Tufts Intern Spotlight: Alicia Sanders-Zakre at the International Peace Bureau

Alicia Sanders-Zakre
Organization: International Peace Bureau (Geneva, Switzerland)

Year: Class of 2016 (graduating a year early)
Major: International Relations with a concentration in International Security
Duration: Summer
Compensation: Unpaid but funded through Tufts Career Center Internship Grant

(photo credit: Alicia Sanders-Zakre)

This summer, Alicia chose an internship that fit her interests and helped her clearly visualize her future. With financial support from a Tufts Career Center Internship Grant (which just started to offer grants to internships abroad), Alicia spent her summer getting to know the international community in Geneva, Switzerland and experiencing what it's like working in the NGO (nongovernmental organization) environment and in disarmament affairs.

Sunrise in Geneva, Switzerland (photo credit: Alicia Sanders-Zakre)

Specialize your search when finding an internship. When it comes to applying for internships, Alicia believes in looking at internships that reflect your specific interests and connections, rather than applying to a slew of organizations that you don't relate well to.

Alicia found her internship by exploring the connections from her previous internship, American Friends Service Committee. After working on a project with AFSC that was endorsed by the International Peace Bureau, Alicia used her professional network to best position herself for her next opportunity. This way, when applying to the IPB, she had the advantage of highlighting work she did with AFSC in her cover letter.

Use each experience to bring you closer to your end goal (photo credit: Alicia Sanders-Zakre)

Independent work is a big part of interning. As an intern in charge of youth outreach, Alicia had many self-teaching moments. Not only did she have to independently research social media management techniques, but she also created a project for herself, the IPB online youth forum, after finding that she needed more work to do.

Organizations can sometimes have difficulty finding and assigning interns work - especially during the chaos of the workday. If your supervisor is often absent or busy, it's important to seek out advice from others and do some research yourself. A model intern, Alicia refused to be idle. She used her previous contacts at AFSC as well as the Career Center to ask questions and brainstorm new project ideas. Additionally, because of the more intimate environment of the IPB, it was easy for her to pitch her own projects. So even if you don't feel like you're getting much attention at your internship, you may have more power than you think. Like Alicia, if you find yourself twiddling your thumbs, don't get comfortable ...

Gruyères, Switzerland (photo credit: Alicia Sanders-Zakre)

Talk to people who are living the dream. By that, I mean, your dream profession. We see this with alum as well - people love to share their experiences and advice about how they got to where they are today. During her time at the IPB, Alicia spoke to multiple members of the United Nations and other NGOs. Through their experiences and advice, Alicia learned more about the steps she would have to take to pursue a career in disarmament affairs.

An intern's job is to learn. Take any opportunity to learn from those who work in the field. It can open your eyes to new opportunities in your desired field, or it can show you that this may not be the best path for you.

United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR) panel on cybersecurity 

(photo credit: Alicia Sanders-Zakre)

Study abroad always brings a new perspective. As 40% of Geneva's residents are not native Swiss people, the city is a very diverse and international community. Even though Alicia initially felt nervous about connecting with other interns in her short-term residence, she eventually meshed with the interns from multiple offices and around the world. It was here where she got to speak to other students about their experiences and learn more about the top graduate programs in the UK, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.

Like any study abroad opportunity, Alicia was introduced to an international population and learned more about the opportunities that exist beyond the US. If working abroad is something you're thinking about, it's definitely worth exploring the organization and internship opportunities there! A major takeaway from Alicia's internship was the interactions she had with the people she lived with and the things she learned from them. All in all, the abroad internship experience offers amazing learning experiences in and out of the office.

The abroad internship experience can be sweeter than this giant wall of chocolate
(photo credit: Alicia Sanders-Zakre)

If you would like to learn more about Alicia's experience or the experiences from our many other interns who also received Tufts Career Center Internship Grants, check out the Tufts Internship Profile (TIP) Book for detailed profiles!

