Hello Dear Reader,
My name is Diana, I will be entering my Senior year this Fall 2019! I am a Biology and Theology, double major. This summer 2019, I am an Intern for Justice through the Moreau Center for Service and Justice serving at Rose Haven, a non-profit, day shelter and community center for women-identifying people and children experiencing trauma, abuse, poverty, physical and/or mental challenges.
A reason I chose Rose Haven as my internship site is because as a Biology major I spend most of my days studying the human body or I spend many hours in a lab not interacting with people, especially when I do independent research. This summer, I wanted to work with people and remain in the Portland area to serve my home community. I wanted to work with inspiring and empowering individuals driven towards social justice, I found this at Rose Haven. The team that I work with are incredibly supportive and they are never afraid to be human – to show emotion, to do the work that is needed; to give people the dignity they deserve. To acknowledge that everyone is a child of God.
My days at Rose Haven are never dull! Each day I am assigned to work at a different “department,” which is different from my morning and my afternoon shifts. Rose Haven offers many services to our guests and to the volunteers to serve in. Such as advocacy, “the shop” (a boutique for our guests to freely shop in) and you serve as personal shopper, the shower program, the food table, sorting the donation center, cooking food in the kitchen, being “the runner” (giving people the emergency needs they have that day) and/or administrative support. I have been lucky to serve in almost all of them since I have been interning at Rose Haven since the month of May!
All the departments are fun, yet my favorite role is working as the Shower Program Assistant. We allow each guest to have a twenty-minute shower, which is a significant time compared to other places. After their shower, the guest is welcome to spend as much time as they’d like in our vanity space which has a big mirror, blow dryer, hair tools, make-up among other things for the guests to use. I enjoy this role because from the moment the person walks in we aim to give them the best experience. First, the shower space has a clean smell, we offer the guests additional products they can use in the shower since we have shampoo and conditioner dispensers already inside the shower rooms. After each guest is done we disinfect the shower room, for a new guest to use.
It is fascinating to see what a shower can do for the guests –it’s a beautiful transformation! Guests come out of the shower as a new person. Their faces are brightened through the refreshment a simple shower can have. As we, too, know what a shower can do for us, especially when we are not having the best day. The shower rooms also provide that confined space that promotes security and a space for healing and cleansing which is what our guests seek at Rose Haven.
As guests spend time in the vanity space I have the opportunity to listen to their stories and have good conversations. I enjoy seeing how supportive and kind they are towards each other by encouraging and empowering one another. They help each other do their hair, compliment their make-up and/or the outfit they chose from the shop. The conversations they have among each other are always fun to be part of.
One of the continual challenges I experience is listening to the hardships that these women experience. Our guests share the trauma they have gone through whether it was years ago to a few hours ago. It is difficult to not think about it once my day at Rose Haven is done, but it is something I continue to work on. And of course, the Rose Haven team, the Moreau Center staff, my friends, and journey partners (people also doing the Interns for Justice Program at different sites all over the country) are people I can debrief with.
There have been and continue to be many powerful moments I am been privileged to experience at Rose Haven. The guests I work with bring me every type of joy! As I end this blog post I encourage you to provide the space for a friend, a family member, or a stranger to share a piece of who they are, you will be amazed at the extraordinary experiences people possess!
In great gratitude,
Diana Keyla Salgado Huicochea