A Postcard From: Jessie Junxuan Chu ’19

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Name:  Jessie Junxuan Chu
Class Year: 2019
Major: Mathematics
Hometown: Yantai, China

Internship Placement: SAP China
Job Title: Intern at Customer Development Executive SHA T2
Location: Shanghai

What’s happening at your internship?

As an intern student, I’m working as a software tester who tests the programs and tests cases for my team. Software developers write new code every day, and as a tester, I’m responsible for checking errors in their programs. Usually we start our work day by having a meeting together, talking about the progress of our teamwork and making plans for our future work. Everybody ought to report what part of the work they finished yesterday and what they will do by the end of the day. As a software tester, I’m instructed by different developers for different programs in the morning. Before we are dismissed, I write a test report in English for both the developers and the team manager. Sometimes I help the incoming software developers set up their VPN and working systems on their computers, getting more chances to talk to people that I am not familiar with. When I am not assigned tasks from developers, I continue reading the computer language textbook and writing my programs on test systems.

I’m learning new material every day and slowly getting used to the working environment. For the first week of my internship, I basically read books about the computing language exclusive to SAP and explored their internal websites. I remember there was an online global meeting prepared for the new hired employees, and I saw people from other countries leave comments. Most of the comments were about their new jobs and about the company, curious about the past and the future of their job. Those comments gave me a sense that nearly every new worker had similar concerns about their new jobs.  Meanwhile, I started to get in touch with my teammates. They helped me set up my Vietnamese VPN and sent me instructions about our complicated working system and coding language. Even though I was not in charge of software development, I had to differentiate specific symbols internal for company from error messages.

I started to write my own code in the second week and by the end of the second week, my teammates handed tasks to me. The first task was simple but exhausting. I did data configuration and created test cases according to one specific template. When there was no detailed data given to me in the template, I had to create my own data. Data could not be created without knowledge of house estate. I searched a lot online and made sure my data was reasonable.  From the third week till now, I tested the codes provided by developers and wrote feedbacks to our team. After my test, developers would debug their programs and release them to Vietnamese clients. For most of the time, the tests were complicated and I sometimes even messed up my test cases. Luckily, after I found one peculiar spot in the program, one developer could help fix the problem as soon as possible, which sped up the progress of our team work. I also did some seemingly trivial but essential work for my teammates, such as building up test systems in their computers and requesting snacks during their working hours. My managers told me that for the second half of my internship, I would prepare slides for meetings and edit articles for their global publication.

Why did you apply for this internship?

First of all, I am going to declare a minor in computer science, and I am fascinated to work in an intelligence technology company before I take on my internship. I only finished the first year of my computer science study, and I’m not good at coding. By applying for this internship, I hope I can improve my coding and alleviate the struggle that I might face in the next two years.

Secondly, I’m looking forward to attending business school after I graduate from college.  SAP is not only a company about intelligence technology, but about business. It has marketing and management departments that promote their software to other huge companies. Also, the management team have to negotiate with their customers, perceiving what kind of software design customers want. Sometimes management team has to communicate with customers to soothe their worries and suspicions about our development team, especially when numerous bugs appear in the program. We hold meetings with management team every morning. After the meeting, the management team supervises us, tracking our progress and giving us some suggestions. The interactions with the management team give me a glimpse of my potential future job.

Also, I attended a global meeting about female computer science programmers in New Town Square SAP Labs. The cozy working environment appealed me to apply for an internship at SAP. Following my earnest passion, I chose to stay at SAP in Shanghai this summer and get familiar with the complicated working environment. After this summer, I plan to get a job in the marketing or management team after I graduate from college.
The last reason that I applied for this internship is to satisfy my curiosity about IT workers. I heard some rumors that described the general personalities about IT workers, and I was interested to know if it is true or not. Clearly, most of the rumors are true — IT workers are always stressed about their codes, and the inequality of gender is true in IT industry (it might be affected by the specific department.). IT workers have to produce something that customers demand and to fix the errors that appear in their program. For all programmers, they wish that their programs could pass the all the test cases. However, such thing barely happens in real life. Developers in my team usually fix their codes for more than 50 times. Old error are fixed, but new errors appear, which stresses all of the programmers. As a tester, I am empathetic about their situations, but all I can do is to find new errors in their programs, which adds more burden on their shoulders.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Stable schedule, well-planned (daily) tasks, and bilingual (working) environment.

