Asking questions can be intimidating. We don’t expect you to know all the answers, nobody does! We want you to get fast, accurate answers when you ask questions. Here’s how:

Have an issue or question about your internship site?

Talk to your supervisor or a teammate. You’ll get a faster and more accurate response from them. We don’t know details for all the sites, we’ll just end up sending you back to them. However, if they don’t know or…

If it’s something related to the program requirements…

Check Canvas and the handbook. We have these with resources for you, including but not limited to:

• ePortfolio prompts and tutorials
• timesheet tutorials and policies
• program dates and deadlines

If you’ve looked through the handbook and Canvas and still don’t have an answer…

Ask the ambassadors!

If they don’t know the answer, they’ll find out for you. Open a Canvas Inbox message and select our LHSI course site then in To: select Teaching Assistants. Leave the box UNCHECKED for “Send an individual message to each recipient.” Your message will go to all ambassadors and the next available one will respond.

Ambassadors are also a great resource if you want to run something by them, like how to word a question or email, or if you have a minor concern about your internship. They can help you find the right words to ask for or say what you need and you can confidently handle things on your own from there.

Reminder: Please remember that ambassadors are students too and may not respond immediately. This is why it’s important to use the Inbox feature to reach all of them at once. They will respond in a timely manner but may not be immediately available on nights, weekends, during class or exams, etc. It may also take time to get an answer for you. Hold on, they’ll get back to you. If you email Brandi before waiting for an ambassador response, she may forward to the ambassadors. 

If you’re having issues at your internship…

Tell Brandi. You won’t be in trouble! No issue is too big or too small. She won’t directly fix it or contact the supervisor for you, but she can work with you on strategies to bring up issues with your supervisor. The supervisors are usually unaware that you’re unhappy or having a problem unless you say something and we can help you figure out what to say. This is a great way to learn skills for handling difficult situations that you can take to future jobs.

Remember: in your professional career there won’t always be someone to intervene on work issues. Use our team as a resource for talking through issues and deciding how to handle it on your own. Telling the ambassadors is a good first step but they will not contact Brandi on your behalf, you must contact her directly if you want her help.

That said, we do not tolerate abusive or discriminatory behavior in the workplace. Brandi will step in if you feel unsafe handling it on your own or are having serious issues. You won’t be in trouble or lose your job. We can move you to a different LHSI site, if available, or find another job on campus through a different program.