By now, you all
should have spent two or three full days at your internships. Please respond
to this post no later than July 5.
Write
a short summary of your first impressions of your internship. React to
the work environment, your mentor, your co-workers, and the tasks
assigned to you so far, as well as any plans you and your mentor have
made for the rest of your time together. Discuss ways in which the
internship has and has not
met your expectations during this first week.
Don't forget to come back and read your fellow interns' posts throughout the
coming week and comment on at least two of them. Remember to keep your
comments positive and supportive. (Concerns or difficulties should be
discussed with me via phone - 571/233-0713 - or email.) Be sure
to check back later in the week to answer questions other interns may have asked of you.
My workplace, Cue Recording Studio, has thus far exceeded my expectations. I was a little surprised that there was a surplus of interns due to summer (6 including me), but each one still gets opportunities to assist.
ReplyDeleteCertain hours of the day, I find myself and several other interns just relaxing in the lounge, which is a nice break opportunity.
The majority of my co-workers are also interns, as far as I've seen; they're college students. My mentor is charismatic and easy-going.
Interns are offered a chance to "sit in" on recording sessions that occur throughout the day, but business has been slow both days I've been there. In the meantime, I help prepare the studio in the morning, clean and tidy up stuff as necessary, and go purchase food or drinks at the request of the sound engineers.
I'm going to know the Starbucks menu extremely well by the end of this.
I have a Dunkin Donuts nearby so I will be doing the same thing. Morning caffeine runs here we go.
DeleteI'm with you guys on the starbucks thing. I also think it's really cool that you get to sit-in on recordings!
DeleteYes, the sit-in recording sessions are great Shane. What kind of musicians come to the studio?
DeleteBtw guys, I recommend some herbal tea in the morning instead of coffee. Tea has lots of antioxidants and just enough caffeine but not too much :) Stay healthy
So far, I've seen two rap artists coming to mix and record their works, as well as a couple who stopped by to make a demo. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to sit in on any because I was assigned to other positions at the time; e.g. front desk today.
DeleteIt sounds like a really interesting place to be at. It's a shame most of your work isn't very engaging. I hope you get some more interesting jobs and business picks up!
DeleteI can definitely relate to some of that. For such a small office staff, there are a surprising amount of interns, yet I'm still the youngest one there (which was pretty weird initially). No Starbucks runs yet, though.
DeleteThe work so far hasn't been too bad. Simple assignments to start, and as the internship progresses I can do more of what I want. I am working with other interns who have little experience like myself, and my mentors as well as boss are lenient and caring and encourage good work to be done. It is a lot of sitting, which I am not used to. The level of freedom is great. Being independent helps me improve my skills and get work done. While simple briefs and uploading is easy, writing actual stories will be harder when I get there. The most important thing my boss said to me was, "You're not here to get us coffee. You're here to work and contribute to us and progress as a writer." That should help me through the long days.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you are interning in a really creative environment! What organization are you working with?
DeleteThat sounds great, William! You're lucky to have other interns to help you along in the process! Where are you working? Do you want to be a writer?
DeleteConnections Newspaper. And maybe, assuming all goes well here!
DeleteNice, Will. It sounds like our experiences are paralleling each other.
DeleteWill, you're a great writer. This I know for a fact. I'm sure Connections will love your writing.
DeleteI don't think you should be worried about writing. I know Krauth's writing rules will help you!
DeleteAn atmosphere with that much independence sounds like a great opportunity to learn.
DeleteI started my internship at Suited For Change earlier, so I'm actually accustomed to the office life. However, it did not start out this relaxing. My first few days were extremely awkward because all of the other interns were finishing up college. I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be doing and I spent my first day in a tiny closet sorting through donations for many hours. Getting further into my internship, my days have been far more eventful because I have actually started to suit the clients and know all of my co-workers (the names took me awhile but I got there). I still do some odd jobs that are unrelated to suiting, writing grants, or running a non-profit but I understand now how my first week tasks benefited the organization as a whole.
ReplyDeleteI just looked up this organization and it sounds so fascinating Jessica! I'm curious, as well as donated suits does the organization include a department that sews from scratch?
DeleteI understand how you feel with not knowing what to do. On my first day, I was so lost and confused, so I decided to look up or research any information or terminology I did not know after the day's work to make sure I don't either make the same mistake again or know what I'm doing the next time.
DeleteI know where you're coming from. Every other intern with me is college, and on my first day, business was so slow that half the interns had to just loiter in the lounge with movies on, hoping for opportunities for work to come along.
DeleteYvonne, we actually don't make anything from scratch although that would be fun. We are more focused on career readiness and counseling.
DeleteAt the Rader Clinic everything is so organized and official; I believe it provides for an office dynamic where everyone is significantly less stressed because they all know exactly what their duties are. So far in the wing of the clinic I was assigned to I haven't seen one of the other interns because they were placed in different divisions. However, all the doctors and their assistants and the specialists have made me feel very welcome. They all shake my hand, make eye contact, ask me questions about myself, and basically treat me as if I were a member of the staff. I appreciate that immensely because I look up to and respect them and I try to make that evident, but as Mr Egenreider said it feels as though I and all my superior coworkers are able to function on a better level when we treat each other as colleagues and friends. I cannot describe how kind and patient all these people are. My "commanding officer" is one of the sweetest ladies I have met and she always tells me that she is available if I have questions.
ReplyDeleteThe one unexpected part of this internship is that the first doctor I am with is actually giving me college application advice. It threw me a bit of a curve ball but her advice is quite useful and on top of shadowing her daily activities, in between patients she sits down with me and gives me help with creating college spreadsheets, outlining application essays, etc. It was unexpected, however in the long run she is giving me some very valuable information and I am grateful for her help.
