My internship was with the American Red Cross this semester. I interviewed potential volunteers and if I found them to be a good fit, I placed them into specific volunteer work and handled their paperwork. I also worked different events, such as several Halloween Trunk or Treats for military kids and families. This internship has benefitted my future career by giving me an opportunity to network with individuals from all walks of life. I met some amazing people that I know I'm going to be in contact with for the rest of my life. Being that I was put into a leadership position, I was also forced to step outside of my comfort zone and that’s something that’s going to benefit my future career as well. I am a lot more confident now than I was at the start of this semester. I will continue to benefit from this experience because due to all of the networking I did, I now have people who can help me discover new job opportunities and give me career advice. I can also take the leadership skills I've developed to help leverage my career now and in the continuing future.
My major is political science and after I graduate with my Bachelor’s degree, I plan to go to law school. I would not say that this internship completely ties into my major of study; however, I did want to work an additional internship that is outside of the legal field. I don’t think there are any educational requirements needed beforehand in order to be successful in this internship; however, being proficient in Microsoft Office would help a lot. I am not interested in this particular career after completing my internship just because I still have to complete my Bachelor’s degree and work a full-time sales job. The stress I felt this semester trying to balance school, work, my internship, and home life was insane! It is something I might consider in the future though because I genuinely enjoyed all of the connections I made at the Red Cross. If I were to pursue a full-time position in this field, I would not have to go through any additional training.
One piece of advice I have for incoming interns is to be organized and make a schedule. I thought working ten hours a week at an internship was going to be a breeze but that could not have been further from the truth! I was a hot mess up until I decided to make a schedule for myself that contained a checklist of all the things I needed to get done throughout the day. Regardless of all the stress, I am so happy and thankful that I had the opportunity to work with the Red Cross. They were extremely good to me, I created memories I will never forget, and I acquired new skills that I can take with me into my personal and professional life. The photo I attached to this blog post is from one of the Halloween Trunk or Treats I attended with my crew!
Hi Jessica, I totally understand the overwhelming feeling of balancing home life, work, volunteering, an internship, and being a fulltime student. It was draining at times especially since we had lost a family member this semester. I am thankful for those I met this semester because they really helped to encourage me to continue on. They were also very understandable and made sure that I did not push myself too much. It was also fullfilling to see the progress of being able to help others as they have helped me but also to have the confidence to help clients.