An Interview with Katie the Intern

As Katie Hrenko wraps up her second summer internship with Good Neighbors, she does so with immense gratitude for the past and great excitement for the future. Good Neighbors feels EXACTLY the same way! Even though she’s still busy working with our Healthy Homes team, we got a chance to sit down with Katie and talk about her varied experiences with Good Neighbors and what’s next for her.

Good Neighbors: We have pictures of you going all the way back to 2021 at a Good Neighbors Youth Camp. Was that your first experience with us?

Katie: My mom and I were going back forth trying to figure that out. I think it was! I remember being really excited about it because our church had just gotten a new youth director and he kind of branched us out. That was the first time Heritage (Presbyterian Church) had done the youth camp.

Good Neighbors: So you were a part of that very first team. Did you have any experience working with tools or done any kind of repairs before?

Katie: No. My dad dabbled in stuff and normally I’d just watch. He was excited for us because he was like, “Oh, cool. My kids are gonna learn a little more about what I love to do.”

Good Neighbors: Were you intimidated at all?

Katie: I mean, power tools in and of themselves are just fun.

Good Neighbors: We’ll take that as a ‘no’. So you did camp with us and Heritage for a few years, then you interned with us last summer for the first time. How was this summer compared to last year?

Katie: Last year was really helpful because I got to do a little bit of everything and could narrow down the stuff I was really interested in. I got to spend more time doing field work this year and being out and about with people, whether that be the neighbors or my co-workers. But the stuff I was able to do with my own hands definitely increased this year because I was able to take the information I learned last year and apply it and then build on it.

Good Neighbors: You primarily worked with Healthy Homes. Did you have any favorite projects?

Katie: I loved toilet installations. I was super stoked the first time I set my first toilet. I wasn’t even on the same floor as Rich (project manager). He was like, “Hey, you want to finish this one or go set the next one?” So I did the next one myself. He wasn’t looking over my shoulder making sure I was doing it right. He just let me go do it.

Good Neighbors: Toilet installation…okay. To each their own!

Katie: I also like ramps. They’re a team thing and it’s not just Good Neighbors staff. We get to work with volunteers and it’s often not the same group every time.

Good Neighbors: Word on the street is that the Healthy Homes team are a well-oiled ramp assembling machine. Is it a bit like building with Legos?

Katie: Ha! A little bit. We’ve repaired a few wooden ramps but our main focus is the aluminum ramps because of how quickly we can get them in and how multi-functional they are. We can disassemble them and reuse them for another homeowner, so they never go to waste.

Good Neighbors: What’s it like to work with the Corners?

Katie: Oh man, they’re so fun. They have this amazing outlook on things where they want to make sure it’s fun. They just go in and their presence makes it fun.

Good Neighbors: Can you give us an example?

Katie: We have this thing called “Arts and Crafts” where we take leftover ramp pieces and make something with them to fill in a gap or spot to make it safe. No ramp is set up or structured the same so we have to be creative when we’re working around a door or a plant or something.

Good Neighbors: So it is like Legos…

Katie: And Lori doesn’t always call tools by their actual name. She calls them by the sound they make. Like, she calls the multi-tool a “Nuh Nuh Nuh”

Good Neighbors: …that tracks.

Katie: Yup.

Good Neighbors: I think the Corners would agree that Good Neighbors saw a lot of growth in you between this summer and last. Do you agree?

Katie: Aw, thanks. Yeah, I did a gap year program last year and I think that experience helped me a lot. It gave me a lot of confidence in myself and God and in my relationships with others. This year at my internship I wasn't as worried going in and being like, “Oh my goodness, am I going to use this tool wrong? What if I put the hole in the wrong spot? What if I measure four times and still cut wrong?”

Good Neighbors: A lot of our volunteers can relate…

Katie: But the GN team is there to teach me this craft that I can use to praise the Lord with, to love these neighbors and that’s where my focus went.

Good Neighbors: Speaking of focus, I bet a lot of people don’t know that you are the unofficial Good Neighbors photographer. Most of our volunteer project photos were taken by you!

