Hello, my name is Andie Yi and I have successfully completed my first internship this summer, fully remote and paid. I am a second year undergraduate at UC Berkeley, majoring in Global Studies, Peace and Conflict in Asia. For most of my internship, I traveled to Mexico, Korea, and Japan. How is this possible? In this blog post, I will share with you insights on my triumphant navigation of the internship while traveling internationally.
Upon finding LaunchPoint on Handshake during my Spring semester, I went through three rounds of interviews to apply for a Research and Marketing intern position at a non-profit pharmaceutical organization called NP2 - Pharma Reimagined. After beating out other candidates, I was offered the internship and immediately learned how imperative transparency was in the workplace. Before I even accepted the intern position, I communicated to LaunchPoint and NP2 my travel plans for the summer and how determined I was to work remotely while traveling.
To be honest, I was really nervous when traveling to Asia. The time change meant 8 am calls on my side of the world. Visiting a new city every four days made it challenging to find time to work. There were so many variables that could have hindered my role. However, I was fortunate to work under Terri, the executive director, who was flexible and positive minded throughout our time together. We scheduled calls weeks in advance to prepare for our time differences, and emailed frequently throughout the week for updates and follow-up questions. My assignments were mostly project-based, allowing me to work on my own schedule over a long period of time.
Without transparent communication with Terri, my successful navigation of the internship would have been impossible. Lack of clarity can easily create confusion and misunderstanding in your responsibilities and work relationships. To avoid this and instead achieve clarity in your internship, here are some tips:
Ask all the questions you can think of, even the stupid ones.
Be crystal clear on your scope.
Repeat back your next assignments.
A few weeks into working for NP2, I learned that you feel more equipped to take on a task when you know exactly what your superior wants. Do not hold yourself back from asking questions that will allow you to deliver with greater quality and detail. Applying number 3, especially, will allow both you and your superior to be on the same page. I assure you that you will feel more confident returning to your next call with reports on progress and results.
In addition to receiving great mentorship from my NP2 executive, I was paired with Lydia Ivy, Internal Communications Director at College Track, to support me through my navigation of the internship and professional development.
One thing I brought up to Lydia in one of our bi-monthly calls was the feeling of inconsistency, and sometimes monotony, in my work. Sometimes I would double-down on a new project, while other times I’d be waiting until the next meeting, ready for a new task. After working on the same project for almost four weeks, Lydia encouraged me to tell Terri that I was ready for something new. Upon telling Terri this in our next call, I realized how much capability I had, to take initiative. Initiative led to new assignments that went beyond my outlined responsibilities, and I began to contribute to other areas of the company that expanded the boundaries of my scope as a “Research and Marketing” intern. I was breaking out of my student mold. I had more autonomy in my work than I thought. You don’t need to wait for permission to apply yourself.
I want to empower others like myself to not be daunted by the responsibilities of an internship. When applying transparency and initiative, it is completely possible to successfully work and enjoy yourself outside of work at the same time!
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