As far as tasks, they aren't taxing at all. I mostly shadow the doctors during examinations and because I am not certified in anything I am not allowed to assist. However, I am saved from feeling like I'm not helping because some of my coworkers have said that I can help file, copy papers, etc when I have any free time for which I am grateful.
PS hope everyone is having a great learning experience at their PRIME position:)
It sounds like you're having a blast, Yvonne! I totally feel you on the observing thing. The doctor I'm shadowing let me sit in on a consult with a patient, but told me I was to be nothing more than a fly on the wall :)
DeleteGood bosses make for a great internship!
DeleteYep, it's great at the Rader Clinic. Today I learned how to buffer lidocaine with sodium bicarbonate and how to suture open wounds which was really fun and useful:)
DeleteThat sounds really great and you obviously are learning a lot there which is also awesome!
DeleteWhat a crazy past couple days! I was a little nervous going to my first day, but it ended up being great! I'm working at a small doctors office in Arlington. I showed up way overdressed, but thats better than being underdressed!! At least today I was able to dress the part better. I've been doing lots of paperwork - I've never seen more paper in my life! But its been fun!! Its crazy to think adults do this every day...I work 8:30-5, so its quite a long day. Dr. Schum Brady let me sit in on a consult with a patient and take notes. I think I want to go into nursing, so this was particularly interesting for me. I also did things like convert paper files to computer files and called patients to reschedule appointments. Today, the only assistant there left for her own appointment, so I was left to answer the phones and do piles and piles of paperwork. I really like the other assistant, Nimata. She's 24 and planning on attending medical school. These past few days have been incredibly exciting...but also exhausting. I look forward to hearing about your experiences!! :)
ReplyDeleteI completely agree, I was overdressed on the first (and second) day as well! I hope they allow me to wear scrubs eventually.
DeleteI feel you on that one, I've always wanted an excuse to wear scrubs!! (forever wishing I was on Grey's Anatomy) :')
DeleteHi Caroline! What specific area in nursing are you planning (or at least thinking) on going into?
DeleteSounds great Caroline. Even though we both have internships in the medical field, our experiences are pretty different.
DeleteIt sounds like you have really gotten to participate in the office! That's great that you have gotten the opportunity to actually call and speak to patients and sit in on consults.
DeleteJordi - I'm thinking of being a pediatric nurse practitioner! I've always loved kids :)
DeleteTom - I bet working in a lab has been really cool! What in the medical field are you interested in?
Emily - Yeah its been really cool! Unfortunately sometimes people are a bit rude on the phone...but it can also be rather amusing at times :')
After completing the first two days of my internship at a physician’s clinic, I feel so exhilarated. Initially I kept track of prescriptions so I was astonished to be able to communicate with patients so soon, which is great because the highlights of my day are when I get to interact with them. I’m aware I haven’t reviewed any relevant injuries prior, but it hit me to discover how little I truly know, even after hours of studying at Bakeshop; anyways, I intend to just continue studying all I currently do not know so I don't disappoint my mentor. Note to self: attempt to draw out the inner server within to assist you in the coming days, since remembering customers and their orders is unusually similar to remembering patients and their signs & symptoms. Soon I'll be able to visit GW University for my other mentor, and I'm extremely excited for that experience, since that hospital is a lot bigger; that's similar to the hospital I hope to work in when I pursue a career in surgery.
ReplyDeleteWow, I really like how your learning already in your internship! And it's really cool how you get to interact with patients, I hope I will have a nice experience like you did when I start working at the clinic in the Department of Human Services!
DeleteI like how you're trying to benefit educationally as much as you can, the nature of our internship is very informational and hands-on.
DeleteAfter finishing up my third day, I have a lot to think about. I have learned so much in the past couple days. I am working with Mr. Elkner on making Firefox OS applications. Before the internship, I had never really programmed in the language, and now I have hundreds of lines of code. I have a new appreciation for web applications, as I am beginning to see the complexities involved in creating one from scratch. I hope that I can continue learning at this rate. I am also looking forward to having a finished product on the new platform of Firefox OS. This internship is also teaching me about Github, a staple for IT professionals in 2015, it enables people to work together on code, and is a great place to build what is equivalent to a programming resume. I cannot wait to see what the next couple weeks have in store.
ReplyDeleteI have never seen FireFox OS is action so it will be very interesting to see the finished result. Learning to code can be a very exciting and fun experience and it also teaches you a lot about problem solving. Looks like you're learning a lot!
DeleteThat sounds really cool, Eric. Even though computer science isn't my cup of tea, it sounds like you are doing some really neat things with some really smart people.
DeleteWow, it sounds like you are a true budding-IT professional! I'm looking forward to hear more about your finished product.
DeleteIts really nice that your enjoying your internship so far, it's really awesome that you get to have some creative freedom for this internship!
DeleteI am working in a small office in Courthouse for the Arlington Chamber of Commerce.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I am enjoying my workplace and getting into the rhythm of office work.
This is a small office - there are only 6 other regular employees and I am the only intern. Everyone is really tight with each other, and has been very friendly with me so far. I feel welcomed, and they have had me sit down with almost everyone so far to discuss their respective jobs in the workplace and the organization in general. I am learning a lot about that, and I appreciate everyone's willingness to give me lots of career and college advice, and to take me seriously. Just today I had lunch with everyone (they always eat together it seems), and it was a really easygoing environment, which I enjoyed. I really feel myself getting into the flow here.
As far as the work, it hasn't been terribly exciting (mostly database stuff, paperwork, research), but they seem to have projects for me on the horizon so I am hoping it picks up from there. I have my own workspace and laptop which I have taken to personalizing. It's nice to have my own little space.
