The Internship

Considering I'm new, it's surprising how much trust I get from the people I work with. Supervising interns was a responsibility I didn't imagine would be assigned to me.

Finding my way through the jungle that is Corporate Life (truth be told, I still am trying), I did manage to keep my personal space clean. When the internship came in the picture, I was a complete mess. Literally.

My desk was usually spick and span, but on my first day with the program, it looked like a tornado passed by my table everyday for about a week.

Then I learned how important it is to plan things not just for myself, but also for the people I'm handling. I know that should have been common sense, but when you're thrown in the middle of the storm it's easy to get disoriented. You see, I didn't know I was going to handle the summer internship program for the PR and Communications team. To top it off, I wasn't just taking in 1 person but 7. So my surprise is warranted. Make no mistake about it, I gladly took on the job, but I sure as hell wasn't prepared for the responsibilities it required. I, myself, am still figuring things out, and now I need to make sure that the 7 interns are able to do the same. I'm pretty sure teachers had more time to prepare for class than I did when I found out that the students standing before me were mine to supervise.

The moment reminded me of my experience 2 years ago in Indonesia. I didn't really understand how much planning is necessary for an internship to be successful. What I did during my internship was complain when I wasn't enjoying anymore. I didn't realize that the people behind the whole process went through so much planning just to have something in store for me. It's shameful how I gave them so much trouble, but I am happy to say that I did clear the air before my term ended. It's really humbling to see things from another perspective.

Now that I am handling 7 students who have the whole world ahead of them, I am doing exactly what I hated when I was an intern. That's why I feel privileged and scared. Privileged because I get to have a part in forming who they are as individuals. Scared because of the same reason.

It's part of my job to evaluate them at the end of their training. I get to have a say in their work ethics and their effectiveness on-the-job. At the same time, whether consciously or unconsciously, they also evaluate me-every decision I make, the tasks I give them, how I instruct them. The fact that the things I say and do can affect them and that they'll be carrying the experience for the rest of their lives is so meaningful.

Maybe it's just me, but I really do want to leave a good mark on the 7 interns. It maybe that I'm overthinking this whole internship, but I see the value in it now. My Dad was willing to let me go by myself to a country (Indonesia) I've never been to just to get experience on independence. Now it's my role to turn-over that experience to these 7 students. Hopefully, I do things right.

Hanggang sa muli!