Hometown: Muskegon, MI
Major and class standing: EnglishLit.Studies, Junior
Internship: The Michigan Student Power Network/Alliance
What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?
I was an organizing fellow from May of 2021 until May of 2022. As an organizing fellow, my responsibility was to build a base of student activists across my campus in order to connect with other students via shared issues. We did this through a variety of tactics, including but not limited to communal organizing, direct-action, voter registration, education, and engagement, and various educational pursuits for both MSP staff and community members.
How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?
I previously had an electoral fellowship in the fall of 2020 with this organization, from September through December. I had a friend that at the time was completing the year long fellowship program, and they recommended me and sent me the application. I was able to secure this internship due to the various connections that I had already made through activism circles on MSU’s campus and in Lansing, but before this I utilized Handshake primarily to search for internships. However, I struggled to find something that fit as well as this position did.
What did your daily routine include?
Due to the remote nature of my work, many of my days were self-guided. There would be many times where I was only able to focus on school work, but I tried to have at least 2 days a week that I could dedicate towards my work with MSP. Many of those days consisted of researching various movements and creating progressive and radical writing content that could be published and/or shared with others as a means of educating people on common issues within the Great Lakes state.
Your favorite experience from the internship (2-3 sentences)
My favorite experience from the internship was our cohort calls. Though these spaces were primarily dedicated towards reporting the work that we had been engaging in for the previous couple of weeks, we also used these spaces to decompress and connect further as people. They were as therapeutic as they were productive!
What was your least favorite part of the internship?
My least favorite aspect of this internship was the communication. MSP is a pretty small organization, meaning that many of the staff must take on a lot of duties, meaning that they do not always have the capacity to communicate as effectively as I would have liked.
What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
The largest skill that I built upon throughout this fellowship was my technological skills. Most of my work is remote, and prior to this fellowship I struggled a lot with anything having to do with technology. I feel much more confident with my skills to be able to successfully function as a remote worker.
What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?
I learned that just because being an activist is usually an unpaid job, doesn’t mean it should be. I deserve to be paid for my skills and my time, and so does everyone else!
What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?
Do not settle on something that doesn’t feel right! Your internship should give you valuable experience that you will take into the future, don’t waste it on something you don’t actually care about.
