Hometown: Grosse Pointe, MI

Major & Class Standing: Biology and Spanish, Senior

Instagram: kate.g35

Internship Company/Organization Name: Fundación SPINE

Location of Internship: Remote

What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?

My title was “Research Support Intern”, which included assisting the foundation with their research studies, translating past papers and questionnaires from Spanish to English, and editing past translations. 

What did your daily routine include?

My daily routine involved accessing the shared folder with the files to be translated, then I would take the day to translate and edit a file. A few files were already translated so I would just read through and make any necessary grammatical edits. Weekly I would have a zoom meeting with my supervisor to discuss my work and any questions I had.

How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?

I was paired with this organization through the company Connect 1,2,3. I found them through MSU.

What was your favorite part of the internship?

I really enjoyed working with my supervisor and getting to know about her life in Argentina and her experiences in the medical field.

What was your least favorite part of the internship?

Being remote, I wish I was able to go to Buenos Aires to work and live there.

What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?

I learned how valuable it is to share research and the importance of quality translation. By translating medical research into more languages, more people will be able to access the information which could lead to more people getting the care they need. In the future, I plan to attend medical school and use what I learned in this internship to provide quality care to everyone by informing myself with research from around the world.  

What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?

I worked on my Spanish skills in reading, writing, and speaking. I also improved my cross-cultural communication skills.

What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help! Your employers want to help you and it’s better to put in a little time asking for help instead of putting in hours to redo an entire project.