For my final day at externship, I video logged a reflection on the experience as a whole. Apologies for the break in the first one (my grandmother came in and we ended up talking about nurses and baking). I would like to thank some people who helped me grow and learn during my time at externship.
Firstly, there is Elliott. I talked to him for the first time on my second day when he asked me to shred paper and I feel that we have become very good friends. I like to think that I could be friends with anybody, but the fact of the matter is that I'm mostly friends with similar people in terms of diversity. Most of my friends are high school students and around my age. Elliott is much older than me (not trying to say he's old) and his life is very different from mine. He has taught me that some of the best friendships really do come from unexpected places. I created a mind map to chart out the pros and cons of working in the field of non-profit work. Working in a non-profit organization been my dream job for a long time now, so this internship has been a good experience for testing out my plans early on. This map helps me further understand if I am willing to pursue this career. Some parts of the map may be confusing, but I'll post an explanatory video in a few days.
I first learned how to use Adobe Photoshop in 6th grade. I had an entire class dedicated to it in 7th grade, a class which I thought was pointless. However, throughout my high school experience, I've found Photoshop to be very helpful in many of my projects. I've taken advantage of these projects to improve my skills in the software. At internship, I've found Photoshop to be my number one asset. While having a positive attitude and a few other basic skills is critical, Photoshop has proven to be a major qualification for me in some departments at the office. I spent half of yesterday creating banner designs for the Pride Festival in Photoshop. This was mostly easy since I know how to place images and insert text. I did, however, struggle to choose a sizing for the image that allowed for high resolution. I had to resize a large image to get the quality I wanted. I used the other half of the day to help my coworker convert logo images to JPEGs in Photoshop. Without practice from my school projects, I would not be able to do either of these tasks (or put "Proficient in Photoshop" on my resume, for that matter).
A brief update on my project (and a bit of personal growth): I still don't know what I'll be doing for the project. I mostly work on spreadsheets. Often times, I'll spend an entire day on just one or two spreadsheets. I am currently working on a list of email contacts based on random forms the contacts submitted. I write the first and last name of the contact, their email address, phone number, and zip code (if provided). At the moment, I am at contact #738. I've been working on it for two days. Because it is so time consuming and so important to Pride's marketing division, I think this may be my project. To me, this project would be a great contribution to the organization because if I work on this spreadsheet for three or four days it means someone else doesn't have to take their valuable time for it. I told my mentor that I think about this when I do tedious tasks, and he pointed out that that mindset was good for teamwork. I actually hadn't considered how my work would affect my coworkers or the rest of Pride. I am always glad to hear from my coworkers that they appreciate my help, but before my mentor's comment I didn't feel like I was acting as a part of the team. I felt like I was just minding my own business, in a sense. This is how I usually operate, as I don't like participating or socializing. I like being my own individual. However, this mindset has made it difficult for me to understand how my actions impact others. In the past, I've gotten frustrated when I'm in groups (inside and outside of school) and they want me to participate. I didn't understand why they were trying so hard to have me join the circle, especially since I wanted to be alone. Being at Pride so far has really taught me what it means to be a part of a team. Spending whole days on any task, regardless of significance, is a major contribution. I give them my time and effort in whatever they need from me. I do my best and I don't complain if it takes longer than I want. I have been working on this spreadsheet for two days, have at least two hundred more contacts to write in, and I don't mind. So though this project may not be an enormous project-to-end-all-projects, it has taught me patience, and tested what I've learned here at Pride. Here's a brief clip of the office. The star of the video is Maxwell, the office dog (he doesn't live at the office; he belongs to one of my coworkers)
I have been capable of accomplishing any tasks I've been assigned so far. Not to say they've been easy, but, despite any confusion or difficulties, I can still get the job done. However, I have one major struggle with anything I do in the office: My confidence. I am not a very outgoing person. I am nervous whenever I approach my coworkers and I experience unnecessary anxiety about being given even trivial responsibilities. I find it hard to believe when my mentor trusts me to do important things (although he may not perceive them as very significant). I know I need to overcome my struggle to do the best work possible; any work I do won't be good if I'm constantly questioning myself. I've taken small actions to become more confident, like asking questions when I don't understand something (even if that means excessively pestering someone), wearing clothes that make me feel good, walking with a sense of purpose, and having more conversations with my coworkers. I have a long way to go, but experiences like this internship always lead to growth.
Here's a brief interview I had with my mentor about his path to where he is now My very worst nightmare for internship was not having anything to do. Just sitting around and twiddling my thumbs would be utterly embarrassing. What might even be worse is being given filler tasks; just meaningless assignments to eat up the time. This was not the case at all. Today, I was given the important job of updating information on the Festival signs spreadsheets, writing up the dimensions and quantities of the signs. I also got to sort through photos from the Out at the Park event and delete any I thought weren't usable. Being trusted to do these vital things right away was exactly the experience I was hoping for. Even better, I genuinely enjoyed myself. It reminded me of something I would do at school.
I didn't interact with my coworkers very much, but I think I made a good impression when I did. They were all very friendly and easy to talk to, and they seem like a close-knit group. I felt like I could ask for help from anyone should I need it. The actual workplace was nice. I had a desk all to myself which was wonderfully positioned very close to the bed of the office dog, who I could pet whenever I felt stressed out. The office had a peaceful, sunny little courtyard where I ate my lunch and read. I have high hopes for the rest of my internship. |