Alexa Brincks

Responsibilities

With this internship, I oversaw the middle school youth ministry, planning and organizing an hour-long event with games, a small testimony/talk, and creating a welcoming atmosphere. I also assisted with the high school ministry, which consisted of building personal relationships with the teens to welcome them into the community here at St. Michael the Archangel.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment was helping our group of 200 attend a three-day conference and two-day retreat. Watching the teens encounter God was so beautiful, and that is what ministry is all about. This experience has affirmed my desire to one day be a youth minister.

Learning experience

Communication. Communication is so important with anyone who may be involved in your event. As an event planner, it is important to be flexible and adjust to the flow of things but making sure your volunteers, attendees, and vendors know as well can make or break the event. Kansas has a lot of rain, so being able to adjust last minute has been a valuable lesson for me.

What advice would you give?

My advice would be to shoot for the stars. Iowa State is a secular University, but my roots are deep in faith, and I wasn't going to let that stop me. I had to do much of the seeking on my own, but I can't imagine doing anything else this summer. It took a lot of patience and networking, but now the world is my oyster. This internship has been a dream, and I can't wait to go back and visit Leawood because I have a second home there now.