Overall so far, I feel pretty at ease, even if things aren't always hopping. I am interested to see what other tasks I'll be given.
Very interesting stuff! Its really nice that your enjoying your internship so far, just a question I was wondering who do you work with and what do they do (job wise)?
DeleteThey are an organization that local businesses (big and small) can be a part of, and they work on helping them connect, by hosting events and networking things. They also lobby the local government on behalf of businesses. So, the people in the office work on dealing with the members, attracting new ones and hosting events for them to network, learn and so on.
DeleteExcellent answer, Nana! I appreciate that you came back and looked for questions on your post; not everyone remembers to do that.
DeleteI am working with Mr. Elkner on Firefox OS app development. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first signed up for this internship, so I was a little skeptical. So far what I've been doing is learning the basics of Firefox OS and practicing Javascript. Since it's a relatively new platform, it's not as well established as the Android and Apple market for apps, but putting an application on the market is free, and supposedly easier than developing an app for the Android platform. Creating an application from scratch is hard, thankfully I was able to look at the source code of some simple apps for a tutorial, giving me an idea of what is involved in app development. I have also created an account on Github, where developers can share code with each other, which is good for group projects. I am still trying to come up with an idea for exactly what I'm going to work on for my project, hopefully I can draw some inspiration within the next couple of days, while I'm refreshing my mind on Javascript.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting. Making an app has always been of interest to me but I have never actually tried to make one. Good luck finding inspiration.
DeleteI am very impressed by the enthusiasm and professionalism reflected in your comments! As several of you have noticed, internships like yours are frequently reserved for college students, and - in today's' economy - sometimes even for adults. That's why PRIME is sometimes a hard sell for those of us who set up the internships. However, the folks who are mentoring you all will very quickly discover that they are working with unusually mature young people. Keep up the good work!
ReplyDeleteI am working with Sophia Liu from USGS to develop Infographics and other graphical elements using various software and JavaScript libraries including Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, CartoDB, GIS, and Cesium. My internship is so great because I have essentially free creative reign. The goal so far has been to take the heaps of USGS data and display them in creative and visually appealing ways instead of scientific research papers and spreadsheets. Today I watched a webinar on the capabilities of CartoDB which is a JS Library for interactive mapping and real time updating of content. It is really interesting to see this webinar and I am excited to see the capabilities of it. The project I am working on is of my design and I am really excited to continue work on it. I am creating an Isometric cutout of a piece of ground. I am populating the surface with buildings and the underground with minerals. I will have arrows pointing to the various minerals and displaying USGS data on the minerals including export and import data of the mineral, mineral locations and depth as well as element information. I am excited to work on and finish this project because it is really challenging my knowledge of Adobe Illustrator and I am having a good time doing it because I can work at my own pace and with my own creative inspiration.
ReplyDeleteYour work sounds so fascinating! It's amazing that you have so much hands-on work and free reign. Perhaps you can save a sample of your projects for your portfolio or resume.
DeleteIt's really awesome that you get to have some creative freedom for this internship! Lucky duck.
DeleteI am so jealous of your work! I love to draw and create art with all those programs on my free time, but wasn't placed in an internship where I have creative licence..
DeleteMaking spreadsheets into readable graphics seems like hard but important work. No one likes looking at spreadsheets for data.
DeleteI am working at the Department of Human Services, the environment and my mentor are both very relaxed, so I feel very comfortable in asking questions, and have open conversations with my mentor and his colleagues. I have sat in a few business meetings, so it was very interesting to see how professional these bureaus were in handling disagreements and future projects. So far besides the business meetings there hasn't been any set "plan" or project that I am focusing my full attention on, besides entering in data and looking at charts (not too interesting I know). Like I said before, it's very relaxed so my mentor and I just do things that I am interested in, like I plan in working in the clinic that the DHS have, but it's just the first week so I hope things will pick up in the next weeks to follow!
ReplyDeleteIt's pretty cool that you can sit in on the meetings and observe how people duke out problems professionally! What exactly does DHS aim to do?
DeleteBasically DHS is their to serve the community, mostly in health and medical related things such as: vaccinations, yearly check-ups, testings for STDs in the clinics that they have.
DeleteI'm glad you're liking it, I am in a similar situation where I'm learning a lot about how my company works, even if my individual tasks aren't always super exciting.
DeleteIt's really great that the environment you are working in is relaxed and open. That environment will be very conducive to your overall learning experience.
DeleteMy internship has turned out a little different than I expected, but it has not let me down! I was hoping to work with an art therapist, but instead, I'm working with a retired high school art teacher, two recreational therapists, and a clinical social worker who is also certified in psychoanalysis and meditation. The group of people are funny and easy to work with, and my mentor is kind and constantly dispenses advice. I am interning at the Jefferson senior living center, so I have the good fortune to learn about career prospects and to work with interesting people, most of whom are more than five times my age. I spend my day doing odd jobs, like watering plants and making copies and brewing coffee for sweet elderly ladies. I am lucky to be able to work with a wide array of people, because one minute, I am participating in group meditation and yoga with the residents, and the next, I am helping with crafts. I am learning a lot about people skills, about mundane but necessary jobs (like faxing and copying), and about different types of therapy and even health care.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad things are moving in a good direction for you! Working with people every day must be a good way to pick up communication skills.
DeleteI love the way you are "making lemonade," Marie!
DeleteIt must be really interesting getting to work with people who do such different jobs, and getting to do such a variety of jobs yourself during the day. Therapy and health care are such interesting fields!
DeleteIt seems like they keep you busy. Do you ever get to sit down and hear the residents stories?