A Postcard From: Elizabeth Robinson

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Name: Elizabeth Robinson
Class Year: 2018
Major: Biology
Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.

Internship Placement: Centro de Informacion y Servicios de Asesoria en Salud (Center for Information and Health Services)
Job Title: Volunteer
Location: Managua, Nicaragua

What’s happening at your internship?

Currently, the Center is working towards a new campaign to make young people more aware of their rights — specifically, their sexual rights. For example, using groups of teenagers in the community, the Center is working to initiate a social media campaign to both provide easy access to knowledge about sexual rights and to garner support from other young people using platforms like Facebook online.

Why did you apply for this internship?

My reasons for applying to CISAS are three-fold. I wanted experience living abroad, experience immersed in another language (of which I am currently minoring at Bryn Mawr), and experience working with a nonprofit devoted to improving the health of community members. My concurrent study of biology and Spanish has created an interest in public health both internationally and domestically with Spanish-speaking populations.

Living in a new city? What has that experience been like for you?

Living in Managua, Nicaragua, has really opened my eyes to the ways in which other people live and has highlighted the differences between the ways in which people communicate and live in Nicaragua and in the United States. For example, the street on which I live with my host family is a very closely-knit community — doors are constantly open and people are constantly visiting each other and talking across the street. Children are always playing with each other and with pets in the street. My host sister has friends in practically every house on the street, too. This is opposed to the more private way of living in the United States with closed doors, more distance between neighbors, and acquaintance relationships rather than close friendships. Interestingly, almost every house on the street and in the neighborhood sells things. If something is needed, like a bus pass, often a close neighbor sells them. Information is often gathered by word-of-mouth.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

The biggest challenge I have faced working with CISAS has been the language barrier. I have only worked here for one week so far, so I have lots of room to improve both speaking and listening to Spanish. It has been difficult to understand what the people I work with are saying in a conversational setting, and as a result, I often misunderstand simple questions that I could have understood if they were spoken slower of if they were written. However, I am already starting to “think” in Spanish! I am very excited to continue to improve and to hopefully leave Nicaragua with much more confidence speaking Spanish.

A Postcard From: Nadine Adnane ’20

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Name: Nadine Adnane
Class Year: 2020
Major: Computer Science
Hometown: Doylestown, Pa.

Internship Placement: Canaday Library
Job Title: Virtual and Augmented Reality Development Intern
Location: Bryn Mawr College

What’s happening at your internship?

So far, this internship has been a blast! I am currently working with the Microsoft HoloLens, a pair of mixed-reality smart glasses that allow physical and digital objects to coexist and interact in real-time. As a HoloLens Intern, I will be developing educational apps for Pearson as part of their Education Initiative. During the first week of my internship, I spent some time learning about the HoloLens, its capabilities, and how to navigate it properly. I also learned about the work previous Bryn Mawr students have conducted using the device, which was both interesting and helpful. In the past few weeks, I’ve been developing two educational apps for the HoloLens alongside my fellow HoloLens Intern, My Nguyen. We are currently working on “HoloStrings,” a musical instrument educational app intended to help students choose an instrument that interests them, as well as to provide an immersive learning opportunity without the need for a physical instrument.

We are also working on “Bio Buddy,” an app that allows students to view several labeled biological models and to learn about their functions. Throughout the internship, I’ve also been learning about Digital Competency and developing my knowledge of 3D modeling, Unity 3D game engine, and Microsoft Visual Studio. Plus, because I get to work in the same room as the Digital Curriculum Interns, I get to help with troubleshooting, Adobe Premier audio visual editing, and Moodle testing! Currently, We are working on a virtual museum for the HoloLens that may be focused on artifacts at Bryn Mawr. We are also researching other augmented and virtual reality tools, and how they may be used for education in the future both in general, and at Bryn Mawr.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I’ve had a love for technology ever since I was a child. Whether it’s making a PowerPoint, an RPG game, or a robot, I like to spend most of my free-time creating anything involving technology. When I read the description for this internship, I had to apply. I’ve always been very interested in augmented and virtual reality, but have never had the opportunity to work with an actual device created for that purpose. I couldn’t pass up the chance to learn about and gain experience with such an amazing device. Additionally, I applied to this internship because I was intrigued by the idea of enriching the classroom and educational experience in general through the HoloLens — imagine if students could manipulate accurate 3D molecules in real time or watch proteins fold right before their eyes! Overall, I just really wanted to spend my summer doing what I love while contributing to a meaningful project.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of the internship so far has been working with others who share my love of technology. Working as a team with My on the HoloLens projects has been both enriching and a lot of fun — as they say, two is better than one! I’ve also really enjoyed being able to ask the Digital Curriculum interns for their feedback on our projects, as well as helping them with theirs.

