As some of you are still going through the process of finding a placement and there are others of you who have been placed, please reflect on the process so far in preparing for the WLE by addressing the following prompts in a 2 page (double-spaced) reflection. Please write your reflection in a Word Document, saving it under a filename on the server, such as "lucaswadewle.doc".
What has been difficult? What has surprised you? What have you learned?
What are you excited for? What are you most uncertain of right now?
What advice would you give to the 11th grade students next year?
What do you hope to learn from your internship?
19 comments:
Copper. Gamma block. Advisory.
Over the past few weeks of finding the job/internship, I realized that it’s very easy. The
difficult part of this large project was choosing where I wanted to work, and taking action
by calling, e-mailing and setting up a meeting with the owner. What really surprised me
was that it is amazingly easy to get a job. I had gone in for the interview, and in less than
ten minutes, I had an internship and a job on the side. All I had to do was be polite, smile,
and tell them what I was there for. Right now I’m really excited to get started on the job.
I’m working at one of my favorite shops, and the people there are always laughing and
excited. I’m only uncertain about the mentor manual that was thick and boring. I have a
feeling it might aggravate my boss and drive her up a new wall. But I’m hoping it all
works out. Advice? Well, its been really hard for me to figure out this school year and
keep everything running smoothly, so I would probably tell them to concentrate hard, and
also to take the after school and during lunch tutoring. It really does help, even if you
don’t enjoy it. I know I didn’t. But staying and getting help, and studying just a little
harder each time will allow you to be successful in both school, and the job for the
workplace learning experience. Even though I have already had a fulltime job, and
already experienced the good and bad parts of having a job, I’m excited to get this new
one going. I’m hoping that during this job/internship I’ll learn all about the business. The
retail, the customers, where they buy their merchandise, and how they choose what they
want to sell and for what price. I’m really excited to get to know the other people who
work there, and well as getting on a first name basis with the owner of the store. I’m
hoping to learn all the tricks of the trade, and considering that the owner of the store has
owned it for over 10 years, I think I’m going to learn quite a lot.
John Carreon
Block Delta
2/1/07
WLE Reflection
What was very hard and difficult was that most of the places I called they didn’t pick up or they didn’t accept interns, also a few hung up on me while I was on hold. It was very rude of them it kind of made me want to call and yell at them just to say why did you hang up you could have just to me that you don’t accept interns but I didn’t do that because I didn’t have the time and I did want to yell I just wanted to tell them how come3they did that but I guess it was ok because in the end I looked up as different school and then I realized that it was the same as Sheryl’s internship so I called her and asked if they still had an opening and she said yes so I called the office and I did a quick interview over the phone and they said I can come in next week so I’m really happy about that. The fact that I did get a internship made me really happy and excited to come in the next time. I just hope some kid doesn’t drive me crazy or throws up on me or something. I learned that it takes a lot of work to find what your looking for because a lot of places wont take high school students seriously because we are still student and we are in school. But most people wont think we can handle something like a lab, but some people are willing to take in students and I think they are the ones who know how hard it is to find a job or internship so they are willing to take students. What I think is that a lot of students did find something great and I hear they have nice mentors so I think everyone will be happy about doing so and relatively easy. I think the best advice for next year is to keep on trying even if so many places reject you so that you will have something and it is something that you like doing. But if you just give up or get lazy then it will be harder for you to find a job or internship so don’t give up and do something you really want to do sop that you wont be bored of what you are doing. Also if you are doing internships next year do something different then you did and so you have like a view or experiences about something else that you like. But if you liked what you did so much then try it again and see if you can go somewhere else and compare the different places and see which place or position you like better and when you do met out in the real world and you know or have experiences about some job position you want.
Hanora bauer.
