Hello again, readers!
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Career Carnival. I thought it might be helpful to offer my own experience with the Carnival, since going into things as a senior is a whole different ballgame. Even though it's still September and I'm trying not to psyche myself out too much this early on, I can't help but plan ahead. I went into it with the goal of discovering opportunities that I could seriously consider post-graduation.
Last week, I had the pleasure of attending the Career Carnival. I thought it might be helpful to offer my own experience with the Carnival, since going into things as a senior is a whole different ballgame. Even though it's still September and I'm trying not to psyche myself out too much this early on, I can't help but plan ahead. I went into it with the goal of discovering opportunities that I could seriously consider post-graduation.
I was especially interested in looking at the posters on display, because they came from students who had done internships through the Internship Grant Program. As someone who would be hard-pressed to take on the financial burden of an unpaid internship, I appreciate the fact that Tufts offers this opportunity. As a graduating senior I won't be able to apply, but I certainly encourage the Classes of 2016-2018 to look into it!
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| It was a beautiful day for careers (and free ice cream)! |
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| Margaret's informative poster about her internship! |
In the midst of dozens of posters, it was easy to become overwhelmed by it all. Eventually, I spotted a poster about the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights. Civil rights are one of my passions, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to talk to the poster's owner. This was how I met Margaret Azzi (Class of 2016), who worked for the OCR this summer. We had a great conversation about her internship, and I learned a lot. She was gracious enough to answer a few questions about it for the blog.
How did you find out about this particular internship?
"I found out about this internship via the Tufts internship fair. I ended up talking with a member of the Office for Civil Rights and left my resume with them. I received an email within the week regarding applications and submitted a writing sample and a cover letter from there."When are the important deadlines?
"Deadlines tend to be rolling for Spring, Summer, and Fall. I suggest inquiring about an internship as soon as possible!"
What was your "typical" day like at this internship?
"At the OCR there was never a typical day! Usually I was assigned a specific topic or project to work on, but the work I was doing varied from day to day. At the beginning of each day I stopped in and checked with my mentor regarding what she needed completed by the end of working hours . If there was nothing pertinent due that day, I was free to work on outside projects I’d obtained from other members of the OCR. If there was something extremely important due that day though, I would be called in to work on it with my mentor on that specific task. There was never a dull day at the OCR!"
What was your favorite thing about your internship?
"The people! The staff was so friendly and welcoming. They treated me as one of their own and were always there to answer my questions and help me when I needed it. I learned so many valuable lessons from them throughout the summer."
What was the most challenging aspect of your internship?
"The most challenging part of this internship, in my opinion, was the lack of clear direction on specific parts of projects. As my job included a plethora of reading and research, a lot of parameters of how to execute the project were left for me to decide. As a student, I was previously accustomed to having explicit directions for every written assignment I turned in. My projects at the OCR, though, were more open-ended. While they helped me to foster better writing skills and brought me to be more concise in the formulation of my thoughts, the lack of clear directions was hard for me at first and took some time to become accustomed to."
You were able to be paid for this internship through the Tufts Internship Grant program -- would you suggest this program to students who cannot afford an unpaid internship?
"Yes, I would without a doubt suggest that students apply to this program. It is a wonderful opportunity to fund an internship that is something directly related to my future career interests. The Tufts Internship Grant Program provided me the opportunity to truly explore a field that I ended up loving. Without the grant I know that I personally would not have been able to have this wonderful summer experience!"
It's clear from her words that Margaret's internship was an amazing experience that wouldn't have happened without the Internship Grant. During the Carnival, Margaret told me that she has even decided to continue working with the OCR this fall, since she loved her time there so much. That's definitely the sign of a successful internship!
To learn more about the Internship Grant Program, attend one of the information sessions coming up! The first one is on Friday, October 3rd at noon in Dowling Hall Room 745A. The other sessions are listed here.
Signing off,
Kelly Vieira
Class of 2015