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this internship would provide me with several opportunities to enrich my communication and public speaking skills. Presenting at Philly HoloHack 2017 and at the Digital Scholarship and Research conference were both fun and meaningful experiences which helped me figure out how to best bring my passion, energy, and knowledge into my presentations. Additionally, learning about the Digital Competencies has greatly improved my ability to communicate my skills and ideas to others in a precise and professional manner. I am very grateful for this wonderful opportunity and look forward to the rest of this internship!

A Postcard From: Courtney Eu ’19

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Name: Courtney Eu
Class Year: 2019
Major: Sociology
Hometown: San Francisco

Internship Placement: 18Reasons
Job Title: Intern
Location: San Francisco

I interviewed a teacher/chef named Iris with her nutrition/cooking class for people with diabetes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What’s happening at your internship?

I have been interviewing different chefs, teachers and promoters who work for 18Reasons/Cooking Matters to create profiles for their website. This nonprofit provides free nutrition classes to low-income communities around the Bay Area with a mission to create a better understanding of the impact that food has on health. 18Reasons/Cooking Matters also offers nutrition classes in hospitals to give patients resources they need to get healthier. This nonprofit also offers popular cooking classes for the public, as a way to help pay for the nutrition classes and try to bring people together through food. As part of my work, I am interviewing the chefs, teachers and promoters of the programs to help promote the organization more broadly.

 

Why did you apply for this internship?

I think the relationship between people that is created when food is involved is a really interesting. The fact that only 2 percent of the population are farmers but we all rely on the crops being there for us to survive, to me, is a very interesting balance and dynamic. Food can bring people together and create a real community in many different cultures, but in the U.S. it is not as common to bring people together for meals as fast food is so prominent in our culture.

People who work with 18Reasons have stressed how strong the bond to teacher and student has been through their relationship with food. I also have been in an atmosphere where many people did not have a good relationship with food and nutrition. In high school I rowed on a lightweight crew team where making weight to be in a boat was more important than having a healthy diet or a good relationship with food, so I wanted to learn more this summer about the positive effects food and nutrition can have on people.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

I have really enjoyed interviewing the different chefs, teachers and promoters. They all come from very different backgrounds, and some even came to the organization through this program, which shows how food can impact many peoples’ lives.

Because all of them are so different, all my interviews have been unique and I have learned about different communities around the Bay Area and the world. I have also learned a lot about how people followed their passions in a way to help their communities.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

Some skills I am working on are how to talk to many different people from different backgrounds. Everyone I have interviewed is diverse so I am learning how to connect with people who I might not have an obvious connection to, and to get them to open up while I interview, photograph and video them. I am also working on my Photoshop and iMovie skills. I did work on Photoshop and iMovie during high school but have not used these programs in college so it has been fun to refresh and learn new skills.

I think being able to talk to and connect to many different people is important in anything that one does in life. I also think that being able to use these Adobe software programs is a skill that can be useful in my future.

Last, I believe helping get the stories of the chefs, teachers and promoters out is important. Nutrition is something that can impact many people’s lives in a positive way, but our capitalist consumer society sometimes hides this information as big food companies push their less healthy products. Hopefully nonproIits like 18Reasons/Cooking Matters can help people feel more confident in themselves and their health and help move the food industry to a more sustainable and healthy path.

A Postcard From: Sydney Huff ’18

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Name: Sydney Huff
Class Year: 2018
Major: Anthropology
Hometown: Steubenville. Ohio
Internship Placement: Grow Ohio Valley
Job Title: Farm Hand
Location: Wheeling, W.Va.

This is our site called Farm 18. It was an abandoned lot underneath an overpass.

Rainbow chard was the first crop I was able to harvest.

What’s happening at your internship?