The thing that has been difficult is actually finding a work place that will accept a high school student. I had to call three different places, which did not call me back. Then a found one I was interested in through my mom called Toolworks. I was surprised they would accept me because they work with mentally challenged and I didn’t know if they could have minors work because of incurrence type problems. But it turned out to be fine, I went in and had an interview with them and they were excited I was interested in working with them. I have learned a lot so far just about finding a job while being polite and saying the right things. I have also learned a lot about my program I am in. Which I feel by being in this program it will help me learn a lot about the real world and help me throughout my life in the future.
I am excited to really get going with this job. After only being there for one day it really showed me the plan of what will be happening the whole time I’m there. Which will be going on fieldtrips to different places and actually working with the clients on math, writing, or ASL. The thing I am most uncertain of right now is what I am going to do my big project on. I just hope it turns out good and really shows what I did as an intern and how not only it helped me but how it helped so many others in the program too. Also I am kind of uncertain of how it will go with the clients because I will never know if one day they will just decided to go off on me. I know it probably won’t happen but at the same time my mentor said just be cautious and safe.
Some advice I have for the 11th grades next year is to get right to work when they tell you about the project. Don’t wait till the last minute to get a job because it may be very hard. Also try to get jobs through contacts you already have and maybe know because they will accept you more then a big corporation. And to also not be shy when your calling to work somewhere you need to be outgoing and really show them that you want to work with them. Because if you are just like I really need this for my school so I can get credit a work place will not want you there.
I hope to learn from my internship many things to help me in getting a job in the future and how it is to actually work with the mentally challenged of how to deal with them. I also hope that after doing this I can show the 11th graders that you can get an internship and learn a lot from these places even if you don’t think it will.
What has been difficult?
What has been difficult is getting over my personal fear of speaking to people, whether it be in person or on the phone, whom I do not know. It is a basic skill that I need to develop and become comfortable with because most people have this fear, but have worked past it. It would be almost be impossible to be taken seriously in a workplace with out it.
What has surprised you?
What surprised me were companies and employees reactions to high school students interested in interning. I expected most to be happy to offer a business for the students to work honestly and free of charge. But the response time and the disregard of emails have conflicted with my previous thoughts.
What have you learned?
I have learned to become a little more comfortable with possible employers and mentors on the phone, and conversing with those able to help me. I have learned how to update a resume and how to embellish a little better. How to put forth a more professional tone and act accordingly. And I have learned how to deal with rejection appropriately for internships.
What are you excited for?
I am excited to begin research and other career possibilities within the biological/scientific field. I am excited to start something that I have never been apart of before. I am excited to gain experience.
What are you most uncertain of right now?
I am uncertain of what will conflict between myself and the things I will have to do. Also I am uncertain of what they will expect out of me, and if I will be able to deliver. I am uncertain if I will be a file and paper clerk, or if I will have actual responsibilities that will be engaging.
What advice would you give to the 11th grade students next year?
Take all advice that is given to you out of benefit out you. If someone has gone out of their way to give you counsel, take note of what they have to say. Whether it positive or negative, easy to take in, or not.
What do you hope to learn from your internship?
I just hope to gain new perspective and experience that will help me organize some goals for my future.
Mager Webb
Mager Webb
What has been difficult?
What has surprised you?
What have you learned ?
What are you excited for?
What are you most uncertain of right now ?
What advice would you give to the 11th grade students next year ?
What do you hope to learn from your internship ?
There wasn’t really a difficult part of my day Yesturday on my workers learning experience on my Internship at the Bayview YMCA. My day was really chill. All I did was help out with Homework and played around with the kids. The children there were happy that I was there, and some of the children there I knew from previous times. I pretty much knew the place because I used to go to the YMCA so there wasn’t reall any difficulty getting around the place.
A couple things did surprise me about the experience. One thing that surprised me was that there wasn’t that many youth there from when I was going there as a participent. The place seemed really dead. When I was going there as a young boy that place use to be off the hook ( Hella Fun). Im surprise by that because that’s showing me the owner of the place is not doing their job. Because that place is suppose to get promoted. I think if they had more events happing there tht would draw more youth to that place. Another thing I was surprised by was that they had remodeled their gym. It look really good and I had fun on the gym. But I would have more fun if there was more youth there.
