Mercy Volunteer Corps Interview

When I walked into the Sister's of Mercy building today, I was greeted by Leslie, the woman whom I was interviewing with, by her saying "Oh my gosh,you have the most beautiful eyes! Seriously!". I knew it would be a good interview after that :)

It was probably my favorite interview that I've ever had. Leslie was very friendly, sweet, and helpful. It was also a very personal interview, so none of the standard, boring questions.

First, she explained to me that she was a volunteer in Detroit 05/06, then decided to live her permanently. She is now the support person for all Mercy Volunteer Corps volunteers in Detroit. Then I talked a little bit about myself, why I wanted to do this, my background of Mercy and working with families, etc.

Next, she gave me some scenarios of things that may come up during my year of service and how I would react. I was able to relate to most of them having lived with 9 different roomates during four years of college, I have had all kinds of experiences.

Then, Leslie had questions that she created based on my application, essay's, and reference letters. Her biggest concern/curiosity seemed to be my desire to be placed in Detroit. I explained to her my anxiety and weight situation, and that I am working with someone on getting these under control, so overall it would be easier to live in Detroit, but that it is not a necessity. I made sure she knew that I would stick to the community living and make the most out of the situation. I also explained that my parents, family, and friends are VERY supportive of this decision, and want me to get the most out of it, so they would definatley be encouraging me to stick with it. I also made sure that she knew that being placed in Detroit was not a make or break situatiion. We spent about a 1/2 hour just discussing my anxiety, how it plays out in certain situations, what I do to deal with it...now that I think about it..I kind of feel like I was in therapy! Ha!

Leslie told me that if it was her making the decision, she could for sure see me as a part of the program because of my qualifications, excellent reference letters (thank you babies), and compassion for others. She also explained to me that the hardest part about the program is probably the community living, which most people don't anticipate. She made it pretty clear that she wanted to be sure I knew that..I'm not sure if that was a good sign or not, maybe she is worried I won't be able to handle it?

So, that was my interview. She told me to e-mail her if I have any questions or concerns. She made me feel really comfortable, which was quite a relief. I will be hearing whether or not I have been accepted in about a week, and then I just have one final step- getting placed! The other thing with Detroit is that there are more service site opportunities that fit my qualifications and future career goals- so, we shall see.

Tonight I have a retirement party for one of my favorite teachers EVER. I'll write more on that later- I have about a million errands to run before that.