Grow Ohio Valley is an organization that serves the residents of the Ohio Valley with local and organic produce. Our farm sites are located throughout East Wheeling, which is a more impoverished area of the city of Wheeling, West Virginia. I work more closely with the farmers, so we are out in the field every day preparing the ground or constructing beds for new plants, along with maintaining and harvesting other plants. We grow a variety of produce including melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, and raspberries. We planted an orchard this year with about 200 apple trees. The goal is to be able to supply residents throughout the Ohio Valley with locally grown apples within the next few years. Grow Ohio Valley sells some of their produce in a mobile market which travels to sites where residents, especially the elderly, are unable to leave their homes. Because it is a nonprofit organization, they accept and give double the value to food stamps and senior vouchers, although they would never turn someone away who is unable to afford any of their produce.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I applied to this internship because I live in the Ohio Valley and felt connected with Grow Ohio Valley’s mission when I heard about them. I am well aware of the issues of poverty and joblessness within my community, and I was thrilled to hear about an organization who is taking a hands-on approach to combatting food insecurity and inaccessibility within the Ohio Valley.

The group integrates with the community in order to assess and properly meet the needs of and to educate residents about the value of eating organic and local foods.

This pond is fed by a spring and is our water source for this site called the Meadow. It overlooks the Ohio River and the skyline of Wheeling.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

What’s most rewarding to me about this internship is knowing that I am bringing back agriculture and sustainable labor to my community. The Ohio Valley was a leader in industry until the deindustrialization period during the 1980s. I am proud to be serving my community in a manner that reflects the lives of our past family members who tirelessly worked to build their lives. Because of the current economic climate, many families within the Ohio Valley do not have jobs that allow them to afford produce, let alone organic produce. Grow Ohio Valley noticed this need within my community and also works tirelessly to revitalize the area with fruitful labor.

The first raspberry I picked.

Can you talk about the skills you are learning and why they are important to you?

I am learning the basics of organic farming along with the ingenuity as to how to maximize space to yield the most nutritious produce that we can. I am interested in agriculture and can see myself holding a future within urban farming, so learning these skills is giving me the confidence to continue to find further interest within agriculture.

A Postcard From: Pía López ’18

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Name: Pía López
Class Year: 2018
Major: Chemistry
Hometown: Mexico City

Internship Placement: Malachowski Lab
Job Title: Research intern
Location: Bryn Mawr College

What’s happening at your internship?

I’m working on the development of molecules that will potentially inhibit an enzyme called indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase, which, when overexpressed by the body, may inhibit the immune system’s response to diseases such as cancer. My research will build upon work previously done in the Malachowski group, specifically the synthesis of O-alkylhydroxylamines. Once synthesized, these molecules will be tested on an isolated enzyme at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and then on a cellular system at Lankenau Institute of Medical Research.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I was excited to explore scientific research and the independence that it entails, as well as developing my skills as a scientist, academic, and professional.

What has been the biggest challenge you have faced at your internship?

The biggest challenge for me has been having to deal with how frustrating research inherently is. I have had to learn to be more patient and perseverant, as research is very rewarding if one is able to stick with it. Another very difficult challenge I have faced is to learn to trust myself and my abilities. I’ve often questioned and doubted my own skills when, for example, a reaction didn’t go as planned, to later find out that it wasn’t merely my fault, it was just a particularly difficult experiment. I’ve learned to be more confident in my skills and to trust myself more.

What is most rewarding about your internship?

Knowing that the success of my experiments is at least partly due to my skills and work after having to work out the kinks in each reaction and experiment!

A Postcard From: Veronica Walton ’19

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Name: Veronica Walton
Class Year: 2019
Major: English
Hometown: Cranford, N.J.

Internship Placement: New York Spaces Magazine/Exuberance Magazine
Job Title: Editorial Intern
Location: New York, N.Y.

What’s happening at your internship?

I am an editorial intern at Davler Media Company, working under New York Spaces, a luxury home décor magazine, and Exuberance, a Manhattan-based LGBTQ+ lifestyle publication. Mostly, I’ve been writing digital posts and print content for the magazines’ websites, as well as copy-editing summer editions of the magazines in print. Over the past couple of months, I’ve had the opportunity to visit a few museum exhibits and leaf through exclusive press releases, which is super exciting. On top of that, I have been able to pitch my own stories and go “on the scene” like a real adult journalist! The program has been designed so that interns get to experience the ins and outs of the publishing industry: presentation, production, and editorial work.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I am interested in going into publishing or possibly journalism. A dream of mine has been to work in New York City, so what better place to start than on Fashion Avenue? I love the flexibility that comes with this internship, and I love being in an environment where creativity is encouraged.

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?

