Intern Spotlight: Ellie Skemp
This summer, Tulane Master of Public Health student Eleanor (Ellie) Skemp joined HTC as one of our Public Health Interns, rotating through nearly every area of service. While she enjoyed cleaning showers, calling them “fun, social, and kind of meditative when you lock into a cleaning mode,” the clinic quickly became her favorite, giving her the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with guests, listen to their stories, and build meaningful relationships.
One encounter that stayed with Ellie was a conversation with a guest recovering from a hospital stay who’d been attacked overnight by a nest of hornets. After taking the time to simply listen and check in, the guest said, “thank you for caring” and gave her a hug as they parted. That moment reminded Ellie how powerful listening with genuine compassion can be.
The internship also helped shape Ellie's career aspirations. Although she entered graduate school interested in public health broadly, she wasn’t sure if she could stomach the more medical components of direct service like wound-care and assisting with bodily challenges. Working in the medical clinic with staff and healthcare volunteers showed her she could sit with difficult stories, offer support, and perform basic first-aid without the hesitation she feared might arise. She became a go-to assistant, preparing wound-care kits with careful attention to detail. “Ellie’s always got me. I know she’s gonna have everything wrapped up nice in a Ziplock so it doesn’t get wet and I can be on my way,” said one guest of her supreme service.
Ellie describes HTC as supportive, open, inviting, caring, and service-oriented. She credits the staff and volunteers for creating an environment where everyone works together with kindness and purpose. “Eva is such an amazing person. She’s got a million things on her plate but always takes time to check in. I had a hard moment a couple of weeks ago and she paused everything to make sure I was okay. Everyone here is great and truly works together. Also Bob (longtime HTC volunteer) is one of my favorite people I’ve ever met.”
As she returns to Tulane this fall to continue her Master's in Public Health, she'll carry with her not only valuable public health experience, but also a deeper appreciation for the impact that listening, compassion, and community can have in the lives of others and hopes to take that into her future endeavors.
Ellie’s 5 words to describe HTC: Supportive, Open, Inviting, Caring, Service-Oriented