DeleteIt's difficult to interact with the particular residents I'm working with. Many of them have memory problems and dementia, and others are physically impaired from speaking for too long. I will get nuggets of wisdom every now and then, but I'm still learning how to understand them and how to reach them.
DeleteI guess I’ll kind of go point by point here.
ReplyDeleteWORK ENVIRONMENT- I’m working on creating user friendly visuals for data from the USGS databases. At first I was unsure of which software I wanted to use and how I was going to go about the task, so I had to try a lot of different things before I finally found what worked. The work is largely independent and I essentially have creative freedom for every aspect of my task, which I like but it took some getting used to. For now the other IT interns and I have been working at the career center. Most of my work is done sitting in a beanbag chair with my laptop because the tables are too far away from an outlet. The furniture is comfortable and the career center is pretty quiet, which is nice. There are some fast food places nearby where we’ve been getting lunch these past couple of days.
MY MENTOR- I am working with Sophia Liu from USGS and she’s pretty great! Even though she can’t be at the career center often, we communicate via email. On the first day we looked at several sample infographics and the tools that are available, which has really helped me with planning my own project. She has been very helpful with providing resources and offering advice.
COWORKERS- My fellow IT interns are all really smart, creative, and fun to work with. You guys are awesome.
TASKS- I’ve begun interpreting data from an interesting data set I’ve found about damage from Hurricane Sandy. I’m going to use Tableau Public software to create interactive maps and graphs. I will also look for trends and correlations within and between data tables. I’m excited to see what I come up with. I’ll be checking in with my mentor periodically with updates as well as posting on my blog (http://myadventuresincyberspace.blogspot.com/).
Kudos to all the IT interns for going with the flow and turning this innovative internship into something really great. I am amazed at what you all are learning and doing. I look forward to seeing your projects as the summer progresses.
DeleteThe work you've done so far looked pretty neat! even though i'm really late at posting this comment, you've done a pretty cool job with displaying your data. Also, kudos to you for continuously keeping in track with your blog!
DeleteMy internship site is in Fort Myer at Rader Clinic’s Physical Therapy office. This first week has been different from what I expected, however it was a very interesting and educational experience. The only downside of this assignment is that I do not have much that I am allowed to do due to patient safety. However, my mentor has made every effort to make my time there productive. My mentor is Major Matthew Scherer. He is a Physical Therapist as well as a Supervisor at the Clinic. He has been very instructive about his profession while also giving me opportunities to explore the other jobs at the clinic. Most of my time at the Clinic is spent observing his interactions with the patients while also helping his techs teach the exercises to the patients. The most interesting thing that I have learned is basically military culture. The patients here are all very open about telling me stories about their deployments or life as an active duty soldier. The work environment is very light and happy because all of the military workers treat each other like family even if they are a patient.
ReplyDeleteSounds like your having a good time. What are the other jobs available at the clinic? Thanks.
DeleteI think being able to interact with patients gives you the most valuable experience interning at a place like the one you're at. It's amazing that you get to hear stories from soldiers and I'm sure that is very rewarding. I hope that this experience will be a good foundation for whatever career you would like to pursue in the future. Good luck!
DeleteAlthough you did not have much to do thanks to patient safety, at least you were able to observe how physical therapy was done. On the bright side, at least you will have some memories about the military workers!
DeleteHey guys!!
ReplyDeleteMy internship is at a psychiatric clinic here in Arlington. Being that there are five doctors and a couple of nurses, there are many things going on at one time; thankfully it doesn't get too hectic for too long, but there are times when there's absolutely nothing to do if the doctors are on their lunch break (makes sense of course). My co-workers are really friendly and are always willing to help, which is a nice feeling.
Lately I've been faxing prescriptions, copying, making sure expired medications are in the proper bags for disposal, and pulling charts for patients. There's one other intern at the office and she's a college student. I've met two of the doctors and they've been nothing but kind to me.
My first day I got to see a procedure by the name of TMS, which is a treatment for depression if prescribed medication doesn't work or results in the patient having bad side effects. What's cool about it is that it's a non-drug treatment; the patients are connected to a machine which transmits a series of electric currents to stimulate the brain until there's (oddly enough) a twitch in the patients thumb.
I haven't had the chance to sit in on an actual appointment (other than the TMS), but I'm sure I'll be able to in the future. I will say listening to the patient during the TMS treatment made me a bit sad and realize the severity and reality of depression; it sounds corny, but it makes you rethink how you look at things.
All in all, my first week has been quite nice. I must say, though, the office's Keurig machine has helped me a lot through some of the long days and I am quite thankful for that. :-)
It seems really interesting to work at a psychiatric clinic. I hope you get more chances to see appointments. I don't do much besides sitting in on them. It;s really interesting though to see the patient-doctor interaction.
DeleteIt sounds like you're having a very meaningful experience! It must be hard seeing patients who have gone through so much, and I hope you get to see some more of the treatments that doctors use to help them feel better.
DeleteI am working at Cowen Design Group, a civil engineering company. Going into my internship, I knew very little about actuall civil engineering. After my first week I have learned a lot about civil engineering and it is fascinating. I haven't gotten to learn very much yet because I have mainly been figuring out their software and how to use it successfully. I'm also getting familiar with the guys working at my company and they are much younger and cooler than I expected.
ReplyDeleteIn these last few days I was given one of my companies past projects and I am learning what civil engineers really do for each job. I used to think they just designed city plans and transportation layouts and stuff like that, but there is so much more. Every plot they do they have to think about utilities, storm water, sewage, parking, accessibility, and so much more. As I work through my project I can see what civil engineers actually do. I am excited to get back to work and my project on Monday.