Davler holds luncheons for its interns every Tuesday in a little gray conference room. Last week, Mediabistro’s Zovig Garboushian spoke to us about finding a job in today’s media climate, and how it’s important that women in the industry advocate for themselves, forge connections, and go after what they want. I walked out of the luncheon examining my own values, determined to succeed in the future career of my choice — whatever that may be. Listening and learning from others have been vital to my experience here.

Can you give us three adjectives and three nouns that describe your internship experience?

Interviews, event coverage, and city noise; fast-paced, vibrant, and immersive.

A Postcard From: Marie Mach ’18

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Name: Marie Mach
Class Year: 2018
Major: Double major in Russian and Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology
Hometown: Dumfries, Va.

Internship Placement: Capita Translation and Interpreting
Job Title: Project Management Intern
Location: Oldham, United Kingdom

What’s happening at your internship?

I’m currently interning at Capita Translation and Interpreting, a company that specializes in … translation and interpreting. However, there is so much more to the company than translation. In fact, we only have 2-3 in-house translators. What the company does, instead, is form links between companies and organizations that need translations completed, and qualified linguists that are able to help companies complete these translations.

Interns can work in different sectors — as far as I’m aware, there are a few interns currently working in the sales and finance departments. However, I’m working on the project management department. This means that I basically work as the middle man (woman?) when helping a company get a translation done. For example, I’m currently working on a project for a well-known Middle Eastern airline that needs translations done for the Brazilian Portuguese version of their website. For the past month, I’ve been working with Brazilian translators to ensure that different sections of this company’s website are translated from Arabic and English into Brazilian Portuguese. As this is going on, I keep in contact with the airline’s office in Dubai to make sure that their translation goals are being met. This is only one (and admittedly, a quite large) aspect of my job. I also conduct checks on bilingual files meant for publication. For example, if a Russian clothing company wants to advertise in the U.K, I compare the original Russian and the English translation side by side, searching for poor translations, improper formatting issues, or other mistakes that could cause issues for the client in the future.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I’ve always been interested in translation as a discipline, particularly literary translation. However, I had no idea how the commercial translation industry worked, so I thought I would take a look and learn as much as I could about it. Commercial translation makes up such a large part of our world that I thought it would be foolish for a language student to not have any idea how it worked. Also, as a student studying archaeology (and as someone who would like to continue studying archaeology in the future), I thought that it would be wise to gain some skills in the business world. This company is linguistically diverse, which I absolutely adore. Almost every employee is bilingual, if not trilingual! But, it has also taught me how a large business operates, and what skills are needed to keep it in going. Hopefully, I can use these project management skills in a future career!

Was there anything special about how you found this internship?

Over winter break, I simply did a Google search for different translation companies in the U.S and the U.K. At the time, I had no idea that most translators were freelancers — I assumed that working in the language industry would involve sitting in a room full of translators translating documents for their respective clients. When I realized that I couldn’t find an internship as an actual translator, I decided to take the plunge and apply for an internship in the project management department of Capita Translation and Interpreting.

My advice is to try something new. If you’re having a difficult time finding an internship in your field, try to branch out and look for something that may be similar, but not exactly what you had been aiming for. I was aiming for translation, but ended up in project management. But, I have no regrets — I’ve learned so much about the language industry this way.

Was this internship what you expected it to be?

I had no idea what to expect going into this internship, despite reading about what project management entailed. Would I be doing mainly administrative tasks, or would I be working on projects closer to what an actual project manager would? It turned out to be a mix of both; in the beginning of my internship, I was assigned mainly administrative tasks. However, as time progressed, I began taking on larger and larger projects, while at the same time working on more minor tasks. I consider this to be an ideal mix — I was able to gradually dip my toes into the world of project management and the language industry. My supervisors didn’t throw me into the deep end on my first day, thankfully!

A Postcard From: Lila Brooks ’19

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Name: Lila Brooks
Class Year: 2019
Major: Russian Studies and International Studies
Hometown: Tesuque, N.M.

Internship Placement: HIAS Pennsylvania
Job Title: Assistant to the Education Coordinator
Location: Philadelphia

What’s happening at your internship?

Every summer, HIAS conducts an education program for refugee students grades K-12 to improve their English while practicing writing, math and art. This year’s program starts July 5, so we are currently very busy talking with students and parents, coordinating volunteers and helping teachers prepare for classes. Most of my work focuses on communicating with our large volunteer base to ensure that the teachers have the support they need in the classroom. My other duties also include assisting in English classes and conducting home visits to clients’ houses to discuss education-related issues.