Thanks for reading!

Nina Joung
Class of 2018

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Tufts Intern Spotlight: Sean Boyden at Brigham & Women's Hospital

Name: Sean Boyden
Organization:  Brigham and Women's Hospital, Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy's Section of Clinical Sciences, Boston, MA

Hometown: Leominster, MA
Year: 2017
Major: Biopsychology & Community Health
Duration: Summer
Compensation: Unpaid

I mentioned in an earlier post that I spent part of this summer working as a research intern at Brigham and Women's Hospital. Specifically, I worked in the Division of Rheumatology, Immunology, and Allergy's Section of Clinical Sciences. I learned a lot about myself and the internship process in general (and not just because my lengthy commute to Boston left me with exorbitant amounts of time for introspection), and the proximity of Tufts to Boston has made it possible for me to continue my internship into the school year (you can catch me flipping through orgo flashcards on the red line on Thursday and Friday afternoons). In keeping with our internship spotlights, I thought I'd shine a light inward and share my experience as an intern. Here's what I learned in between 2-hour train rides and crowded subway cars:

The best (or worst?) intern ever. (source)

Don't be intimidated by the learning curve. My major duties as an intern in a clinical research department were to review patient charts to determine their eligibility for our studies, and to contact patients by phone if they qualified for participation. At first, I was really bad at these jobs - like, really bad. I'd spend way too much time reading through charts, I'd get nervous on the phone and slip up in conversation - I was no expert. But an intern is never an expert; the point of an internship is to learn about something you don't know much about. Once I got a grip on what specifically to look for in a patient's chart, I could skim through it and quickly get to the parts I needed to read. Similarly, once I'd read through my phone script and practiced it (many, many times), I developed my own way of communicating all of the appropriate information to patients in my own voice. And, guess what? I got better. It took some time - I remember in the first few weeks of June, I'd leave the office and want to ram my head against a subway pole in frustration - but the only way to get better at it was to do it. If you encounter difficulty at first, don't run from it - face it head on, and work on it until it becomes easy.

Be eager and flexible. One of the most common pieces of advice that interns get is "Don't be afraid to do the grunt work." To expand on this (very true) suggestion, don't be afraid to do new things and take on new responsibilities. Not only does it add variety to your day, but it demonstrates your work ethic and willingness to your employer. At the start of my internship, I assisted with one study, which examines the role of central nervous system processing of pain in rheumatoid arthritis. Now, I help with at least four different studies, and do different things for each one. Because I was eager to help whenever my supervisor asked, I was able to really enhance my experience.

Don't be annoying, but definitely be eager! (source)

Reflect on the experience. This is something that I recommend to everyone who has completed an internship. By thinking about what you gained from the experience, what you liked and didn't like, and what you would do differently, you can foster an even better internship or job experience in the future, and learn a lot about yourself and your future career goals. My internship has made me realize that I definitely want to work in a clinical setting, where I can really reach people and improve their lives. Additionally, before my internship I'd never seriously entertained the idea of doing clinical research, but now I think I really want to incorporate this into my future. I love the applicability of clinical research, and its potential to help many people because of how understandable it is. In the future, I'm going to seek internship and job opportunities in clinical research, or more broadly, that share the values and themes of clinical research.

(source)

In case you couldn't tell, I had a really great internship experience. To everyone looking for a summer internship or thinking about doing one (DEFINITELY DO IT), I encourage you to really make the most of it and push yourself to be the best intern you can be - review those charts, print those agendas, and get stuff done.

Until next time,
Sean Boyden
Class of 2017

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Tufts Intern Spotlight: Louis Shaevel at the Red Sox Foundation

Name: Louis Shaevel
Organization: Red Sox Foundation

Hometown: Newton, MA
Year: Class of 2017
Major: English (Pre-Med track focusing on Pediatrics)
Duration: Summer
Compensation: Paid

Louis had a extraordinary experience combining his two interests: helping others and sports. An internship doesn't have to directly correlate with your prospective profession. It's a chance to do something unique and cool, too! Here's what Louis learned from what most Bostonians would consider a dream internship:

During the internship search, don't let a dead-end stop you!