Katie: Yep. I didn’t initially expect that to be a part of my internship experience, but when I was in the field and not actively working on a project, I could still contribute because I was taking pictures. It was cool being able to capture these experiences and then going back through the pictures I would see things like a really sweet hug or people making funny faces or poses that I didn’t see in that moment.

Good Neighbors: All of your pictures have been great. They really help bring the story of restoring hope, repairing homes and loving our neighbor to life. You’ve got a good eye.

Katie: Thanks!

Good Neighbors: We’re gonna miss your skills when you go off to Rosedale Bible College this fall. How excited are you??

Katie: Very! I’ll be doing their trades program and also earning an Associate’s in Biblical Studies.

Good Neighbors: And…you’ll be the FIRST woman to do the program! That’s so exciting!

Katie: Haha, yes, that’s true.

Good Neighbors: What are you most looking forward to?

Katie: Well, I first want to say that God was very generous and made things clear for me when my mom and I visited the campus. Every single aspect that I was looking for or curious about or worried about…He just made it clear, “This is where you’re going.”

Good Neighbors: That’s awesome!

Katie: I was like, “Ok, God. You’re letting me live away from home so I can experience independence. You’re giving me these mentorships and discipleship programs that I found so important when I did my gap year. You’re giving me this opportunity to use my hands in trades that I’ve been working on with Good Neighbors. You’re giving me this opportunity in missions to go out and do disaster relief and you’re putting me in a setting that is going to focus me on You.” I’m looking forward to all of it.

Good Neighbors: You’ve come such a long way since that first GN Summer Camp. Any advice or encouragement for future GN interns?

Katie: Say yes. If one of your co-workers asks you if you want to do something, even if you don’t know how to do it, they’re there to teach you. Ask questions. You’re going to fail. But you’re going to learn.

Good Neighbors: Like that time you locked yourself in the bathroom…hehe…

Katie: Haha! I’ve only done doors on one project, but I know what not to do now because that experience is stuck in my head!

Good Neighbors: Rich got you out pretty quickly.

Katie: As far as encouragement goes, every home and every homeowner is different. Some of them may be very open and excited to have you. Others are not gonna completely trust you or that we’re doing this for God and for free. And we’re not always able to fix it. But it’s always something that God will look at. Sometimes you can give advice into a situation and sometimes you just have to lay it on God when you get home because you’re still thinking about this neighbor.

Good Neighbors: Most of us at GN will agree that some of our neighbors follow us home in that way.

Katie: I think this year I also experienced more of the reality of the hopelessness some people feel. But working with so many neighbors and with my co-workers, I’ve seen that God’s love is bigger. As much as something may look hopeless, God isn’t.

Good Neighbors: Amen! As you go off to Ohio in a few weeks and start your program at Rosedale, how can we pray for you?

Katie: A big thing will be humility because I'm going into something that at least I know a little bit about. Going in with me, if I have this knowledge, I can share it. If I don't, let me hear it. I'm not there so I can build up my my game stats. I'm there to add to the things that I can give back to God.

Good Neighbors: Amen! The whole Good Neighbors team is SO proud of you, and we pray the Lord will show you His favor in your next season! Oh, speaking of seasons…can Good Neighbors expect you back next summer?

Katie: Unless God has something else in mind, I would love to be back!

from the good neighbors healthy homes team…

“Katie is awesome! She is a pleasure to work with for both her construction knowledge and her amazingly positive attitude.” ~Forrust Miller, Project Manager

“She was a hard worker and would dive into any project, regardless of complexity. She was friendly and professional with the homeowners, especially if they owned a cat!” ~Catharine Taylor, Helping Hand

“Katie is a gift.  She has a big heart for our neighbors and their pets.  She is a quick study and I eagerly look forward to the possibility of our first woman PM in a few years.” ~Lori Corner, Helping Hand

“My take on Katie - she’s a very hard worker. She picks up things really fast. She is a superwoman in this field. Her kryptonite - kittens.” ~Rich Shorter, Project Manager