Why did you apply for this internship?

I found this internship through LILAC’s career services and was struck by how well it fit my interests in refugee and immigration policy as well as education. After interviewing at HIAS, I was impressed with the staff’s dedication to their work and loved the environment that such a small team of workers cultivates. I knew that at HIAS I would see the wide range of refugee aid work while also receiving one-on-one mentorship from the staff.

What has been your favorite part of this internship?

My favorite part of this internship has been working with the students enrolled in our summer program. Their eagerness to learn and openness about their experience as English learners make them exciting and easy to work with. Most recently, I was given the opportunity to teach the beginner English class that HIAS offers each week. Working with students at this level is a huge challenge in the creative methods of communication that it requires but also very rewarding in that every new word or saying a student learns is a huge accomplishment. The goals of these classes is not to produce fluent English speakers, as this is often unrealistic, but rather to give students the tools they need to achieve independence and self sufficiency in the U.S. I find that teaching with this objective in mind creates classes that are much more applied and hands-on than the average language class. Watching students learn within this context and become more confident in their language use is hugely rewarding and motivating.

What is something you have learned from your internship that you didn’t expect?

One of the most unexpected things I have learned is the importance and challenge of communication. Whether it is organizing 30 volunteers for the summer education program, communicating with a beginner English speaker, or trying to speak to a Ukrainian client in my broken Russian, all of my work at HIAS revolves around communicating with others. Although communication is an important skill in all areas of life, it seems especially crucial in refugee aid where one finds both metaphorical and physical boundaries that break down lines of communications. Speaking to clients, often through an interpreter, has taught me to be specific with my words and to never take for granted the aspect of life in the United States that appear simple to an American. These experiences have made me more aware of how we present and communicate ourselves to others and the complex outcomes when these communications break down. Although unexpected, this is one of the most valuable skills I have gained working at HIAS and believe that it will be easily transferable to my classes at Bryn Mawr and future employment.

A Postcard From: Devica Bhutani ’18

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Name: Devica Bhutani
Class Year: 2018
Major: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Minor: Dance
Hometown: Plymouth Meeting, Pa.

Internship Placement: The Franklin Institute
Job Title: Discovery Camp CIT Coordinator
Location: Philadelphia

Benjamin Franklin Statue 1

Discovery Camp at the Franklin Institute is a 12-week day camp for children. Ages range from pre-K campers to ninth graders. This camp promotes curiosity in the sciences, as it takes place at one of the country’s best science museums. Each week at camp there is a different science theme;this past week was Messy Chemistry. This camp needs a plethora of personnel to run smoothly: the directors, facilitators, counselors, interns, counselors in training (CITs), and more.

My role as a CIT Coordinator is to act as a supervisor for the CITs. Throughout the week, my co-worker and I create CIT schedules and provide help in the classroom. At the peak of camp, there will be nine full classrooms, and 22 CITs. In addition to scheduling the campers, I am constantly walking through the museum to check-in on the CITs to make sure they are performing their tasks. Through observations and feedback from counselors, I help create evaluations for the CITs to help them grow as people and to help them succeed throughout their time at camp. More importantly, I am there to provide them with resources if they encounter any major problems. To develop a good work relationship, I hold mid-week meetings for the CITs to get to know them, learn about their week, and to remind them of any pertinent information regarding camp. On occasion, I help in classrooms if a counselor needs a few extra hands with their campers.

I applied to this internship because I am a people person and wanted to have the opportunity to interact with people with a multitude of skills and experience. I also wanted to be in an environment filled with science and technology, but not necessarily be working in a lab, tucked away in Park Science Building, which I don’t mind working on during the school year.

So far, my favorite part of this internship has been meeting so many different people, with varying experiences, all working at a science museum. There are people who have earned master’s degrees and PhDs in science-related fields, and then people who are currently majoring in early education and special education, and people in between. Even though everyone has different experiences, we are all working at the Franklin Institute to ensure Discovery Camp runs smoothly.

I’m learning a lot of important people skills that will be immensely helpful in the future. I am learning how to hold people accountable, and how to handle a situation when they are not. I am also learning how to get people’s attention and get people to refocus — whether that be at a CIT meeting, or if I’m helping a counselor with a rowdy classroom. I am really enjoying my time at Discovery Camp at the Franklin Institute and am looking forward to the remainder of my time here.