I learned from the kids there the stuff that would make the “y” more fun which is painting the rooms to make them look more appealing, hot snacks for them when they get out of school, more events for the youth, and better computers in the computer lab. I learned from myself that by me having a internship at the “y” I can help make that a more fun place then what it is. They have good activities to keep them occupied but they need more youth to do the activities with. I can help with that. I am excited to help make the Y more of a Success. I am uncertain about how im going to go about doing this but I am going to do it. The advice I have for the next years 11th graders is to pick a intership thy going to enjoy.
Jessica Wells
What has been difficult?
What has been difficult is getting over my personal fear of speaking to people, whether it be in person or on the phone, whom I do not know. It is a basic skill that I need to develop and become comfortable with because most people have this fear, but have worked past it. It would be almost be impossible to be taken seriously in a workplace with out it.
What has surprised you?
What surprised me were companies and employees reactions to high school students interested in interning. I expected most to be happy to offer a business for the students to work honestly and free of charge. But the response time and the disregard of emails have conflicted with my previous thoughts.
What have you learned?
I have learned to become a little more comfortable with possible employers and mentors on the phone, and conversing with those able to help me. I have learned how to update a resume and how to embellish a little better. How to put forth a more professional tone and act accordingly. And I have learned how to deal with rejection appropriately for internships.
What are you excited for?
I am excited to begin research and other career possibilities within the biological/scientific field. I am excited to start something that I have never been apart of before. I am excited to gain experience.
What are you most uncertain of right now?
I am uncertain of what will conflict between myself and the things I will have to do. Also I am uncertain of what they will expect out of me, and if I will be able to deliver. I am uncertain if I will be a file and paper clerk, or if I will have actual responsibilities that will be engaging.
What advice would you give to the 11th grade students next year?
Take all advice that is given to you out of benefit out you. If someone has gone out of their way to give you counsel, take note of what they have to say. Whether it positive or negative, easy to take in, or not.
What do you hope to learn from your internship?
I just hope to gain new perspective and experience that will help me organize some goals for my future.
Jessica Wells
What has been difficult?
What has been difficult is getting over my personal fear of speaking to people, whether it be in person or on the phone, whom I do not know. It is a basic skill that I need to develop and become comfortable with because most people have this fear, but have worked past it. It would be almost be impossible to be taken seriously in a workplace with out it.
What has surprised you?
What surprised me were companies and employees reactions to high school students interested in interning. I expected most to be happy to offer a business for the students to work honestly and free of charge. But the response time and the disregard of emails have conflicted with my previous thoughts.
What have you learned?
I have learned to become a little more comfortable with possible employers and mentors on the phone, and conversing with those able to help me. I have learned how to update a resume and how to embellish a little better. How to put forth a more professional tone and act accordingly. And I have learned how to deal with rejection appropriately for internships.
What are you excited for?
I am excited to begin research and other career possibilities within the biological/scientific field. I am excited to start something that I have never been apart of before. I am excited to gain experience.
What are you most uncertain of right now?
I am uncertain of what will conflict between myself and the things I will have to do. Also I am uncertain of what they will expect out of me, and if I will be able to deliver. I am uncertain if I will be a file and paper clerk, or if I will have actual responsibilities that will be engaging.
What advice would you give to the 11th grade students next year?
Take all advice that is given to you out of benefit out you. If someone has gone out of their way to give you counsel, take note of what they have to say. Whether it positive or negative, easy to take in, or not.
What do you hope to learn from your internship?
I just hope to gain new perspective and experience that will help me organize some goals for my future.
