I love the environment at One Mission, it is one of the major reasons that I wanted to return for a second summer. The office has a very relaxed feel to it. On the average summer day there are only about 4 people in the office, keeping it quiet and quaint. Due to the size, or lack thereof, I have gotten to know and work with everyone and that is something I greatly appreciate. Over the course of the summer I have been able to help everyone with at least one project and get their feedback on my work. I have also been able to get a deeper insight into each person’s role in the organization.
The World of Work has differed from university/academic life in multiple ways. First, work stays at work, at least for me. The minute I walk out the door, all of my One Mission tasks are over for the day, unlike at school when I always have more studying and work to do for classes. Working is also more collaborative than school. At school I have to be self driven to my own success, but at work, if I am slacking then that affects the jobs of all of the other employees and the reach of the organization. Another big difference is commute. During the school year, I live on campus, but during the summer I am commuting to my internship. I spend 40 minutes to an hour every day driving to work and another 40 mins – 1 hour driving home, compared to my less than 10 minute walk across campus to class.
A big skill that I am building as a result of my internship at One Mission is how to write professional letters to companies proposing partnerships and/or asking for donations. I have been working on a formal proposal for a partnership with an organization for the past few weeks and have also written a few shorter letters to companies. Regardless of what career path I pursue after graduation, the skill of writing a formal letter and creating a thorough professional proposal is a great asset.
The reason that I applied to intern at One Mission initially last summer is because that I want to work in this specific field. My goal is to work for a pediatric cancer based non-profit, preferably one that focuses on programs more than research, and that is what I found in OM. (To learn about OM programs check out their website http://onemission.org/how-we-help/). The skills I am learning in branding, outreach, social media marketing, and many other things, is invaluable in my future career path. Interning in the type of organization that I want to work in helps me build applicable skills daily and is giving me a realistic insight into what I may be doing in the future.
If you’re interested in following us on Twitter you can at https://twitter.com/buzzforkids and Instagram at @buzzforkids. I currently control our Instagram account and will continue to until the end of my internship, so like all you want
Jen Rossman
Was it easy getting used to working collaboratively? The closest analog in academia is group projects and those are sometimes very difficult when people don’t work well together. It’s such an important skill to have in the workplace, especially in a close environment like you described. You’re doing incredibly significant work at One Mission during your internship. People tend to forget that children with cancer shouldn’t have to act strong all of the time, sometimes they should just get to be kids and have fun!
I agree that working is much more collaborative than school work; this is something I found in my internship as well! I think part of the reason this is the case is because while school work is meant just to educate, the work that is done in the workforce is so real and so impactful to so many people that in order for it to be done well and efficiently, it’s necessary to work together! I enjoy reading about your internship! Keep up the great work!
It was pretty easy getting used to working collaboratively. Although I do not work collaboratively often for classwork at Brandeis, I work on committees and executive boards for campus clubs and for those I work with others quite often.