Now, it’s been about a month and a half of working at the Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts. It is strange to think about how I only have a few weeks left. I’ve been doing research of my own and looking at others’ research over the past weeks, and it’s been very fulfilling. Some of this research has been going into infographics on our Instagram. Attached below is the first slide of an important graphic I made on reproductive justice, which has become a large chunk of what I’ve been thinking about and working on. Check out the full post on @womensfundwmass!
The main difference I’ve found has been how self-motivated my internship has been. Besides a few meetings a week, I am primarily working alone, sitting at my computer for approximately 5 hours a day. This has been surprisingly different from Brandeis academics. Even though there is a lot of self-starting in my classes, the lack of due dates in my internship has forced me to find out what works for me in terms of being productive. I’ve always been a fan of lists, but keeping myself accountable to write lists every morning (especially through the Trello that my supervisor and I share), has helped me immensely. I hope to bring these newly polished organizational skills back to my academic life.
Additionally, I have appreciated the way that the World of Work opportunity has made my brain work in a different way. Instead of producing work that is entirely based on my own effort and can be often seen as a representation of my intellect, I have been able to be less anxious about the work I submit to my supervisor. Therefore, I have been able to put my full effort into actually creating work I enjoy, instead of becoming fixated on a future grade.
It’s hard to entirely list out all the skills that I’ve learned during this time. Since I’m in it right now, I can imagine that most of the skills I’ve gained will be realized after I’m done and working somewhere else. That being said, I have noticed that I am more confident in my creative choices, which was one of my initial goals going into this internship. Being able to trust myself is extremely important and it’s definitely been something that is missing in my professional life. Additionally, running professional social media accounts under a supervisor that is knowledgeable about marketing and content creation has given me skills that I am so thankful for. Plus, those skills will help me immensely in my senior year job working at Hiatt (woohoo!!).
It’s been so lovely to see all the work done by all the other WOW recipients and this summer will be one I will not forget.