Intern Reflections

Intern Reflection While working at the University of Maryland College Park Dining Services, we were given a variety of tasks to complete and different components of the kitchen and operation to learn about. Our first task was to create and develop three wellness walls to be displayed at the end of each week for the employees. We enjoyed brainstorming exciting tips for the Thanksgiving holiday, creating a handout on healthy soup, and teaching easy exercises.

Having Vicky help with our translations was extremely appreciated. We had to design all of our materials with space to include the Spanish translations, which was a new experience for both of us.

Another one of our projects was to create table tents for the months of May, June, and July. Hydration, healthy picnics, and fresh fruits and vegetables were just a few of the topics we featured. We were also asked to each write an article for the Dining Services website. For both of these projects, we had to consider our audience because many college students would be home on break. In response, we tailored our materials to parents as well as the kids staying at the university for summer camps.

When we were not working on the above projects, we met with various members of the dining services staff, learning everything from ordering, receiving, scheduling, and meal plan design. One morning we shadowed Mario as he received that day’s shipment and prepared the list for the next day. It was amazing to see how someone with twenty years’ experience in this facility knew exact quantities to order. We also appreciated the staff’s welcoming nature and the way they help each other, going beyond their personal job description.

We accomplished a lot while interning at College Park Dining Services and it was a great introduction to food service.

Many Thanks, Wendy & Melissa