Category Archives: Emily

My First Internship: A Walk Down Memory Lane

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When I walked into the animal shelter veterinary clinic in Camarillo, CA at 10:00am on Tuesday, May 27, 2014, my hands were shaking.  It was the first day of my first animal care internship.  My mind was racing, questions buzzing through nervously.  What is it going to be like?  Will the people be nice?  What am I going to do here?  What am I going to learn?  Are they going to be willing to teach me?  Am I cut out for this?  Is veterinary medicine the right career path? My eyes were wide, and butterflies fluttered in my stomach as I waited anxiously with the barking, happily recovering dogs in the dog ward.

After a few minutes, one of the veterinary technicians came in and introduced himself.  He told me that the office was already chaotic and busy (I would soon discover and love that every day was a whirlwind of surgeries and exams), and that the entire staff was happy to have me there to help.  He led me into the main exam room where I met Dr. Heather Skogerson and the other vet technicians.  Dr. Heather welcomed me with a smile and a tour of the clinic, and then set me to work.

The events of my first day were a blur of vaccinating kittens, helping with dog and cat exams, and learning the ropes and procedures of the clinic.  I spent time bottle feeding underage, orphaned kittens in the nursery and observing spay/neuter surgeries.  I watched lost animals come in and adopted animals go home.  By the time I went on my lunch break at 2:00pm, I knew that I wanted to spend the rest of my life healing animals.

One of the little friends that I had the pleasure of working with!

At the end of the day, I was tired and sore, but more energized than ever before.  I couldn’t stop smiling when I got home, and all I wanted to do was talk about my amazing new internship.

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I spent the summer observing and scrubbing in on surgeries to repair eyes, limbs, and everything in between, administering medications to make sick animals well again, changing bandages to keep healing wounds free from infection, vaccinating so that healthy animals would stay healthy, counseling adopters to help find forever families for our animals, and becoming a foster and adopted parent to three orphaned kittens who stole my heart as well as my bed. I became an integral part of the veterinary clinic and formed lasting relationships with my mentors and teachers there.

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My first internship was an eye opening glance into the world past college.  I saw what a “real job” looked like in a chaotic and high pressure workplace.   I jumped in and learned through hands on experience.  I realized that it was okay to be nervous and unsure, and I was able to channel that nervous energy into productive work energy.  I asked questions at every given chance, and I turned mistakes into learning opportunities.  Most importantly, I saw where I wanted to be in 10 years.  I finally had an answer to that dreaded interview question, and I vividly remember the relief that I felt.  Veterinary medicine was and is the career path for me, and internships have taught me with countless lessons along the path toward my goal.  I am so thankful for the valuable, heartwarming, and funny experiences that I’ve collected, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you this semester!

Now it’s your turn! What was your first internship was like?  How was your first day? I want to hear about it, so comment below and share!

End of Undergrad To-Do List

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As the semester wraps up, including my four years at Scripps College, I’m creating (another) list for myself: How to use all of Scripps’ wonderful resources while I’m still on campus.

First, In order to learn more about Positive Psychology, I’m setting up a meeting to talk to someone in the department at Claremont Graduate University about my options as an English major. Many times, people go in a different direction after Do I have to take preliminary psychology course to apply for a Masters in Psychology? What courses are preferred? What sorts of career opportunities are there for people who take a Masters in Positive Psychology rather than Psychology? When researching graduate schools, I realized there was a program right in my own back yard that specializes in what I want to pursue!

Second, I’m going to use the Life Connections portal to reach out to any Scripps alum living and working in London. I plan on being there next year, and am interested to know how they found positions in London and/or their process in going to graduate school abroad.

Third, gather recommendation letters. This one is a no-brainer, but now that I know where I am applying, I now know where I should have my professors direct their letters.

Fourth, make an appointment with CP&R now that I know where I’ll be next year! When planning a gap-year abroad, you can use all of the help you can get. I recently purchased two books: Volunteer Vacations: Short-Term Adventures That Will Benefit You and Others, and Lonely Planet: The Gap Year Book.

Fifth, enjoy the time I have with my friends, Scripps’ beauuuutiful campus, and take in all of the senior events this week! Champagne Brunch, here we come!

