Reflecting on My Time as a Parent Ally

I began working as a Parent Ally during my junior year. Even though it has only been a little over a year, I have gained many valuable skills. 

When I started my position as a Parent Ally, I was a timid and introverted person. Though I am still shy and introverted, my position as a Parent Ally has taught me to be more outgoing and I am now more comfortable approaching new people. One of the events that helped me develop this skill was our tabling events at Experience NC State for newly admitted students and their families. 

Another valuable skill I learned and developed during my time as a Parent Ally was the ability to assist in event planning. Parents and Families Services hosts a lot of events for NC State students and their families including Parents and Families Weekend, Spring Fling, and Facebook Live, all of which require extensive planning. Helping to plan these events has helped me become better at coordinating and communicating with people inside and outside of our office, as well as coming up with an organized schedule for the events. 

Going along with planning and coordinating, as a Parent Ally, I have been able to lead quite a few weekly meetings, and doing this has helped me become much more organized and more comfortable with leading and speaking in front of others.

I have also honed my writing and communication skills by writing blogs, sending and responding to emails, answering phone calls, creating and posting social media posts, helping with our e-newsletters to Pack families and serving as a panelist during in-person and virtual events. Oftentimes, in our office you have to be able to gauge your audience, for example, talking to a student is different than talking to a parent or grandparent, so learning how to communicate with different age groups and audiences has been very beneficial to me.

Overall, I have enjoyed my time working as an intern in the Office of Parents and Families Services, and I am going to miss being a Parent Ally. I am so grateful for all of the skills I have learned during my time as a student intern, the entire team has been so supportive throughout my journey and a pleasure to work with.

Kaitlin Davis

Parent Ally