On the Job: Cara Marquardt, BS ’26

Cara Marquardt, BS ’26, a senior sociology and Spanish double major, is making an impact this summer at the Mitzvah Circle, a local nonprofit that assists low-income families with everyday essentials. As a social work intern, Marquardt's role involves taking calls to assess family needs and coordinating with warehouse packers.

The Role:

Social worker, The Mitzvah Circle

Describe your internship in three words:

impactful, meaningful, perspective

The Day-to-Day:

In the beginning, every day was different as we were packing boxes — sorting through clothes and organizing the inventory — then the following week we began our social work training. So each week, it's just been building up more and more. Now, our days look the same, which consists of taking calls, getting the families’ information, then prepping the packages to be sent out for these families.

Go-to snack or drink that gets you through the day:

Goldfish

My “I nailed it” moment:

My proudest moment would be taking a call for the first time on my own. I usually have my boss sitting nearby to assist with the calls, but taking this call on my own was a wakeup-moment. I’m listening, I’m prepared and I didn’t have to rely on my boss — I knew what I was doing. 

Favorite part of your role:

I really like working alongside the other interns and getting to hear their thoughts and feelings on the families we’re assisting. My absolute favorite part is being able to talk to these families, hearing their stories, understanding them and being able to help them.

Fit Check:

Tips for the next intern:

When we speak to these families, it's a conversation. At first I felt like it was a script I had to follow, and it's not. It's a conversation. So you're just talking to these families who are really excited to hear from us, because they know they're going to get something good from us.