Through my research experience, I have developed several transferable, or “soft” skills, which will be very useful in both my academic and professional career. The skill which first comes to mind is adaptability. As I am sure many can relate to, for me, this past year has been full of surprises, many of which did…
Tag: Summer 2020
Learning Across Disciplines
One of the most valuable lessons I have learned in college is the importance of connecting with the people around me. Whether that is introducing myself to someone I am sitting near in the dining hall, attending office hours to ask questions and get to know my professors, or reaching out to classmates in a…
Final Frederick Blog Post
My internship with the Sierra Club as a political intern has not had an official end, as I’m still volunteering with the political campaign I was working with, and will be with them until the election. I figured now is a good time as any to reflect on my internship experience. Having this experience over…
Sharing My Perspective
Effective communication is essential for not just research, but for just about every aspect of one’s professional and personal life. Communication allows for new ideas and inspirations to be transferred from one person to the next and perspectives to be formulated and shifted. Today, I will reflect on the importance of communicating my ideas to…
Being a Helper and Other Lessons from Summer 2020
Given the general craziness that is the world situation right now, and the multiple plan changes that had to take place this summer before I was able to obtain an internship, the summer turned out to be an incredible experience. I think that, as is often the case, we end up learning the most in…
Learning Virtual Soft Skills in COVID America
Working at any level of government requires a wide variety of soft-skills that are never taught in a classroom and have to be learned from interacting with people by working to solve problems to reach goals effectively. My internship with the Urban Redevelopment Authority this summer has been no exception. However, the virtual nature of…
Learning New Skills
I want to start by saying my internship start and end dates are a little later than everyone else’s, so I apologize for the late posts! I am still interning with the Sierra Club and working with one of their endorsed campaigns, and it has taught me a lot about being a better leader and…
COVID-19 and Education
My research idea sparked with an interest in learning about how the coronavirus crisis impacts education. What I appreciate most about my research is how relevant and quickly-evolving this idea is. I began this summer with the intention to study how remote learning resources differ across public schools in the Philadelphia area. I was interested…
Goodbye, But Not For Good
Today marks the end of my summer internship, generously funded by the David C. Frederick Public Service Internship Award. In our final meeting, us interns were asked to reflect on our experience at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), a prominent refugee resettlement agency. “I never knew that this was a career path,” I said. “But…
“Take it Easy” & Other Valuable Lessons
Take it Easy & Avoid Perfection The United States is in the middle of a global pandemic, everyone is stressed, and no one knows exactly what to do. Of all the things I took from my internship from the Allegheny Conference on Community Development, one of the most important things I will take away is…