Eh It’s Okay — I Hate it Here — I never want to leave

Looking back on my goals for this internship, I can proudly say that I have checked all of them off. My first goal was to be a better communicator in the workplace. This stems from the fact that when facing new situations, professional or not, I always tend to be shy, timid, quiet, un-inviting, and sometimes rude. In the beginning of the internship I felt okay, then around mid-semester I actually really hated it. I felt uncomfortable, I didn’t want to go in anymore, and I was really unsatisfied with my work. I’m not really sure what switched but right around the beginning of November I started to love it. I started to love my work, I started to really enjoy the company of my co-workers, and I felt like I could get behind our mission more. I found myself wanting to work longer, take on more projects, and become more personal with my co-workers. My second goal was to plan my own event or be the assistant to planning an event. This is the goal I am most proud of for completing. Last week, I planned a company-wide holiday staff party with the help of an event consultant who I know I can call not only a really great contact but also a friend. He let me take the reins for the entire event and this really allowed me to show my staff that I am capable of a lot of things. They saw that not only can I plan and execute projects, but I can also do it well. My third goal was to learn more about the workings of non-profits in general. I accomplished this every day by listening to important conversations between my co-workers and donors or directors or media or any one really. They taught me little tips throughout the week of what I should and shouldn’t do when it comes to everything non-profit. My fourth goal was to work directly with people who have been impacted by Mercy Flight. I was able to do this through what we call Feature Fridays. This is where the marketing director let me take over and interview a different employee every week to hear their story of why they love Mercy Flight, what brought them to us, what the hardest part about their job is, etc. This allowed me to not only meet more people but also to get a more personal feel for the people around me. I was also able to interview a patient and her mother for a really great story. My last goal was to make professional connections and I can definitely say I accomplished this. In the beginning, I was scared to even talk to my supervisor, other director, and vice president (all the ladies I work with in our office of four). Now I feel like I could grab lunch with any one of them to talk about work or just life. I also made a really important connection while planning the holiday party with Bryan Wittman who is a major events guy around Buffalo, has a lot of experience, knows a lot of people, and is really impressed with my work. I am definitely going to keep these connections for a long time. I know I will be able to lean on these references for advice or a good word for years to come and I think that alone is a really great benefit. Through all the ups and downs of the internship, I would rate it 10/10. I was able to do a lot of projects on my own, which is very important to me, and I was treated with such respect and kindness. I happy to mention that my staff asked me to stay on and I will be working for them until my next internship in the spring. I’m really excited they enjoy me working there as much as I enjoy working there and I don’t want to leave such a great thing. Overall, I am very proud that I accomplished what I had hoped to.