Growing up, I was one of those rebellious kids, you know, the kind who didn’t listen to any advice and needed to personally try, fall down, and get back up in order to learn. In just the last couple months, there have been countless lessons in which I tripped, fell down, and ultimately learned from. The lessons I am sharing are ones that I wish I hadn’t needed to fall down to know:
- Never be on time – always be early.
I learned this one the hard way. Now when I look back on my college experience, there are many things I could have done differently – not being late was one of them. Among friends is okay sometimes, but I didn’t realize being late could become a serious habit until now. Some bosses might be okay with this, and some places are very flexible, but being on time for important meetings or events is crucial. This lesson can be expanded to Attitude is Altitude. Being able to get ready and get to work earlier than anyone else is a sign of taking initiative – this would make an impression on people around that you care about what you do and you are willing to make an extra effort in order to stand out.
- Get to know your colleagues.
… like really get to know them. If possible, invite them for lunch or coffee, one-on-one even. I did not realize that so many people in my office could have so much to offer, and how much I could learn until much later into my internship. It’s been a pleasure to have worked with each one of them in Concordia Place and I really wish I had gotten to know them better much earlier. I was able to learn about their role in the office as well as their career journeys, giving me perspective on the steps, work, and experience it took to get to where they are. You never know who or what you might encounter during your conversations, insider details you might learn, or the connections you may gain from simple daily conversations with your colleagues.
- Get out of your comfort zone.
We are in the age where media tells us that certain people or things should work in ways that make the most sense. In fact, that is not always the case, but we have a fear of doing something out of the ordinary. In reality, there is nothing we should be afraid of doing, or at least trying. Having the opportunity to work in a field where I am not experienced or knowledgeable; I had a lot of fears going in. Now when I look back, I feel like I could have made the more out of the experience by working on conquering my fears and breaking out of my comfort zone. Always remember: fear is temporary; but regret is forever.
- No opportunity is too small.
The learning portion of this internship has been tremendous, not only from the mistakes I made, but the hands-on experience I was offered as well. The colleagues I worked with were fantastic and I found myself really looking up to many of them. Going into this internship, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I wasn’t familiar with what an “advancement department” is, or what they do, I knew very little about working for a nonprofit in the US. Looking back, I learned that there is no small opportunities; every opportunity can be big one if you take approach it from the right direction and leverage it appropriately, it can and often will lead to bigger and better opportunities.
- Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
During board meetings I had the least information to offer. This was expected of course, but I felt left out and unable to participate. The director of CAPS Fellowship, Dr. Lynn, who I really respect and look up to, pointed out the truth – I was just looking to add an intelligent comment. When in fact, employers are not looking for new hires and new grads to add intelligent comments – they are expect us to ask questions and be engaged in the meeting. Understanding that it’s okay to ask questions will get us far.
- Always present yourself with confidence even if you have to fake it.
Confidence is important, especially for recent graduates who will most likely be the youngest and therefore least experienced one on the team. Since my first day in the U.S., I’ve tried to “fake it til you make it”, that is appearing confident despite my lack of language skills – it works out pretty well most of the time. After studying abroad with more than six-hundred students from all over the world, I was somewhat beaten up with the amount of confidence they had. It wasn’t until I had lunch with one of the directors at Concordia Place, Nyla, and she mentioned, “how do you know if they are really confident? Maybe they are just really good at faking it”, did I realize that appearing confident is half the battle. Being confident in yourself will affect whether others view you as confident or knowledgeable, which is crucial for recent graduates. The trick is to know when to revert to number 5 and not be afraid to ask questions as well.
It’s been roughly a week since I’ve graduated and completed my first internship in the U.S. with Concordia Place. I am very grateful for the opportunities and the lessons learned from my internship at Concordia Place and everything the CAPS Fellowship has done to provide such a beneficial experience and turn this rebel into a real graduate.
Front of the office at Concordia Place
Last lunch with the A-Team
Me growing out of the bush with the sign