Career Development
The 2021 Graduate Student Internship Fellowship application is about to open on March 1st. Curious about what an internship for a graduate student is really like? Learn from the stories and lessons of our 2020 awardees both in this article and at our panel on Feb 2nd!
We followed up with our current fellows, who won awards in Spring 2020, about their experiences and here is what they had to say! We hope this will inspire you to apply for the 2021 Graduate Student Internship Fellowship - the application opens March 1st. You can also meet these fellows and ask any questions that you may have during a special panel discussion on Feb 2!
For a quick recap in case you are new here: the purpose of the Graduate Student Internship Fellowship is to assist graduate students with attaining experience related to their career goals and professional development. The 2020 Graduate Student Internship Fellowship was awarded to 6 students who demonstrated how their Summer or Fall 2020 work experience would be impactful for their career trajectory.
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Albert Ventayol-Boada
Linguistics and IT Intern for The Language Conservancy in Bloomington, IN
What did you get out of your internship?
My internship at The Language Conservancy gave me the opportunity to apply my research skills and knowledge in a non-academic context and it gave a clearer idea of positions and careers I can pursue upon graduation. I was able to expand my professional network and I have remained in contact and in collaboration with the organization after my internship.
What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?
For me, the most valuable professional experience has been practicing negotiation in the workplace. My supervisor and I laid out our priorities for my stay at TLC and we negotiated a compromise that would satisfy all our needs. I was able to get involved with and learn from different departments in the organization while I worked toward their goal of automating some of their manual labor with scripts and programming.
What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?
It is important to ask any potential organization what the profile of the people who typically intern with them is. In some fields, intern graduate students might be rare and that can require additional communication about what you can bring to the organization and what your needs are as a graduate student. Don't be afraid to ask!
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Amanda Pinheiro de Oliveira
Asylum-Seeking Processing Intern with Instituto Madre Assunta in Tijuana, Mexico
What did you get out of your internship?
The internship is still in progress, but it has already made an impact on my graduate student experience. Because of the pandemic, we had to rethink our strategies to support migrants/refugee using online resources. It was complicated in the beginning, but I learned that refugee advocates can do a lot remotely, and it changes everything when it comes to support immigrants' community globally.
What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?
It has been great to have co-workers, to work as part of a team. While graduate school can be an isolating experience for some of us, the good thing about a professional setting is the opportunity to work in collaboration with other people, especially people interested in the same topics that you are. Can you imagine discussing your research topic with 10 other people every day? Exactly, it is great!
What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?
Please do it! Paid or unpaid, an internship will change your experience as a graduate student and open several doors that you, otherwise, would not know that exist. Also, it helps a lot to easy our anxiety about the "what if I cannot get an academic job?" Basically, it shows us that there is life beyond academia.
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Chongzheng Wei
Education Program Officer for the Gay and Lesbian Campus Association of China (GLCAC) based out of Guangzhou, China
What did you get out of your internship?
My job at the civil society organization offered me an invaluable opportunity to further hone my advocacy and writing skills by developing a comprehensive but succinct manual for teaching gender equality and LGBTQ inclusion. I conceptualized the framework, designed activities and developed content. Throughout the process, I collaborated with activists, teachers, parents and youth to include a diverse range of inputs.
What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?
One important thing I'd like to highlight was that I learned more about how to bridge the gap between research findings and educational practice. By learning the experiences of activists who have a lot of experiences training teachers, I was able to transform my academic writing into plain language that is more digestible for teachers.
What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?
I saw this inspiring line somewhere - "Dream is not about what you want, but what you do after knowing who you are". Finding an internship starts by discovering your own passion, interests, values that are in line with who you are. The most difficult part is not to find opportunities but to discern which prospect suits you the best.
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EstefanĂa Pihen González
Accreditation Process Consultant for local schools with Long Way Home based out of Guatemala
What did you get out of your internship?
It was an incredibly rich opportunity as I was able to learn about the many challenges that the school has had to overcome to become accredited, considering it follows a very unique and progressive curriculum. Beyond that, I was able to better understand how to navigate another country's accreditation and how to meet their demands while still providing a program of studies that integrates sustainability issues into the daily learning.
What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?
Due to COVID-19 we had all our interactions via ZOOM, so it is honestly quite difficult to say that I learn something new from working in a typical professional setting. Our meetings followed the traditional formats and structure most ZOOM meetings are following.
What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?
Research companies and organizations that are doing things that you dream of doing one day-and apply to those. Don't ever think you are not good enough for an internship; always try and apply. Explore opportunities beyond your field of most expertise or comfort; many companies do amazing work and they don't advertise/label themselves with a specific tag, so it's good to research in and outside your immediate field.
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Kate Zheng
Technical Writing & Project Management Intern for Vascular BioSciences in Goleta, CA
What did you get out of your internship?
I attended a on-campus lecture given by the CEO of the company and kept in touch with him afterward. This networking led to this internship.
What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?
I learned how to apply project management, especially agile in real working environment. I also learned a lot about working in a group remotely.
What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?
Be more ambitious in job/internship hunting and be an active networker!
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Melissa Janson
Psychology Trainee at the Children's Clinic of Santa Barbara County Department of Behavioral Wellness.
What did you get out of your internship?
Thus far in my internship, I have been completing online virtual trainings on topics that will prepare me to provide therapy to children and families. So far, I have learned about how to treat and manage suicidal ideation, assess risk, engage in safety planning, identify strengths and areas of client and familial growth, and formulate treatment plans and goals. I am ready to hit the ground running and begin actual clinical work once my paper work goes through with the county and UCSB! I will be with the County until at least next September and cannot wait to work with people one-on-one.
What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?
I am currently learning the importance of patience, flexibility, and continued communication, especially during COVID-19. There have been unexpected delays in my ability to begin providing therapy to children and families due to paperwork processing of my position, but I have kept in touch with my supervisor almost weekly. I also have expressed a willingness to help in other ways or extend my commitment to my internship to make up for this delay. During these times, I am realizing the importance of being flexible and redefining goals and expectations given certain temporary constraints. Due to COVID-19, paperwork processing is taking longer than expected.
What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?
Follow your interests and passions! Talk to others who might be able to guide you toward an internship or an experience, such as other graduate students, faculty, and mentors. So many of the internships found in my department at least (CCSP) are through help and direction given by our faculty. They have formed connections and partnerships with several organizations and non-profits in our local community, paving the way for us to be able to work in various settings and gain real-world experience.
If you are interested in learning how you can get a graduate-level internship, come speak with a career counselor (schedule your appointment via Handshake)!