This Autonomy Leads to the Feeling of Importance, Influence and Impact that Most Internships Don’t Provide
In 4 short months, I have become a part of the Center for Employment Training family. While working with the executive office, I have mostly helped on the series of events leading up to their 50th anniversary gala coming up in August. Between sending out email blasts, creating flyers, making save the date invitations, doing the set-up/clean-up of the series of events and anything else asked of me, I have gained quite a lot from this non-profit experience.
Some internship experiences feel as though I haven’t contributed anything to the company besides being an extra hand pressing buttons or entering numbers. At CET, this is not the case. I am the sole individual responsible for collecting alumni email accounts, designing flyers and pressing send on email blasts that go out to over 7,000 recipients. I send my work for edits and to get supervisor feedback of course but the autonomy here is far beyond anything I have had in other positions. This autonomy leads to the feeling of importance, influence and impact that most internships don’t provide.
Originally, I will admit that I was hesitant about the whole process. Getting accepted first and then placed made me uneasy and the first few weeks at CET I felt like a generic intern. But I quickly learned that this wasn’t the case. I now see the bigger picture of the impact of my work and it comes full circle. The email addresses that I was entering into excel those first couple weeks are now the ones that I’m sending email blasts to for every event invitation and newsletter. CET needs the support that the NPI fellows gives it each year and I hope this program prospers. Our work through the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative makes a difference at each organization we support and I’m extremely lucky to be a part of this program.