I worked at an interior architecture firm (Eighth Day Design) last year and I had to chance to talk with some civil engineers. The work they do is definitely very complex but interesting. The CAD/engineering software can be intimating at first, but once you get a foothold, you will be able to progress and soon you will have a good grasp of the program.
DeleteThere are civil engineers that I have met during my internship experience. They seriously have to consider energy conservation measures. Can you specifically state what the civil engineers are designing that supports green technology? Thanks.
DeleteThat's really cool to see that you are learning things that you didn't expect. It seems that you are really learning the function of the people you are working with.
DeleteMy internship is in the Microbiology Department at Children's National Medical Center in D.C. I am having a great experience. The lab technicians show me how to test bacterial swabs taken from patients. I have learned how to gram-stain bacteria, and I look at the bacteria under the microscope. The technicians are also teaching me what to look for in the bacterial specimens so that I can identify the type of bacteria. This is helping my reasoning skills. My co-workers are very friendly, and they all do a great job of showing me how the testing works, and how a hospital runs. My co-workers are also really unique and funny people. I am learning a lot about the different paths they took to get to their jobs. My mentor, Dr. Campos, is skilled and helpful, and he is giving me a lot of insight into the field of microbiology, and how doctors perform their jobs. The internship is way beyond my expectations. Everything that I do is related to microbiology and patient care -- so far no grunt work. I will start seeing patients with my mentor to see how he interacts with them. Every day, I look forward to going to the internship.
ReplyDeleteYour internship sounds very cool! I love science and even though the classroom setting is interesting, I feel that a hands on experience would be a lot more meaningful!
DeleteThe hands-on experience I have has helped me immensely. I've learned a lot about recognizing bacterial infections just from samples taken by doctors and nurses in the hospital.
DeleteThat sounds like a really cool experience. Hands on is one of the best ways to learn and it sounds like you get to work in an area you are passionate about.
DeleteI agree. Getting to work hands-on in the lab is really cool.
DeleteMy internship at Hybrid Pedals, an electric bike retail store in Virginia Square, has been very exciting and rewarding. Currently, my primary focus is on social media marketing and search engine optimization.
ReplyDeleteMy work environment is very relaxed and contrasts sharply with the typical corporate desk job like at the architecture firm I worked at last year. I did enjoy my internship last summer and this internship has given me a chance to experience the complete opposite. While I am not selling or fixing the bikes, I have had a chance to experience and help with both which has been a very interesting experience.
My mentor, the owner and founder of the store, is a very dedicated and charismatic man. He has been very appreciative of my work and listens to and seriously considers my suggestions. My coworkers have also been welcoming and are all interesting and unique people.
During my first week, I began expanding the business' online presence by opening various social media accounts and optimizing various marketing services as well as their websites. Additionally, I completely redesigned their aging rental brochure in Photoshop and began optimizing their rental system. I also updated their computer systems and am teaching the owner the finer points of computer use.
The business is current growing at an extremely fast pace, even without an online presence (not yet at least). As a result of the new business offers and partnerships happening on a daily basis, the contents of my todo list are constantly changing. However, the more permanent items on the todo list include photographing the ebikes for inventory and online marketing purposes as well as a video series on the benefits of an ebike.
This internship was not initially what I was expecting but it has turned out to be a very exciting opportunity. Hybrid Pedals is on the verge of very exciting changes and I am humbled to be a part of it.
Good for your, Justin! I'm sure having an online presence will be extremely useful to Mr. Levine and his business.
DeleteIt's so cool that you get to be part of the effort to help the business expand! And it sounds like you're having a lot of fun too. It's great that you can compare your work environment this year to last year's, and see what type of setting you prefer.
DeleteSo far, everything is going all right in my internship. I'm currently working on building robots using a pyboard with micro-python and eventually creating a tutorial on how to use certain parts for other people. At first it started off different than what I expected (like that it takes place in the career center) but eventually I got used to it. There hasn't been many tasks assigned yet besides figuring out which piece does what, but it's the first week so who knows what I'll do next week. My co-worker (which is another PRIME intern) is really smart and although they do most of the work since I don't really catch on as quickly as they do, it's still fun to learn from them or even together from time to time. I'm working with another teacher that is also helping to create the tutorial, in fact i believe that tutorial will help other students in an upcoming class in the career center. The work environment is fine, it's usually just been classroom to classroom, although I do wish that Arlington could have enabled the wifi after the SOLs since looking for ethernet cables has been pretty difficult. So far, there hasn't been much of a defined plan other than trying to understand more about how to work with a pyboard and how to connect wires correctly to not cause any fire hazards but I'm guessing we will eventually have to create one ourselves in the future and hopefully that is what we will eventually do.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a really interesting assignment. It's really amazing that you are able to have such a hands-on experience there. What types of robots are you making?
DeleteSo far my internship at the International Child Art Foundation has not been what I expected in the slightest. For 3 days on the National Mall, the organization holds a festival for children to come from all over the world and participate in art workshops and perform. It was interesting to meet so many different kinds of people, and even though communicating was difficult. I would draw pictures of words that the children weren't familiar with in English. Once they saw a picture of what I was talking about, the language barrier wasn't a problem. However, the organization itself is rather disorganized, and currently struggling financially. All of the other staff are interns like me, so they have little experience. Every day is a new challenge to figure out how we can pay for the newly created summer camp's meals. While it can sometimes be stressful, and it isn't as art related as I had hoped, I am trying my best to make each day fun for the children, and doing everything I can to keep it all from falling apart. It probably sounds like I'm not having fun, and while I believe that saying it wasn't so would be lying, I have grown tremendously as a person. Since I am working with a small organization, I get to see the higher management up close. In large companies, each person is but one small piece of a bigger machine, and I don't think I would have gotten to see the whole picture. If anything, I play a more important role because of this, which I feel I really appreciate.