Argent Ilejay
Reflection on WLE process
The difficult thing about the WLE is actually finding an internship that I like and will actually help me in obtaining the career that I hope to pursue. This is difficult because I could not obtain any pharmaceutical internship. because I do not have the necessary requirements. So it was disappointing, that I could not find any thing that may point me toward my work choice, or any science stuff. Which means I ended up with an internship in childcare, which is all right. What is also surprising is that I am still looking into some other internships that may help me further my career. I thought that if I just found an internship that would be the end of it but… I was wrong. I learned that these type of things, (i.e. job searching), is very tiring and you really have to work hard for it, and there is always the possibility that you will not get the results you wanted.
I am not really excited about anything write now. I am actually unenthusiastic with all the work I have to do. I am wondering how much more of an impact this WLE thing is going to add to my growing workload, because I get home late and I have to sleep early because I get up early in the morning, which is a big problem for me because I barely get anything done at home.
I would tell them to keep their expectations low so they can easily succeed over them, and be really happy if something good came out of what ever they were expected.
I hope to learn how children respond to different situations and how they grow up and if I will leave a lasting impression on their lives. Sometimes I feel like I am not doing much in my WLE because I use to volunteer a lot at my internship place, so I feel like this is routine because I have been doing this over the past years, which is probably why I actually got the internship in the first place. I hope to learn how the children benefit from me being there with them and learning from me. Most importantly I am wondering how this internship will help me pursue my career choice.
-Argent
Lucas WadeWLE
During the time that I’ve been trying to get my WLE, there were many challenges that I had to face. One thing that I found to be challenging was actually finding a place that I wanted to intern. You can always think about what you might want to do, but when it actually comes down to finding a place where you can find comfortable work, it’s very easy for your mind to draw a blank. I had mortuaries in mind at the beginning, but then I started to worry because of my past experience with trying to get work at a mortuary. I decided to bite the bullet and go for it, but it’s really hard to find a mortuary that wants interns from high schools. They are expecting people from colleges that are studying mortuary science to be interns at the mortuary, so when a high school student calls, they aren’t exactly inclined to let someone of such little experience and knowledge (for what they know) to work at a place that requires a very certain way of working. But eventually I decided that it might be a good idea for me to work at a meat shop, for I could definitely get into that line of work. I think it would be very interesting and fun. But once again people at meat shops aren’t really expecting to get an intern from a high school either. They’re used to getting interns from schools of the culinary arts or from City College, so at first I thought that I wasn’t going to be able to get to intern there. But luckily, to my surprise, I was able to intern at the Golden Gate Meat Co.
I’m excited to start working at the Meat Co. because I think I’m going to have a good time working there. The environment is very nice and everyone who works there is very welcoming. Seeing the type of work that is done there, I think I’m going to be happy to do the tasks they will appoint me. I think that this line of work will entertain me, but I could see it becoming tedious in the near future.
If I were to talk to the 11th graders next year about the WLE before they start it, I would try to explain to them that it would be the best if they were to arrive a little early to the internship, to give their mentor a sense that they actually want to work there. I would also tell them to not be nervous before you go in to the internship because it could make you seem almost scared of your mentor, and they won’t want to work with you if they think that you’re afraid of them. I’d tell them that they should just relax and go in there with confidence.
The thing I really hope to get from my internship is mainly experience. I mainly want more stuff to put on my resume so I can hopefully get a job a little easier. I also want to get involved in the industry of butchery. I think that it’s incredible that the methods of butchery have hardly changed over the hundreds of years that this profession has been around. I also hope to learn about the anatomy of the animals that I will be butchering during the internship. And I think it will be interesting to know where, on the animal, a certain type of meat came from.
REFLICTION
PATRICIA
COMMING TO WORK WAS VERY HARD FOR ME BECAUSE I WAS SICK SO I MAID MYSELF GO EVEN THOW ALOT OF PEOPLE WERE TELLING ME TO STAY HOME .I REALLY ENJOYED WORKING WITH MY MENTOR BECAUSE SHE IS A VERY GREAT PERSON AND SHE IS WORKING `FOR FOSTER YOUTH WHICH I THINK IS GREAT .I WAS VERY HAPPY WHEN MY MENTOR TOLD ME I CAN RUN THE GIRLS GROUP BECAUSE THATS A VERY BIG TASK AND IT FEELS GREAT TO HAVE SOMEONE PUSH YOU IN A VERY POSITIVE WAY.