(pinterest.com)

Through conversations with his Career Center advisor (props to Nicole Anderson!), Louis was able to find opportunity hidden in dead-ends. Even when Louis heard "no" from one organization, he looked towards a larger network - the Red Sox - for opportunity.

According to Louis, "We were initially looking into [the Homebase Program], which basically helps war veterans with PTSD and TBI... "    While Louis is an English major, he is also pre-med, and the prospect of working at The Homebase Program at Massachusetts General Hospital was really interesting.  But, MGH is a world class hospital and there are lots of college students in Boston seeking internships there.  The Homebase Program is one of many organizations made possible by the Red Sox Foundation, so the next strategy was to apply directly to the Red Sox Internship Program and indicate that he was interested in the Foundation.

Working for a big company can bring once-in-a-lifetime opportunities!

Don't throw away a great opportunity...(pandawhale.com)

Working with the Red Sox Foundation brought major (league) perks. Besides attending games on the reg, Louis also had weekly meetings with figures from the Red Sox's front office. This included an amazing opportunity to meet with former Red Sox CEO Larry Lucchino. Of course, the most important part about an opportunity is to make the most of it! During his one-on-one with Larry Lucchino, Louis pitched an idea that would help increase registration in RBI Youth Baseball, which supports inner-city youth participation in the sport.

According to Louis, "At the end of [the internship]...when I had my meeting with him, he asked me, 'What's one thing you would do to improve the Foundation?' So I thought about, and I came up with a pretty good response I felt, and he liked it, and he said he would present it to the front office...I felt like I was able to contribute to a cause. It really was a culmination of my experience there. I was able to not leave it as it was, but improve [it] in some sort of way."

Understand your role as an intern and make it your goal to fulfill that role!

An intern should never laze around (manresamaine.wordpress.com)

An internship holds responsibilities and expectations just like any position. In an office full of hard-working, significant figures, Louis strived to be a resource for the company rather than an extra body.

According to Louis, "Interns are there to do work that people don't have the time to do--that's the nature of interns. So while I was there, it took me a little time to understand that, but [as an intern,] I'm helping people make their lives a little easier. I need to make sure that every second I'm not just taking my time there for granted and wasting a possible resource that they can use, which is me helping them."

Confidently face challenges!

Face every challenge like a victory! (fansided.com)

Those first few days or weeks of an internship are bound to be a little bumpy, and Louis' were no exception. His regret during the internship traces back to his first few rounds selling raffle tickets during game days when he initially felt awkward approaching people. But it just goes to show that confidence is definitely important as an intern especially since you have no idea what task is coming your way.

The early bird gets the internship...(yes, that totally is the saying, what are you talking about?!..)

Timing is everything...(www.sbnation.com)

Okay, I'll admit, that's not the real saying. I also have to admit that being the first one to send an application may not make a significant difference. However, Louis points out that getting a head start on searching and prepping for applications opens up more opportunities than starting everything at the last minute. (The Career Center is always open for resume critiques and internship consultations *hint hint*...)

According to Louis, "It's never too early to start looking for things for the summer,...making sure the resume is where it should be, [and] writing the right cover letter towards [internships] that you find online."

Where do you go after a major league internship?

Sorry, is my New York showing? hehe...(the5thq.wordpress.com)

After working with the Red Sox Foundation, Louis plans to look for a volunteer opportunity with a local hospital. And thanks to the Red Sox's multiple hospital partnerships, he hopes to start looking among those partnerships to build off the connections he's made with the Red Sox Foundation. 

Look out for more Intern Spotlights full of experience, wisdom, and classic college struggles!

Thanks for reading!

Nina Joung

Class of 2018

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