Hope for HIE is excited to welcome Valerie Martinez as our newest MSW Student Intern, joining us for the next two semesters under the direction of our social worker, Jennifer Schaefer, CAPSW.
Valerie is finishing her Master of Social Work at the University of Kentucky. She comes to this internship with her own connection to the NICU experience as a NICU mom; a perspective that will shape how she listens to and shows up for the families she'll work with at Hope for HIE.
Valerie works as a full-time high-intensity case manager in community mental health, supporting kids and teens. Although this internship is her first experience in a medical social work setting, she's approaching it as an open door, noting that you never know what you're going to connect with until you try it. That openness, to a new setting, a new population, a new way of applying her training, is exactly the kind of curiosity this work calls for.
Outside of work and studying, Valerie spends time with her husband and children, and her idea of self-care is getting coffee and going thrifting to recharge.
We're glad to have Valerie's energy, perspective, and experience as part of this community for the next two semesters, and we're looking forward to what she'll build during her time with us.
Hope for HIE continues to grow its mission by offering meaningful internship opportunities across multiple disciplines.
Our current internship tracks include:
These programs create pathways for students and emerging professionals to gain hands-on experience while contributing to a powerful mission that ensures no family faces HIE alone.
Interested in exploring internships? Contact Us.
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