I LEARNED ALOT MORE ABOUT ILSP AND FOSER YOUTH PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT PEOPLE OFFER YOUTH THAT DONT HAVE FAMILYS AND LOW INCOM YOUTH. IM VERY EXCITED ABOUT HELPING THE YOUTH AND BEING APART OF A VERY GREAT ORGANIZATION. I DIDNT NO HOW MUCH PEOPLE OUT THERE IS TRYINING TO MAKE A VERY BIG DIFFERENCE WITH THE SYSTEM MEANING HELPNIG THE FOSTER YOUTH AND LOW INCOME.
AS BEING AN 11TH GRADER AND BEING ENVOLVED WITH WLE I WOULD ADVICE THE UPCOMMING 11TH GRADES TO PICK A PLACE THER INTRESTED IN . ALSO REALLY TAKE WHAT THERE DOING SEROIUS AND DONT TAKE IT AS A JOKE BECAUSE THIS CAN
REALLY PREPARE YOU FOR THE FUTURE AND MOTIVATE YOU TO WORK HARDER. I REALLY WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PROGRAMS THAT IS WILLING TO HELP THE FOSTER YOUTH AND I REALLY WANT TO KEEP WORKING WITH THIS ORGINIZATION BEYOND A INTERN. IM REALLY FOCUSED ON THIS TOPIC AND I REALLY LEARND ALOT IN ONE DAY OF WORK
Jasmin Palencia
What has been difficult for me is that at first I couldn’t find a place to intern at. When I did have a place to call they never picked up or they were not there. So the hardest part would be finding and calling a place were you want to intern at, because many people say you can’t intern their or they don’t have space for you or they plainly are too busy to talk to you. Something that surprised me the most was that after someone says yes that they will take interns they later not call back the intern like they don’t even have the courage to tell the person that no they aren’t taking any interns it’s not like we haven’t heard it already. Also if the intern calls them they ignore them and don’t answer their phone calls. I guess what I learned how to act in an interview. Also how we are suppose to call to get an internship how to answer when they ask you questions and what to do in interviews.
I’m excited that I might get an internship for restaurant management because it seems cool to see how restaurants are run and to see everything that they have to do to keep the restaurant running. I was also thinking of going in to the restaurant management business so this could help me make the choice if I really want to go in to this career. The thing I’m most uncertain about right now is that I don’t know what expect of this internship because I don’t know much about this area I know much more from the restaurant business about like cooking. I’m also not sure that I could get the internship for restaurant management soon because I still haven’t even got the information about it so it might take more time and I might run out of time if I don’t get this done soon.
The advice that I would give the eleventh graders for next year would be to make sure that you know what you want to do before you start calling. Also to talk to your Academic seminar teacher because they might have connections to what they might want to do for the internship. Also not to give up if they don’t get an internship somewhere soon because the have time, just because someone says no doesn’t mean that their wont be other people out there that will take you in as an intern. Also to not be shy and actually ask other people that they know if the have connections that could help in finding what they really want because they don’t want to be stuck doing something that they don’t want to do just to get a grade in the class. What I hope to learn from my internship would be how the restaurants are managed. Also maybe get experience in a restaurant that will look good if I do go into that business. Maybe to see how hard it is to go in to restaurant management.
