Amanda T. Le was a fellow for the Urban Humanities/LitLab and teaching assistant for Asian Pacific American (APA) Cultures in Public Life, a core class in the APA Studies minor.
How did you get your internship?
Dr. Jacqueline Jean Barrios was my professor for “Innovation and the Human Condition: Learning How to Improve Life in the Community and Beyond” (PAH 420). After an extremely educational and rewarding semester, I expressed my interest in continuing to learn from and work with Dr. Barrios after the class’s final presentation. We communicated via email over the course of winter break to outline goals, expectations, and what an internship with Dr. Barrios would entail. I officially received my offer letter in January 2026.
Why did you choose this internship?
I chose this internship because I admired Dr. Barrios’ progressive, hands-on, and community-engaged pedagogy. Her teaching methods and course structure encouraged students to take an active role in their learning and community. I wanted to continue working with the greater Tucson community and felt that her mentorship and network would provide the best opportunity.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
For the first half of my internship, I primarily focused on event planning and community engagement. I planned and attended numerous events in Tucson with themes of activism, memorialization, and unity. These events allowed me to continue building my event planning, public speaking, and community engagement skills. For the second half of my internship, I prioritized being a teaching assistant (TA) for “Asian Pacific American (APA) Cultures in Public Life” (APAS/PAH 26), a core class in the APA Studies minor. I graded and provided constructive, actionable feedback on student work, hosted office hours to provide guidance on the final signature assignment, and coordinated communication among students, other teaching assistants, and Dr. Barrios. This was my first experience as a TA, and I learned how to operate an online, asynchronous, accelerated course.
What is unique about your situation that influenced your internship selection or experience?
I selected my internship because it provided the opportunity to explore two of my biggest areas of interest: community-engaged research and teaching. Many of the other internship opportunities I viewed would only allow me to focus on one or the other, but this provided a unique opportunity to blend my passions and the most opportunity for growth.
What new knowledge and skills did you practice, learn, or develop in this internship?
This internship has been an extremely valuable educational experience. I developed my event planning, public speaking, and community engagement skills. New skills I learned included audio transcription, evaluating student work, and providing constructive, detailed feedback. I am excited to continue to develop my teaching skillset in the next semester as a TA for PAH 420 with Dr. Barrios.
What was your favorite or most satisfying part of your internship?
My favorite part of my internship was the “El Pueblo 50th: Closing Peña.” This was the closing reception for the 50th anniversary of the El Pueblo Neighborhood Center (Tucson, AZ) art exhibition. This was meaningful to me because I had the opportunity to reconnect with community members who were present at my final presentation for PAH 420 in the previous semester, engage with new faces, and highlight the resilience of Tucson’s southside.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for and begin their internship?
My advice for other students as they search for and begin their internship is to embrace every opportunity that they come across. There may be times you have to do something you don’t enjoy or don’t see the relevance between your current work and future career goals, but I would try to frame every event, conversation, task, etc., as a learning experience. In addition, I would stress that students use this as a “trial run for the real world” and learn and practice setting healthy boundaries between work, education, and their personal lives. I would encourage students to use the internship as an avenue to learn what they need and want from a work environment so they can apply that information in future endeavors.