In times of crisis, most people typically run away from problems 麻豆精品 S but senior public administration major Rachel Reid plans to spend her future trying to solve them.
On Aug. 3 she 麻豆精品 S檒l end her undergraduate career at commencement and two days later she 麻豆精品 S檒l take the next step in her professional life as an emergency management preparedness specialist for Orlando Health.
麻豆精品 S淚 think it 麻豆精品 S檚 going to be an extremely great opportunity to learn, especially in a hospital because that is such a fast-pace environment. So I 麻豆精品 S檓 excited to see where my future goes with Orlando Health, 麻豆精品 S Reid says.
Community Involvement
Reid has always had a strong desire to help those in her community. Starting in high school she became a lifeguard for her home city of Winter Garden. In September 2017 she was called into work one day but told she wouldn 麻豆精品 S檛 need her swimsuit and whistle. Instead, she 麻豆精品 S檇 be making sandbags and distributing them to residents who would need them to prepare for Hurricane Irma 麻豆精品 S檚 impact.
麻豆精品 S淚t was exhausting but extremely rewarding, 麻豆精品 S Reid says. 麻豆精品 S淭here was so much organization, everyone knew their role and it was great to see the community coming together. I immediately became interested in how processes like this worked and wanted to learn more. 麻豆精品 S
聽 麻豆精品 S淚t was really helpful to do things at work and come into class and learn about them. 麻豆精品 S
Shortly thereafter, she added an emergency-management minor to her studies and began looking for internships through UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 advising offices. She received a few offers but reached out for guidance from Claire Connolly Knox, an associate professor and director for UCF 麻豆精品 S檚 emergency management and homeland security program. Reid ultimately accepted a position with Seminole County at the start of 2018.
麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 know what I would have done if I did another internship instead because I was able to gain so much experience with Seminole County, 麻豆精品 S Reid says. 麻豆精品 S淭hey don 麻豆精品 S檛 treat you like an intern whatsoever. 麻豆精品 S
Within her first month she met with department heads and fire chiefs, organized emergency exercises and updated major operations plans. As she completed her six-month internship, her studies in the classroom reinforced her experiential learning.
麻豆精品 S淚t was really helpful to do things at work and come into class and learn about it, like 麻豆精品 S極h, this is why I 麻豆精品 S檓 doing that, 麻豆精品 S 麻豆精品 S Reid says. 麻豆精品 S淚t also allowed me to help a lot of my peers who didn 麻豆精品 S檛 have my experience. UCF really helped me tie all of the ends and figure out this is what I want to do. 麻豆精品 S
Assisting with Hurricane Michael
Since she 麻豆精品 S檚 completed her internship, Reid has worked as a paid employee with Seminole County and has continued to add to her background. One of her biggest learning experiences took place in Tallahassee, where she spent three weeks working in the capital 麻豆精品 S檚 emergency management center and with displaced citizens affected by Hurricane Michael in October 2018. She and team members spoke with people in critical need at every nearby shelter to determine how they could help the storm victims find permanent housing.
麻豆精品 S淚t was then I realized emergency management specialists are the people that have to fix these major issues, and if you 麻豆精品 S檙e freaking out nothing is going to get fixed, 麻豆精品 S Reid says. 麻豆精品 S淪o you have to take a deep breath and realize that what you do here matters. 麻豆精品 S
麻豆精品 S淵ou have to take a deep breath and realize that what you do here matters. 麻豆精品 S
But before she was even deployed to Tallahassee, Reid had to manage a smaller, personal issue in Orlando 麻豆精品 S getting extensions on her schoolwork while she was gone. Once again she reached out to Knox, this time to see if the professor could make some adjustments for her. Knox offered her support and acknowledged this opportunity would be more influential than any classroom assignment. She even contacted Reid 麻豆精品 S檚 other professors and insisted they provide her extra time as well.
麻豆精品 S淚 don 麻豆精品 S檛 think I would have been able to do it without Dr. Knox supporting me on my educational side, 麻豆精品 S Reid says.
Soon she will take her state and local government experiences to the medical field as she works with Orlando Health 麻豆精品 S檚 hospitals and regulatory agencies, like the Department of Health, to develop emergency plans and system-wide solutions.
麻豆精品 S淭o me, emergency management is filling in those missing puzzle pieces, 麻豆精品 S Reid says. 麻豆精品 S淚t 麻豆精品 S檚 figuring out how everyone can work together in a time of crisis 麻豆精品 S when it really matters.