Hello everyone! My name is Morgan Jamati and I am a current 4th-year at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. I will be graduating this upcoming June with a Bachelor of Science degree in Child Development and Psychology. I have had the privilege of volunteering with the Central Coast Childbirth Network, INC. since the summer of 2021. The past eight months have been transformative, empowering, and ultimately life-changing.
If you had the chance to read my former three-part blog series that was posted several months ago, you would know how much the CCCN impacted me in just a couple of months and what I experienced each week as a CCCN intern. Now, writing this post four months later, I can say whole-heartedly that this opportunity was one of the best parts of my college experience.
The CCCN does so much for the local community that sometimes goes unnoticed. The incredible CCCN team works tirelessly each day on different tasks to ensure our community has the resources they need to successfully transition into parenthood. As a local non-profit, the CCCN’s mission is “To provide a diverse network of birth and wellness professionals who are committed to inform, educate and advocate for the individual needs of Central Coast families from preconception through the first year of parenting.” We strive each day as a team to make this happen.
The past several months have been busy for me as a CCCN intern. We have so many exciting things in store, one of them being our Birth, Baby, Family & Wellness Expo on May 14th at the Women’s Club in Arroyo Grande. I have been helping Zabrina and Susannah create flyers, social media posts, website banners, and more for this event. While I will be ending my internship with the CCCN, I am still so excited to attend this event and see how big of an impact the CCCN makes on the surrounding birth community here in San Luis Obispo County and Northern Santa Barbara County.
Each week I am amazed at how much I learn and grow. This internship has fueled my desire to work in healthcare and advocate for patient rights, as well as the rights of our healthcare workers. I have learned so many different skills including how to write informative content with inclusive language about maternal health and childbirth topics, research local community resources to write blog posts, upload and record our Coffee Connections to our Spotify account, use Canva to create social media content, help design our website using WIX, and so much more. I am well-versed in these areas and so thankful that this internship taught me these skills that I can take with me into my future career.
Additionally, there have been so many rewarding experiences for me over the past several months as a CCCN intern. I will take this time to highlight just a few of my favorites.
One of my favorite highlights was spending it in mentorship with both Zabrina Cox (CEO) and Susannah Brown (Secretary) each quarter. They both inspired me to become my best self and reach for my dreams. I also enjoyed attending the Chamber of Commerce luncheon where I was fortunate enough to hear Susannah be the speaker at the event! I am so happy that she was able to discuss the behind-the-scenes work that goes into non-profits as well as her work with SPOKES.
I was also lucky enough to join Zabrina at the P5CAN meeting at SLO Botanical Garden. I met numerous healthcare providers/educators, child educators, family support professionals, and more and was so glad that I was able to introduce myself within this community. I learned more about who P5CAN is, their mission, and how they hope to bring child services and education into the SLO Botanical Garden space.
In addition, I was fortunate enough to attend Alexandria Porter’s Breastfeeding Education class. Alexandria, from Birth Within Doula, shared a lot of information surrounding breastfeeding. I was so appreciative that she highlighted the different breastfeeding positions, common breastfeeding questions and facts, as well as when to go see a provider or lactation consultant. Attending informational Zooms like this one throughout the quarter allowed me to not only educate myself, but also interact with pregnant women and new moms. I hope to be a mom one day and these opportunities enable me to get childbirth education early on.
Finally, I was also able to join Susannah at CL Smith Elementary School here in San Luis Obispo. It was so fun getting to interact with all the students and help them create some Valentine’s Day cards for their friends and families as well as for the senior homes and local police/firefighters. It was an eye-opening experience and I am so happy I could be involved.
All of these experiences and more taught me so much about maternal health, childbirth education, and the importance of community involvement. I have a passion for serving others and helping those who have limited resources. The next step for me after graduation is to continue my education at graduate school to obtain my Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Nursing. My dream is to become a Registered Nurse working in the Labor & Delivery unit or NICU, helping mothers and families before, during, and after the birthing process. I hope to take everything that I have learned here at the CCCN with me into my future in the healthcare field. I feel more prepared and excited than ever before and cannot wait to see what the future has in store for me.
If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or CCCN intern yourself, I invite you to watch my video below. Also, fill out our volunteer form here!
VIDEO OF “MORGAN’S WORDS TO FUTURE CCCN INTERNS/VOLUNTEERS”
As I wrap up, I wanted to spend this time thanking my team and acknowledging the people that have further inspired my pursuit of a nursing career.
I am so glad that I was able to work alongside my friend, fellow CCCN intern, and Cal Poly Child Development student, Alana Krull. We were able to assist each other when necessary and help each other reach our goals. Learn more about us and the CCCN internship program in our blog post!
Lastly, I want to end my time by thanking Zabrina Cox and Susannah Brown, my mentors, for motivating me, pushing me, and inspiring me each week. I would not be where I am today without them. They both care deeply about me as an individual and encourage me to pursue my nursing dreams. I also want to thank Cal Poly’s Child Development and Psychology Department for allowing me the opportunity to explore this internship. Cal Poly’s Learn by Doing motto is truly apparent, and I am so proud to have called myself a Cal Poly student the past four years.
Authored in collaboration with:
Morgan Jamati, CCCN Intern
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