ReplyDeleteEven though you are not familiar with the language of people from different backgrounds, it is great to see that you are still able to communicate with them through art. I have one question. What is the responsibility of your mentor and how is it like to be working with him or her? Thanks.
DeleteYou are a great example of someone who is "doing the work that needs doing," Kelly. I think you will continue to grow as a person throughout your life because of your positive attitude.
DeleteBilegtuvshin- That's actually a more complicated question to answer. I don't really have a mentor per-ce, I actually have 3. They're all other interns that I'm working with, and there are some days when certain people aren't at work. But the 'leader' of the group is an intern from China; her name is Aero Zhou. The others are Alexia Jacoby and Lauren Fernandez. Aero is in charge of the summer camp, but all of us helped with an event hosted every five years called the World Children's Festival. Our job right now, until the camp is over, is to run the camp. We take the kids places and organize activities for them to do- things like that. All of them are very nice people who are easy to communicate with, and I'm happy to say are great friends. Like I said, we're all interns, so we're all equal, and there isn't anything that Aero does that I can't, or haven't done. Except holding the money, I'm not supposed to do that. I hope this answers your question. And thanks for reminding me about putting this information in my post, I should have done it already.
DeleteMy internship at the Arlington Public Schools Department of Design and Construction has been very educational. In the first week, I had a great experience as an intern. On the first day, I met my fellow intern, Alex, as well as my mentor, Mr. Robinson. Alex has a positive attitude and I am very pleased to be working alongside him. My internship experience would have been lackluster if I had no friend to communicate during the day. As for my mentor, Mr. Robinson is very jovial and greets us every morning. Along the way, I met other workers of the department and felt very welcomed since the first day I walked through the front door. The work environment surprised me the most. The office rooms are aligned closely to each other along narrow corridors. Alex and I have an office where we work on our laptops and eat lunch. Down the corridor to the left, there is a kitchen with a lovely table centered in the room. Outside the workplace, you can see dozens of school buses parked in the parking lot. As a result, I initially had trouble locating the workplace when I came for the interview. On the first day, I was not expecting to visit construction sites, so I didn't bring my construction boots with me or wore long pants. Fortunately, Mr. Robinson had a plan for us to visit Mckinley Elementary School and attend an interactive meeting where he will meet with the general contractor, Ms. Robin, and other clients. Mr. Robinson is the project manager, so it is his responsibility to stay in contact with his team and make sure that potential problems are identified early in the design process. Regular meetings help the team to share information, discuss solutions, and maintain the project schedule. The problem with Mckinley Elementary School is that it was built in the 1950's, so the whole school must be renovated to meet new standards required by the Arlington Public Schools department. In addition, the new renovated building will help solve the issue of increased number of students. After Alex and I patiently sat in the meeting and observed the issues and solutions discussed at hand, we met with architects and engineers from Grunley Construction Company. The Grunley design team were scheduled to meet with Mr. Robinson on that day. After the second meeting, we went over to the Arlington County Government building for a third and final meeting of the day. Alex and I tried our best not to fall asleep! Therefore, I can tell you that the first day was very busy for us. The next few days, we visited a construction site at Wakefield High School and went inside the mechanical/electric rooms of the building where Mr. Herring, the project owner who designed Wakefield, taught us the basic functions of each room and gave us a tour of the building. It was the first time I visited the newly renovated building of Wakefield. The design and amount of effort put into the building was absolutely beautiful to see. Mr. Herring himself stated that in the beginning of the construction phase, Wakefield was nothing but dirt and mud. As his design team met with every construction phase, Mr. Herring told us that it is always such a great feeling to see the finished work of a masterpiece similar to the work of an artist or painter. Last Thursday, Mr. Robinson assigned us a homework to research and take notes on the various construction companies that he has worked with. On Monday, we will let him know which construction company we chose as the best and hopefully he agrees with my report. In the upcoming week, we have more plans to visit various construction sites at Wakefield, Mckinley, and Discovery. So far, I have enjoyed the first week of my summer internship experience.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like you and Alex are having a lot of fun! It sounds interesting to be able to see the construction sites in the perspective of a construction worker!
DeleteIt has been really interesting to see the behind the scenes for all the construction in the schools. And we are actually following the perspective of all the aspects of the construction process, construction worker, general contractor, architect, and APS as the owner of the school
DeleteSo far my internship at Rader Laboratory has been great. I am doing a lot more than I anticipated I would do, which is always good. The first day for me was more of a training/observing day, which I expected. It was kind of slow but interesting to learn about the different machines and techniques that the lab techs use. After the first day, I was able to do actual work like everyone else (under supervision of course). I was able to conduct different lab tests which was cool. My mentor is very good, and it is interesting that even though most of the people who work here are military, they act like regular coworkers, pretty much disregarding each others rank. One thing that I do not like about this internship is the bureaucratic side of it. I had to sign multiple documents and read hundreds of pages of documents about privacy and other things. Other than that, this internship is great and has lived up to all my expectations. I really don't know what I will do for the next three weeks because I have basically done it all. I look forward to the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteWorking in a laboratory sounds exciting. What type of lab tests do you do?
Deleteoh you know, just some aids tests along with other things like strep or chem analysis
DeleteThat sounds interesting, Tom. Hopefully the rest of your internship won't be as slow!
