Fiona Sievert supported Mandarin language learners in Shanghai and practiced her interpersonal and intercultural communication skills.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
The official title of my position with Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) was “Program Leader” for the High School Summer Abroad Chinese Language and Culture Program in Shanghai, China. As a Program Leader, my primary responsibility was to support the students. This meant everything from helping to resolve their interpersonal conflicts, assisting them with navigating the city, answering their language questions, or simply listening to their concerns and stresses. As a result, my work expanded into different areas, including conflict resolution, language education, cultural adaptation, rule enforcement, group management, student engagement, CIEE blog content creation, parental communication, safety, and mentorship.
What is unique about your situation that influenced your internship selection or experience?
After I graduated from high school, I took a gap year and participated in a Mandarin language study abroad program in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. My time there solidified my interest in language learning and Chinese culture – an interest which ultimately led me to this job. When I was in Taiwan, it was the support of mentors and other adults involved in organizing the program that proved to be invaluable in pushing me to challenge myself and explore. As such, I was inspired to try to be that kind of a mentor to other students going abroad and to find a way to give back to a community that had changed my own path in life.
What is one skill that you practiced during this internship?
Interpersonal and situational communication is one skill that I was able to practice extensively and in many different contexts. On one hand, I needed to communicate with and earn the trust of the high school students in my group. On the other hand, I needed to communicate with teachers and CIEE staff about the different problems that the students were facing. Then, the solutions to these problems needed to be passed back to the students. In this way, I was not only listening to and conversing with people of a large range of ages, but also from a large range of cultural backgrounds and contexts. This skill of finding a way to effectively translate and relay information from one group to another proved more challenging than I expected, especially when certain issues needed to be communicated discretely or when disciplinary action needed to be taken.
What was the most satisfying part of your internship?
As someone who has never worked with students before, fostering relationships with the high schoolers in my group was truly a fulfilling experience. I was not only able to support them in their language learning journey by answering their questions, but I was also afforded the opportunity to watch as they grew more bold and confident in their Mandarin language usage throughout the course of the month. Students who had previously been nervous to interact with strangers learned to take on the challenge of conversing with locals, putting aside their fears of the (inevitable) language mistakes in the hopes of making a meaningful connection. I recall having undergone this kind of change when I was beginning to learn Mandarin as well, and it felt as though my journey had come full circle: from struggling to learn a new language myself to supporting new learners in overcoming their own fears in language learning.
What did you find challenging about your internship?
This position was essentially a 24/7 job, since I had to be constantly available in case of a student emergency – which could be quite exhausting. However, this challenge also allowed me to learn about work-life boundaries and discover what works for me when it comes to finding the time to unwind. For me, it was relaxing to walk to work instead of taking the quicker route by bike, because it provided some extra time to take in the sights and sounds of my surroundings and to prepare mentally for the start of my day. Additionally, I discovered the importance of reaching out to my more experienced colleagues. Through learning more about their previous experiences and asking for advice, I was reminded that I was not in this alone.
What is the impact of your internship experience?
Working as a Program Leader certainly did not have the expected impact on my life – and was far more challenging than I had anticipated. However, I was ultimately able to grow the most in a couple areas that I have always considered to be weaknesses of mine, like conflict resolution and education. I also learned that, while I am interested in language acquisition and language learning, I am not interested in language education or teaching. While I am still unsure of which career path I will ultimately take, this experience made it possible for me to try it out, shift my focus, and gain an appreciation for and understanding of a field of work which had previously intimidated me.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for their internship?
When searching for an internship, I think the primary goal should be to find something that scares you just a little bit. Going into being a Program Leader with CIEE, I was not confident that I would be good at the job, nor was I sure if working in international education would be a good fit for me. However, I think it was precisely because I chose to do something that was so outside of my comfort zone that I was able to learn so much about myself and about this particular career path. Upon completing my time with CIEE, though I was still unsure about whether I would pursue a related career in the future, I was so proud of myself for having taken on this challenge – and that in itself meant that my experience had been a fulfilling one.