Entry # 1
Angelica Grisales
My first day of WLE was really calm, because most of the people where out sick so it was really quiet so my mentor was not rushing. From my first experiences I did not find anything hard. When I first arrived I went on a tour to know where everything is place, after that I helped Shilpa my mentor with some paper work, then I was cleaning a desk witch is the one that I am going to be using! (I feel important). Finally I was brainstorming ideas for the project and my I had 3 ideas and my mentor liked 2 of them so I doing a good job so far so I’m really exited to see the final product. I believe my mentor it’s really patient and clear when explaining stuff she took the time to sit down and explain to me how Envision Schools work she also explain my responsibilities and tasks. I am really exited to start working on the project that I was assigned which is call “Envision going to College” and it consist of making a page where it shows the students who are going to college from the envision schools, so I am going to be designing a page for the envision site and the school sites. Besides this project I also help with some paperwork and some development packets, which, are packets that they give to donors to inform them about what Envision Schools are about. My first day I learned how to update the envision website also I learned how to order supplies for the schools and offices. For the next 11th graders I would tell them to find something that they are really interested in and not just to get an internship. Also that even though you don’t know anything about it you would have a good time learning! From this internship I would like to learn as much as possible I don’t have a specific thing I would like to learn but as I attend more I will discover new things I want to learn about.
-Angelica Grisales
Calvin Chan
Block Gamma
1) Many things have been difficult especially finding a place that interest you and will accept you as an intern. Another difficult thing is there are a lot of places that would accept you and they do interest you a lot but they are too hard to get to with out a drivers license and a car. Something surprising is the fact that some place you are very interested in turn out to be very boring and you end up sad and discouraged. Something that I learned is that interviews are boring and very nerve-racking especially if you are sick and you had to run 10 block up hills to get to the place your interviewing at. Also I learned that you have to leave way more than an hour a head of time to make it on time because MUNI breaks down a lot. And it takes forever for them to correct it so the busses can move again.
2) I am excited that we don’t have to come to school before we do our internship. Well not really I have to come for Spanish 1 it could be worse. At least I have it 1st period instead of 3rd period. I am uncertain about my internship status right now. If World Savvy replies and tell me that I can intern there and I don’t get the internship at DLX then I will have to go there but if I don’t get either I’m in a tough position.
3) So advice I have for next years eleventh graders are to
1) Use all contacts to the fullest
2) Don’t waste time and dilly-dally when you could be working on an internship.
3) Make sure you have an updated resume and everything ready before hand.
4) If you cant find an internship don’t freak out. Recollect your self and ask the teachers they’re here to help.
4) What I hope to learn from my internship are skills I can use to peruse career in graphic design or Architecture. Also i wish to learn the skills to help me find a job so I can make some money before I go to collage.
Journal Entry #1 Derick Dragon
The most difficult thing so far has been finding an Internship that didn’t have at least one thing wrong with it. My first idea was to get an internship with my dad at his carpentry shop, but then I found out that since he has a city job they don’t want kids working for them and then Kyle said I couldn’t work with any of my parents. My second and favorite idea/choice was to get an internship with the United States Secret Service. I thought it was perfect and it sounded so cool. I spent just about all of my time working towards this internship; I filled out a gigantic application that I had to photocopy about a billion times all before a close deadline, I went to the San Francisco field office headquarters for an interview, and then and only then I found out it was a summer internship only. That sucked tremendously but I still went through with it so I could do it during the summer. My third idea and my fallback plan was to get an internship at Golden Gate Meat co. with Lucas but then Kyle said I couldn’t get the same internship as someone in my advisory, it was then that I realized I was in trouble. My fourth idea was to try to get something with the De Young with Jonas but that but that plane crashed before it could take off because I learned I couldn’t get the same internship as any of my friends plus it needed prior training. So I was left with nothing, out of ideas and about to be in a lot of trouble when Mr. Koh saved my ass with a last minute attempt to get an internship with Donors Choose. It thankfully worked out and I am very relieved, it seems like a nice organization with a benevolent. I was very surprised at just how hard it is to find an internship. I learned that you can’t always get what you want and instead you just have to accept the cards that fate deals you.
I am very excited to start. I have never had a job before so this is a completely new experience for me. I am a little nervous but my nervousness is outweighed by my excitement. I have no idea what awaits for me further down the road so to speak but whatever is instore ill just roll with it because I have no alternative.