 

Post-Thesis Reading

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When thinking about what it would be like to turn in my thesis, I always imagined It would be a complete relief and reawakening into the world outside of the Steele computer lab. While it has been in many ways, little did I know of the “thesis let down”. Don’t get me wrong – I’m very proud to have completed such a time-consuming project, but now there’s this sort of void, and a lot more free time to think (and freak out) about graduation and beyond. All of my friends agree – once you complete thesis, that part of your brain once burdened is left asking, “so…what do I do now?” To help quell those thoughts and feel more prepared for life after graduation, I’ve made… (dun dun dun) a summer reading list for myself.

I filled my list with books that will help prepare me for the job search,  decide what I want to study in grad school, and ones that offer real-life examples of what people go through after college. Here are some titles that I have found helpful these past four years, as well as ones I am currently reading (many of which I’m sure you can find at the CP&R library!).

1)   Dean’s List: Eleven Habits of Highly Successful College Students. This book goes over issues you will face as a freshman up through planning for life post-college. I highly recommend it for any stage of college, including study abroad.

2)   Authentic Happiness: Using the New Positive Psychology to Realize Your Potential for Lasting Fulfillment. This book teaches you how to play to your strengths, get a deeper understanding of what you want to do, and flourish in what you choose to do. I’m very interested in Positive Psych, so hopefully this book will give me a better understanding of the field.

3)   501+ Great Interview Questions For Employers and the Best Answers for Prospective Employees. (Available at CP&R)

4)   Véra (Mrs. Vladimir Nabokov). Because the Scrippsie in me loves to read a well-written biography about an inspirational woman!

Does anyone have any suggestions for helpful books and/or resources?

Gap-Year is a Go

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As a break from thesis (and running around the Inland Empire trying to have my hardrive transferred to another computer – long story short, my motherboard fried!) I have been planning and getting very excited for my ever-approaching gap-year before grad school.

I have decided to participate in BUNAC’s 6-month internship program in London, where I will be set up with a paid internship and work visa starting in October. They allow you to choose your three top areas of interest. Mine will be in psychology, arts management, or public relations. I decided this program is a great way to get hands-on experience in a field I’m interested in, earn some money, apply to grad schools, and TRAVEL the UK as far and wide as I’ve always wanted to. For the second half of my gap-year I hope to be in another country, but if I’m really inspired by my internship, I’ll take some preliminary courses in psychology before grad school.

Before making the decision to go with a liaison for a work-visa, always call the organization before handing in your application. I was comfortable using BUNAC because they have an excellent reputation, and are non-profit. They allow you to find your own paid internship, or you can use their services for a relatively small fee. From what I’ve heard, they make the visa-process a breeze for those who want to ensure that they can stay in a country for a prolonged period of time, and offer support throughout your stay. One of my favorite features of the program I discovered is that they organize meet-ups throughout the six months at various locations in the city for you to connect to other program participants and expats.

A dream internship I’ve been eyeing for the second half of my gap-year is in Tuscany, working on an estate in exchange for room, board (dinner and wine tasting every night with the guests of the estate), Italian lessons, cooking lessons with Tuscan chefs, and weekend trips in the area. Not sure if it’s in the cards for next year’s adventure, but a girl can dream, right?

On a side note to rising seniors – always back up your thesis!

In the meantime

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As I mentioned in my last post, my post-graduation plans became somewhat derailed when I did not get the internship I was hoping for, but new opportunities are opening up now that I have decided not to limit myself to returning to Copenhagen for my gap year. In fact, I’ve decided to utilize my college–town of a hometown, and focus my energy this summer on deciding on a Masters program in the right field for me.

Recently, I came across a few exciting internships just by looking up the dates for the Ann Arbor Art Fair (the largest art fair in the country –– I love attending every year because it involves art, good music, and great food!) It’s unlikely I will get one of the internships because the start date is before graduation, but it gives me hope that something will come together, and that there are plenty of local positions not necessarily listed on NIC or other internship/job search engines.

At the beginning of the semester, I made a list of the possible directions I could go – psychology, business, performance management, running away to Mexico… and now I have plans to put those options into action. While working in my hometown of Ann Arbor this summer, I will take psychology classes at the University of Michigan, and work with Autistic children as part of a study. This way, I can get some hands-on experience with the field of psychology. I will also continue to teach violin, and be working in the restaurant business to get an idea if I prefer those fields.

In the meantime, I’ve decided to focus completely on the next six weeks. This is the home-stretch, which means I need to maintain my GPA, write a killer thesis, and make sure to get my letters of recommendation in order. It’s tempting to day dream about the future, but what I do right now is what counts and will impact what I can and cannot do later on.