Hometown: Tecumseh, MI
Major and class standing: Japanese, sophomore
LinkedIn: eliasyoung
Where you interned: Lansing Refugee Development Center
What was your internship title and role/responsibilities?
Digital Literacy & Learning Intern, assisting in the administrative organization of the DLL program, hands-on assistance in DLL classes, CASAS, and Northstar Admin certification
How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?
I was told of RDC internships through my academic advisor, and then had to write an essay and fill out their application. After that, I had an interview with their internship coordinator and then attend their volunteer training.
What did your daily routine include?
I had both WFH duties (self-guided online work) and once-per-week in-person work at their class location at the Lansing Unitarian Universalist church. Those days were when I would assist in classes and keep the physical tech organized.
Your favorite experience from the internship.
The staff and client had Thanksgiving dinner last fall. It was held a few days before the actual holiday and was a potluck kind of event. It was so rewarding to spend time with the refugees I’d gotten to know and take part in an exchange of culture around food.
What was your least favorite part of the internship?
The DLL program was definitely still a work in progress when I started (and still sort of is), so I didn’t start with clear-cut duties or a long history of the program I was a part of.
What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
A lot of the skills I was able to build were more soft skills, like taking initiative when explicit directions aren’t given, and strategies for communicating with others that don’t speak the same language, or are at least not proficient in it.
What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?
I learned a lot about how a non-profit runs both in the financial sense and the literal organizational sense. The funding for the program I worked on specifically is being funded by the federal government as part of only a few states piloting a program that may or may not become a nationwide digital literacy program. As such, I learned a lot about how federal programs are actually implemented and what that means for the organizations that run them. I have some interest in working for a non-profit abroad, so this gives me a good American perspective to build off from.
What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?
Even if you don’t feel like you’re qualified, apply anyways. Try things, maybe you won’t be the most experienced but you will always learn things, and if you’re hired that means that those you’re working for found value in who you are, so don’t doubt that.
