College of Humanities Ambassador

How did you get your internship?

I was first introduced to the opportunity as a freshman at the end of the fall semester. A professor in one of my humanities classes, HUMS 101:College Success & Building Community, personally gave me a flyer promoting an information session about the opportunity. I ended up attending two of those sessions, coming back with questions, and ultimately, I sent in an application. I had a video interview with the supervisors and the current peer mentors, and by the end of the spring semester, I got an acceptance email to join for the fall semester of my sophomore year.

Why did you choose this internship?

At the time when the opportunity came, I was not actively looking for internships. After reading the flyer, and talking to my parents about it, they encouraged me to at least attend the information session.

I originally was not planning on applying because I was scared that I would be too busy and become overwhelmed. I also did not think I could get hired, but after some encouragement and some-self talk, I pushed myself to attend the session. I ended up learning that the flyers were only given to those who were thought to be a good fit for the internship. After learning that and more about the opportunity, I was more interested and excited. However, I was still unsure up until the applications opened because I was scared to get out of my comfort zone. I told myself that if I there was a time to push myself it would be now, so I did, and I’m so glad I did.

What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?

My two main jobs as a peer mentor were to be a resource to College of Humanities students and promoting the College of Humanities itself. Being a resource consisted of me helping and lecturing in one HUMS 101 course. As HUMS 101 taught first-year students on college readiness, it was our job as mentors to assist them in succeeding at being a college student. I had office hours twice a week so that any student could come by with questions or just to talk. I also used those office hours to do outreach to different students informing them of different deadlines, opportunities on campus, registration information, and resources around the school.

Promoting the college meant attending and helping out with different promotional or campus events like the Meet your Major Fair, our Humanities Café , and occasionally we would work with the ambassadors on different events/projects. It also included us working with our marketing team to create posts for social media and for our websites.

As a senior peer mentor, I had the added responsibility of being a lead to the new mentors. This I also had more responsibility in general, so I was tasked with a lot more outreach, and was given the opportunity to evaluate assignments in HUMS 101.

What new knowledge and skills did you practice, learn, or develop in this internship?

I improved my communication skills, especially in interpersonal situations. This was through meetings with students, supervisors, and/or fellow mentors. My communication was also improved in my outreach emails and replies to students. I would lecture in a class every week, so I also improved on my public speaking. Outside of the classroom, I learned how to better manage my time and multitask on different projects/responsibilities so that I could get things done in a timely manner. I also grew my research skills for both lectures and personal questions from students. There would be times that I would have to do research on a certain resource to better understand it or answer students' questions about it. I also gained leadership skills in being a senior peer mentor and leading the class in lectures.

I gained a massive amount of knowledge on the technical side of being a mentor which was navigating different online resources, creating presentations, lecture plans, and activities for class. I improved on my technical skills as I continually used Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Outlook.

Above all, my greatest skill development was around teamwork. I worked with about eight different mentors, and two supervisors. We all worked together to help improve on each other’s skills and create better projects, presentations, and activities. It was our teamwork that built a healthy work environment.

What was your favorite or most satisfying part of your internship?

My two favorite parts about this internship was the workplace environment and actually being a resource to students. I believe that it was because of the workplace and the people in it that made me happy to go to work each day. I felt a lot more comfortable reaching out for questions or support because everyone had a great relationship with each other, and that was how I learned and improved so much. It is meaningful to me because now they are a part of my support system, and all they want for me is to succeed.

My most satisfying part was seeing that I was actually able to be a resource to students. I had some students attend office hours and some would ask for help in class, and it felt so good to be able to help them and offer any advice that I had being a student myself.

What is the impact of your internship experience?

I believe that the impact of my internship experience was that it gave me a foundation for starting my career journey, particularly in the corporate aspect. I am more confident in an office environment learning personal, professional, and technical skills all at once. It was a great start, especially as someone who is nervous about stepping out of her comfort zone. It grew my confidence in speaking to others, offering my opinions, and taking initiative. It also helped me to find a passion that I did not know I had until this opportunity, and that was my passion for helping people, for being a resource. I loved the experience so much that I continued to do it after my sophomore year, and I plan to continue it until I graduate.

What advice do you have for other students as they search for their internship?

I would advise other students to be open when searching for internship opportunities. Sometimes you may not find the exact position you want, and that’s ok because in every experience you will learn something new. You’ll never know what you may find in a position far from your intended search. I would also encourage those to make steps out of their comfort zone, and try new things. This does not necessarily mean to right away apply for internships, because that can be scary. However, attending a career fair or speaking with a career advisor is a step in the right direction. It is also important to know that everyone starts somewhere, so don’t feel like you have to rush yourself. You are right where you are meant to be.