Journal Entry #1 Derick Dragon
The most difficult thing so far has been finding an Internship that didn’t have at least one thing wrong with it. My first idea was to get an internship with my dad at his carpentry shop, but then I found out that since he has a city job they don’t want kids working for them and then Kyle said I couldn’t work with any of my parents. My second and favorite idea/choice was to get an internship with the United States Secret Service. I thought it was perfect and it sounded so cool. I spent just about all of my time working towards this internship; I filled out a gigantic application that I had to photocopy about a billion times all before a close deadline, I went to the San Francisco field office headquarters for an interview, and then and only then I found out it was a summer internship only. That sucked tremendously but I still went through with it so I could do it during the summer. My third idea and my fallback plan was to get an internship at Golden Gate Meat co. with Lucas but then Kyle said I couldn’t get the same internship as someone in my advisory, it was then that I realized I was in trouble. My fourth idea was to try to get something with the De Young with Jonas but that but that plane crashed before it could take off because I learned I couldn’t get the same internship as any of my friends plus it needed prior training. So I was left with nothing, out of ideas and about to be in a lot of trouble when Mr. Koh saved my ass with a last minute attempt to get an internship with Donors Choose. It thankfully worked out and I am very relieved, it seems like a nice organization with a benevolent. I was very surprised at just how hard it is to find an internship. I learned that you can’t always get what you want and instead you just have to accept the cards that fate deals you.
I am very excited to start. I have never had a job before so this is a completely new experience for me. I am a little nervous but my nervousness is outweighed by my excitement. I have no idea what awaits for me further down the road so to speak but whatever is instore ill just roll with it because I have no alternative.
Isabel-The whole process of the Workplace Learning Experience has been extremely difficult for me. From writing up my resume and thinking about how can I make myself sound like someone that a workplace would want to hire even though I might not have that much experience to looking for places where I would want to intern, calling them, and getting turned down one after the other. This has been what has surprised me the most; how hard and a little bit nerve racking it is to find a place, make the calls, set up appointments, and go to the interviews. However, I have learned how to do this pretty well and through this long process and all my research I have learned a lot about what I, myself, would like to pursue as a career in the future. I am really excited for the internship itself (once I am able to obtain it) especially if it’s the place that I am looking into at the moment. However, I am very uncertain if I will be able to get it because they have not e-mailed me back but my advisor said he would call and hopefully set up an interview for me. For the upcoming 11th graders the best advice I can give them is to be PATIENT because this will take a lot of time and a lot of faith in your advisor and in yourself that you will be able to pull through this. I hope to further learn what I would like to do with my life an about event coordinating and planning.
DeCorrah Allen
From the moment I heard we were given the chance to intern at a job of our choice last year, I was exited. I bragged to my lower division friends, my parents and even my cat. I was extremely excited. I had seen myself mentoring a doctor or film director. But now I sit here without a job and without any hope for this upcoming Working Learning Experience project.
My ill-equipped behavior was from short notice and quick release from co-dependency.
Research had always been a hard and frustrating thing for me, and what made it harder was looking for an internship my preferred work field. We had a few short few weeks till we were to shadow, which I had not known about.
My friends, like my are telling there parents and their cats but I will tell them like I wish someone would have told me. Junior year is a big year where you cannot depend on others. If you want something if you try harder you will get it. But you hold off and stand still you will be lost. I know now if I had taken charge and called and emailed I would have gotten a better job than I would now.
There is a time when you have to put your expectations and dreams to sleep and live for the here and now. I am now enlightened that everything doesn’t have to be exciting and glamous for me to learn something and get a good grade. In a few months when the internship is completed I hope have helped complete something important with my mentor and to have one more notch on my resume. I know my internship is not going to be dream job but I know it’s going to be a worthy experience.
