My Internship Experience with 826 MSP
ID: Spring 2021 Education Intern Kayla
I decided to apply for the Education Intern position after having seen one of my pre-health clubs post about an opportunity to volunteer with 826 MSP. I quickly found the opportunity to be intriguing, as I had previously worked with students at my local library in a program called the “Back to Basics Program.” To be quite honest, the entire program was a lot more than what I had initially expected. 826 MSP does so much to share the voices of diverse students and I fell in love with their mission statement and goals even before I became a part of the community.
During my internship experience, I was able to work with Ellen on a wide array of projects. This included participating in student storybook field trips, commenting on and organizing Kidblog posts, and even coming up with my own writing prompts for students. Additionally, I was able to use my background as the presentation coordinator for a pre-health club at my college to create presentation slides that could help the program in the future. My absolute favorite part about working for this internship was being able to read students’ writing and learn about their absolutely wonderful and creative story ideas. Through writing, these students were able to speak a truth and share a history that I felt 826 MSP did a wonderful job of sharing and praising.
One of the most challenging parts for me about this internship was coming up with my own creative ideas that would motivate students during their writing process. When coming up with writing prompts, I had to think about how a prompt could match the thinking level of both older and younger students — which proved to be a very difficult task. In addition, finding the right time to work on projects outside of my schoolwork was certainly a struggle. Throughout the entirety of this internship, I was constantly having to find a balance that would help to make this experience fruitful. However, because of this particular internship’s flexibility, I felt that it was perfect in preparing me for a job in the future. I not only learned how to manage my time, but also how to reach out for help, work efficiently, and share my voice with others.
In the future, I plan on becoming an ophthalmologist, and I know that the soft skills that I learned during this internship will help to get me there. Being able to communicate effectively and empathize with patients would be such an important part of my work, and I am so thankful to 826 MSP for helping me to improve my ability to speak with others. Before taking this position, I often stumbled on my words and stuttered through sentences, especially when it came to public speaking and one-on-one conversation. However, 826 MSP allowed me the opportunity to practice speaking with others and I am absolutely, truly grateful for that.
To anyone looking to join the 826 MSP community, please know that it is definitely the warmest and most inviting community you will ever join. As a California resident living and interning during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, 826 MSP was always very caring and understanding of my workload. I am truly appreciative for this opportunity and I hope that this program continues to grow for the benefit of our future generations. Thank you!
— Kayla Ly