DeleteThe first week of my internship at the Arlington General District Court has been very interesting and has given me an inside look into how the justice system in Arlington works. I was a little nervous and overwhelmed on the first day because I did not expect to already be given such important tasks and opportunities. For the past week I was able to sit with the clerk of the court next to the judge's bench at the front of the court. I shadowed four different clerks and observed as they entered data into the court's computer system and filled out jail cards and other paperwork. I was also lucky enough to meet several of the judges and ask questions about their jobs. I have been able to listen in on arraignments, preliminary hearings, and even trials. So far, I have already visited and worked in all three courts (criminal, civil, and traffic). This has given me a wider perspective on how the justice system functions at the county level. My mentor and coworkers have been very helpful and informative so far, and I look forward to exploring different departments of the office in the coming weeks.
ReplyDeleteI totally know what you're talking about! On my first day I was already talking to patients, I didn't have much instruction on what to do but I like being able to have the opportunity to figure things out on my own.
DeleteI am working with the Arlington County Public Health Department. Public health refers to the health of a whole population as opposed to the health of one person. The public health department focuses on coming up with ways to prevent major health related issues such as communicable diseases and STDS. On my first day, I was anxious to see what I would be doing. So far, I have been assigned to do simple tasks such as making fliers, summarizing articles, and making phone calls to local businesses. There is a large annual event held each year in December for World Aids Day. I am making calls to businesses to ask for their participation in the event.
ReplyDeleteMy mentor is very nice and is always coming up with new things for me to do. The coworkers that I've met have been very friendly. On Monday, I'm going to get a chance to observe a food inspection with one of the coworkers. I'm very excited and I look forward to it!
Its cool that even though we were placed in different organizations we both ended up at the same meeting.
DeleteIt is interesting here stories from other interns in the Arlington Gov. And it seems like you are having fun.
DeleteI work at a podietry and my day usually consists of many different tasks. I make phone calls to insurance companies, set up appointment, complete prescriptions, and sometimes I get to work with the patients. That usually consist of setting up the ultrasound or just sticking around to document what happened during the visit. There's only a few workers there so things get hectic pretty quickly. My mentor tries hard to keep me busy and will go out of his way to task me, which is much appreciated because it is easy to be forgotten as a new intern. My co-workers are very friendly and are always open to answer questions. I've done a lot for my first week there but my mentor plans on teaching me how to set up X-rays which sounds very exciting. I look forward to working everyday.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you'll know how to set up a whole bunch of machines by the time you're done.
DeleteI am working with the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families (APCYF). They work with both Arlington County and APS to help better the community for children and families. So far my internship has gone really well. I have sat in on multiple meetings and even contributed ideas to some of them. My mentor Kim Durand is really nice and supportive and has given me interesting projects to work on including finding articles for their website. My co workers are also very nice and fun to work with. One of them recently taught me how to edit a website, a skill that will be useful in the future. One of the main projects they have had me work on involves something called 40 developmental assets. This is a list of 40 assets that children should be raised with, and the more assets they have, the less likely they will make unsafe decisions as they get older. I looked over the list and talked with the the Asset liaison about ways to make the descriptions clearer.
ReplyDeleteGoing in to this internship I had no idea what to expect so I had very few expectations. I am pleased that just in the first week I have learned what actually goes on in that type of office job and have learned skill that I can utilize in the future. In the next few weeks I will continue to accompany Kim to meetings and work on various projects assigned to me including interviewing community members and writing a blog post for Arlingtonteens.com. I will also get to opportunity to talk with other professionals in government jobs throughout Arlington and ask them questions to see if I can find other possible careers that might interest me in the future.
I am working at the Alexandria Juvenile and Domestic Courts. I expected to be doing a lot of busy work like arranging files, and cleaning things, but that has not been the case. Instead, I am actively participating. I sit in on court hearings regarding various aspects of the law, I go on mail runs to the local post office, and I create templates for the workers there. My mentor is very cool, and gives me opportunities to work with all the other clerks. The biggest surprise to me is that I have my own desk, telephone, and computer.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to learning all the different law terms as I sit in on court hearings. I also hope that I'l learn skills here that will help me in the future, when I'm working in other places.
It's really cool that you get to sit in on different court hearings. I'm sure you'll learn many valuable lessons from that and all the other tasks that you get to do. Good luck!
DeleteI came to the first day of my internship at INOVA Alexandria Hospital ready to do anything that was asked of me. My mentor, Mrs. Spencer, is the Volunteer Services manager, so I am working as a volunteer. She immediately found a task for me in the Nutrition and Food Services. When she first mentioned it, I didn't know what I would be doing but I certainly didn't think my main task would be to help the catering associates deliver food to patients everyday. Even though the first day of my internship seemed very slow and boring, I began to develop new sense of gratitude for being able to interact with various patients and brighten up their day.
ReplyDeleteI was very surprised at how respectful and friendly everyone was at the hospital. Wherever you walk by, everyone greets you and is ready to help you out. However, my mentor made me feel the most welcome and comfortable interning at the hospital. She is very understanding, forgiving, and is one of the most sweetest people I've ever met. As for the catering associates that I got to interact with, they were very welcoming, helpful, and wonderful people. The ones that I got to help out were very patient with me and guided in everything that I did. I also got to meet several volunteers, old and young, who have been volunteering for a while. They too are very helpful and genuinely care about their role and importance as volunteers.
Overall, interning at the hospital has helped me become more open-minded and helped me realize that doing the things that I've least expected teaches me the things that I need to know the most.
I love your last sentence, Gabby!
DeleteI'm so glad you're enjoying your internship, Gabby! I'm also at a healthcare facility and I agree it's so comforting that everyone is open and friendly and ready to help you out of you don't understand something. See you on the trip tomorrow! :)
Deletefor my first week i was working at the clinic at washington & lee high school.