The most difficult part of yesterday was the disappointment I felt after leaving Two Skirts. I put so much effort and time into preparing my resume and preparing myself for any trick questions that could have been thrown at me in the interview. I went over every possible question in my head, and meticulously developed the perfect answer for every scenario. I felt so freaking prepared for my interview! And I knew my resume had no experience in design or anything that could show my abilities in the fashion world, but I felt confident in my interview skills that I could win my employer over in a heartbeat.
Anxiously sitting in that bus. Praying that it wouldn’t break down and make me late. Planning every alternate route to get there on time and without having to walk halfway across the city. My feet were killing me. I didn’t think the leather arch would shrink that much after so many months of neglect in the back of my closet. But I couldn’t focus on that. I was so excited thinking I could possibly get a job designing clothes. My heart was pounding, and a smile swept across my face the whole bus ride. Nothing could bring me down; even when the bus driver stopped at the Taco Bell on Lombard and Pierce to get a couple tacos for his lunch break, and I worried I wouldn’t make it. But I glanced at my cell phone. I purposely left 30 minutes of window time so I knew I wouldn’t be late. But still I was anxious. The bus came to the end of its route a few blocks later, and I tiptoed down the steps. I was in an unfamiliar neighborhood. The marina is a very ritzy, upper-class environment. Four banks on every block, when I have to search forever for a simple ATM machine in my neighborhood. I waited outside Two Skirts Boutique for a good 20 minutes, until they opened. I felt awkward standing there. Women passed me on the street with shi-shi fu-fu dogs on swarovski-studded leashes in one hand and Venti Starbucks in the other. Men climbed into their “mid-life crisis” convertibles and sped away. When the door unlocked, I confidently and calmly pushed it open and walked in. The woman smiled and greeted me. I asked for Kate, and turned to the woman who responded to shake her hand. She had no idea who I was or why I was there. I explained to her my situation and she told me that nobody had informed her of our meetings. She asked for my resume and told me they would be in contact. That’s when I knew I wasn’t what they needed or were looking for.
It crushed me, but I’ve learned to accept it. Had I known I was only going to drop off my resume, I would have broughten several more copies of my resume and passed them out to every boutique in the neighborhood, at least made something of my long trip out there. I slumped my way to the nearest Peets and bought myself the sweetest, largest comfort drink I could order and then headed to the bus. In tears, I called my mom and she comforted me with the notion that I could always get the job with an architectural firm her company worked with. But I’m not settling for something I’m not passionate with.
As of right now, I’m still researching for something alternatives. I sent out many more emails last night, and I’ll be making phone calls and scheduling interviews tonight. My suggestion for years internees, plan ahead and have several backups. Don’t settle for mediocrity and aim for your dreams!
-Ashley DC
Jasmine Martinez:
On my first day of being an Intern at the DA’s office, what I found to be the most difficult was working in a new environment. I found it nervracing to be working with a large group of people who I didn’t know, and who were a lot older then I am. It was hard to work with people who had so much experience in what they were doing and since I was just starting off I felt a little out of place. I think that since I’m so use to being at school around the same group of people all the time who are my age and are doing the same things that I’m doing I was a little out of it when I was at my internship. I was a little intimidated by all the work that needed to be done and making sure that I did everything correctly and didn’t make any mistakes. I knew that I couldn’t make any mistakes there because what they do is very important and if any file is misplaced it can be very crucial for the trial. So far I learned how to file files in the different departments, and I also learned how to do the pretrial diversion forms. And I learned a little bit about how to do the calendars, and I was actually able to help work on it, a little which was scary because theirs so many things that need to be done.
I’m most excited for learning how to do all the things that their going to teach us and for getting experience in how they work here so I can apply it to when I have some kind of job that involves doing similar things. But most importantly I am excited to get work experience for the future.
The advice that I have for the 11th graders next year is to do something that they will enjoy and that they like because if they don’t they won’t have fun and get much out of this experience. But also they should be prepared to take on such a big task because this experience will help them a lot in the future if they are committed to it.
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