Katie’s Journey to Her Internship

Katie Biesiada, a 2023 Internship Travel Scholarship winner and dedicated doctoral student in psychology, shared her journey of moving from Colorado to Pennsylvania for her internship in Danville, PA.

The move across the country was far from easy. Katie faced logistical challenges, including her moving truck breaking down in a remote area of Utah, making getting road-side assistance nearly impossible. With an additional 7-hour delay, she and her two cats finally made it to the east coast for her internship at Geisinger Medical Center.

So far, she has had the opportunity to do outpatient therapy, psychological pain evaluations, presurgical evaluations for both bariatric surgery and spinal cord stimulator surgery, gender medicine evaluations for gender diverse patients seeking gender-affirming care, and so much more.

“Gaining exposure to working in interdisciplinary medical clinics has really affirmed my interest in working within health psychology, so I am very grateful for the experience to gain training in these areas.”

After she completes her internship Katie will start a post-doctoral fellowship at a hospital system in Michigan. Over the next two years she will continue to develop her skills in consultation/liaison health psychology as well as graduate medical education.

“I am very excited for this next step to help me build the foundation for my early career as a clinical psychologist.”

Her advice to future students traveling to their respective internship sites is to be patient with yourself and have fun during your cross-country drive. It is stressful to move, so try to make it fun wherever you can! Additionally, get the most comprehensive insurance plan if you are renting a moving truck.

“Internship has helped me get closer to my career goals, and this scholarship helped me afford to get where I needed to go for this internship.”

Every year, thousands of students hit the road and travel long distances to their internship to complete their degrees. For many, including Katie, this is no easy feat. The Internship Travel Scholarship works to help alleviate some of the financial stress. Join us in helping students like Katie make the journey to their internship site by donating to the Internship Travel Scholarship Fund today.

Thank you for supporting the students in our community.