ReplyDeletemy mentor was the clinic aid and she was very nice and pleasant to work with. there wasn't anyone else there because the nurse was on vacation.
while my mentor was nice, as was the work environment, the work itself didn't quite meet my expectations. i alphabetized student files, it was a bit boring, and i was expecting something more hands on and with more of a basis in medicine.
i hope that will be different next week, when i'm at Arlington Traditional, because there will be summer school going on, so i may be working with kids who come in, but i don't know
My first week was really an introduction to what is going on. I am interning at APS Facilities & Operations, under the architectural/engineering division. I have been going around to see some of the construction around the schools. I have seen McKinley elementary which is about to go into some renovations, Wakefield's concession stand, or what little there is built; I am going to see Discovery, the new elementary school. I am also looking over the plans for some of the schools, and looking at bidders for building another elementary school near Jefferson middle school. I am pretty sure my internship is just an introduction in to the field of engineering and architecture, but I think in the future I want to try aeronautical and aerospace engineering.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention, for anyone from H-B, if you remember Finley, he sometimes works in the same department as me.
DeleteThe internship I was placed with is with AETV, television production at the career center. Just in the first week, I have learned so much about the hardware and software we will be using. The first day I was here, I learned how to use a television camera and got hands of experience by driving out to Georgetown to shoot for a video. When we got back, I used the footage I got to experiment and learn hot to use video editing software. That was just on the first day. The following days consisted of a lot of editing and learning. I get a lot of one on one learning time in my internship, which is useful to learn things quickly. I am also learning unrelated skills, for instance, a photography teacher pulled me out for a few hours one day to teach me how to develop and print film in a dark room, which was extremely interesting and I loved doing it. I am excited for what I will continue doing in my internship.
ReplyDeleteSounds really cool. What types of videos are you shooting?
DeleteI am interning for Delegate Alfonso Lopez, a member of the Virginia General Assembly. My mentor is his only full time staff member. So I do not really have co-workers. My mentor and I normally sit at the same table and work quietly. So far, I have done some data entry, writing and legislative research. I like legislative research the most. I have also attended a meeting and a neighborhood 4th of July parade. It was nice to be outside with the community for the parade. I may be going down to Richmond for a legislative meeting soon, although I'm told the topic is not very interesting. While my internship has been less exciting than I expected, I like it and think I am getting good insight into state politics.
ReplyDeleteI am interning at RNL design in Mclean. So far I am enjoying the internship very much. There are 4 other people at RNL currently and I am the one intern. I feel like I am getting real work experience with the architects here and I am learning a lot. I am treated very well by everyone and never feel left out. Any time I need help doing anything I know I can ask any of people there and they will help me solve my problem right away. Currently they have me manipulating the existing office space for a new business. I am asked to make a 3D model of my design using 4 different programs. What initially looks like a very daunting task is made easier with the great help I am receiving at RNL. One thing that I would have appreciated with this internship was maybe another intern working with me. Currently I am the only intern here but it's not a big problem because the architects there make sure that I am included in the things that we do; while I enjoy my internship very much, I would have appreciated another person doing the thing I am doing also.
ReplyDeleteI think that I will enjoy interning at the Columbia Pike Restoration Organization (CPRO). It seems like I will have the opportunity to use and learn many different skills. As of now, my mentor Mr. Karantonis is having me digitize locations of upcoming Columbia Pike events on Google's CAD program, SketchUp, so that CPRO can better plan out the events, and spatially maximize the given area. One of these locations is going to be TJ middle school, so that the indoor part of the Arlington County Fair will be more efficiently planned out. So far, I have drafted a nearby street that will be the location of a community event to come. The work environment has a friendly, casual small business feel, and my mentor Mr. Karantonis is helpful and easy to communicate with. I feel he has a very good understanding of how different community systems work, and I am looking forward to observing and learning from him. I am the only intern, and there are not many other coworkers but, this is not a problem at all. I'm looking forward to learning more about the small business environment while also assisting the community of Columbia Pike.
ReplyDeleteI hope that all of you who are wishing that you had fellow interns are one day in a position to provide internships for young people and that you will remember these days and go out of your way to see to it that more than one young person benefits from all that you are learning here!
ReplyDeleteWell this is embarrassing to be the last person to write this (Time to clean my e-mail again). I've been working with Kevin Cole at the Career Center to work on the PyBoards. The work environment is very casual yet diligent since you work at your own pace to figure out what exactly you have to do. Sometimes we goof off from long hours trying to figure out what's the next step, others it's figuring and learning about the schematics of the kit we've been given. Kevin, our mentor, has some knowledge to help us... but he's also limited. He's a great guide on what we should do next. My co-worker (whom you can figure out) certainly tries to make sense of what we are given and learns keenly from watching someone doing something. Our task is utterly non-specific -- Do stuff, document it. I don't particularly like this concept, but our small group continues to make sense of everything we have and brainstorm ideas to do stuff. Honestly, I didn't expect to learn very little programming and I expected things to be straight-forward, but this is how the internship goes and I love it.
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ReplyDeleteMy internship with the Bowie Baysox has been a pleasant surprise. I was pretty nervous on the first day, but that rubbed off pretty quickly. The staff and the other interns created a great atmosphere to work in by being so friendly and welcoming. My mentor has gone out of his way to create opportunities for me to learn. I have been invited to sit on meetings and witness the creativity that takes place. I have seen cases where interns will come up with ideas for promotions and activities that will actually be used during games. In the office I mainly work on research for promotions, and trying to find businesses, schools, etc. that we could possibly schedule events with. On game days my work becomes different. In minor league baseball, a team could be pretty darn good (the Baysox have the best record in their league) and it might not have a major effect in ticket sales. So myself and other interns will make those weird, in-game promotions, (which minor league baseball is famous for) by finding contestants, bringing props to the field, and whatever else is necessary. If you're curious what those promotions might be, you should head to a Baysox game to find out.