Internship Spotlight - Sharla Murdock

	From:	Glendora, CA
	Major:	Child Development
	Company:	My Gym
	Location:	La Verne, CA

Competitive gymnastics weren't a part of Sharla's childhood, but what child doesn't like to run, climb, tumble, and play?

That's the idea at My Gym children's fitness center in La Verne, California. Children ranging from three months to 13 years of age come each day to a class set up by gymnastics instructors like Sharla. "I've always loved working with children," she said. "There's just something about them that you love."

The activities that the children participate in aren't competitive, but encourage physical activity tailored to the childrens' needs instead. "It's a lot like elementary phys-ed, but a lot more fun!" Sharla said.

Nearly every state has a My Gym location, and many with more than one. There are even international locations in Korea, Hong Kong, and Singapore. When looking for an intern, Sharla said My Gym was more interested in her additional skills than her gymnastics background. "My classes in child development and experience with music and dance really helped me give the children a good experience," she said.

Sharla spent the first half of her internship learning and observing. In the latter half, she felt very comfortable and grew close to the children she worked with. "A few weeks before my internship ended, they started phasing me out by having me participate in every other class," she explained. "Coming back after the first missed class was really hard. The children and their parents asked me where I'd been, and I had to tell them I'd be leaving."

During those last weeks, Sharla said she cried every day knowing she'd have to leave those children. One sweet-hearted boy was okay with it though. When she told him the news, he said, "That's okay. You can come to my house." His innocent invitation confirmed Sharla's words when she said, "You love them, and they love you back."

In addition to the emotional challenge, My Gym's program was physically vigorous. Instructors either worked in the morning or the afternoon. "It's very strenuous because you're constantly active throughout your shift," Sharla said.

Sharla utilized her internship by using the experience to gauge whether or not this was the sort of thing she really wanted to do in her life. "I'm not going to say it's an easy thing-you need to give your all. But it really solidified my desire to work with children," she said.

If Sharla pursues this particular field of child development, she would like to open her own franchise of My Gym. Sharla respects and loves children, as anyone who spent some time with her would tell; and speaking of her internship she said, "No matter what you're going into, it's a great experience to work with children-it's good preparation for becoming a parent."