Finding Her Passion: Kaitlyn Hettinger Q&A

Morgan McClellan, Marketing Coordinator, sat down to talk to intern Kaitlyn Hettinger, Bachelor’s in Human Services and Social Work from Ivy Tech Lafayette.

Hettinger describes her internship to Morgan, explaining what her internship at Cornerstone has entailed and how she learned more about her passion in the process.

Q: What drew you in to working in this field?

A: “I love working with people overall and kids. I really have a passion for working with kids. Our family fostered children and adopted, which opened my eyes into the human services and social work aspect. I started off at Ivy Tech with surgical tech in mind, but transitioned into a social work degree instead.”

Q: How did you hear about Cornerstone and what brought you here as an intern?

A: “I do have a friend who lives in Canada who has an autistic daughter that I had babysat a few times. Whenever they would come to visit their family here, they asked if I could babysit for them. I had a connection with their little girl. Then, at Ivy Tech, my instructor said, ‘I think you’d be great at Cornerstone so you should go check it out!’ I fell in love after the interview process. During my first tour of the center, I knew it was a really cool place.”

Q: What stood out to you when you first came to Cornerstone that you liked the most?

A: “I loved the one-on-one interaction with the clients. I have shadowed probably ten clients — a variety of nonverbal and verbal clients with ages ranging from four to 10 years old. It has been amazing watching the kids grow, learn and develop.”

Q: What all have you been doing in your internship? What have you learned so far?

A: “I’ve been leading group sessions and helping out Tori and Lynsey with their groups activities, prepping, cutting out materials for crafts and helping out wherever I can.”

Q: Is this type of internship something you’ve done before?

A: “I did have one internship experience before but it wasn’t with autistic children, so it has been pretty new for me. I’ve loved my internship!”

Q: You recently applied to Cornerstone as an ABA therapist. When did you decide you wanted to pursue a career at Cornerstone?

A: “When I saw the Cornerstone job openings and postings online, I was immediately interested in applying. One of the leads asked me if I was going to come back after my internship, and I explained that I wanted to apply. They encouraged me to apply, and I went through the hiring process. I love how close the staff seems and how supportive they are of each other. They are always willing to answer questions I have. Once I applied, I was really hopeful to join the Cornerstone family. I was so happy when Lynsey handed me the acceptance letter! January 7th is my first day, which begins my first week of training.”

We are so excited for Kaitlin to join the Cornerstone team! Are you interested in a career that is life changing? View our open positions at this link.

Last updated by Morgan McClellan at December 18, 2018.