria Fruchterman was a Summer 2024 Marketing and Communications Intern at Goodwin Living. She worked on several projects with us and is local to Alexandria as she is from Fairfax, VA. Aside from her studies at George Mason University, Maria enjoys hanging out with friends and playing Field Hockey.
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