Frankly, it took me a while to arrive at the Center for American Progress (CAP). I had first come to know the organization after my sophomore year at Scripps while pursuing opportunities to work in Washington, D.C. for the summer in hopes of testing my political passions in the workplace. I was looking for opportunities which would allow me to explore uncharted professional territory and CAP, a liberal think tank located just off K Street (known colloquially as “Gucci Gulch” in D.C. for its population of ostentatious lobbyists who pour out of monolithic office buildings and flood the streets at rush hour) seemed to fit the bill.

The breadth of experiences that CAP offered its interns were nearly unprecedented. The position included opportunities for me to familiarize myself with political research, but also included opportunities to attend CAP’s  many policy discussions with experts, to attend press conferences, to work at an annual conference on progressivism among young people, and even had a baseball team which played other think tanks and political organizations around parks in D.C. every summer. The prospect of working there was appealing without being overbearingly intimidating and seemed like the ideal work environment for someone with an intense interest in politics but a distaste for the pomp, circumstance, and semantics of Capitol Hill.

I was rejected the first time I enthusiastically applied to the Center for American Progress. The second time around, I was offered a position on the Education Policy team at CAP one day after I had accepted another offer with EMILY’s List. Finally, I was determined to give the Center for American Progress another try and was offered a position as an intern for the CAP Action Fund’s War Room department, which provided research services in support of CAP’s long term political initiatives. I accepted, drove up to Washington from my hometown in Kentucky, moved into my summer housing, and hit the ground running as I prepared for an eight-week stint at a policy think tank.

Upon arriving and settling into CAP, it became obvious that my desires to meet inspiring peers and coworkers in a friendly work environment would be fulfilled in my eight weeks. There was no shortage of intelligent, enthusiastic young people—many only a few years older than me and my college-aged co-interns—who were not only successful in politics, but eager to share their experiences with younger, less experienced politicos over lunch or coffee. There were numerous events to attend in- and out-of-office; on one particular occasion, I saw Secretary of State John Kerry speak about the U.S.’s foreign policy towards India in-office in the same week that I was able to attend an event at the White House celebrating community leaders across the U.S. who pushed for an increase in the federal minimum wage.

I was allowed and encouraged to attend a conservative-sponsored anti-Affordable Care Act carnival with my co-interns in the War Room undercover wherein we participated in carnival games, took pictures, and spoke to attendees on the National Mall prior to writing and publishing an article on CAP’s affiliated news blog ThinkProgress about it. I even got to see Scripps alumna Gabby Giffords speak at an anti-gun violence press conference at the Corcoran Gallery of Art early in the summer. I was able to complete research on a breadth of issues, contribute to the social media campaigns of CAP Action and CAP Fair Shot (an initiative to provide equal opportunities and resources to young women and families) and even work on social media and messaging for an MSNBC television show hosted by a friend of someone in my department. The work experience at CAP was everything I had been looking for in a D.C. internship and more.

The internship was one of the most rewarding experiences that I’ve had professionally. I had a great working relationship with my peers and supervisors, produced meaningful work that I took pride in, saw many of my political foes and role models in person, became more comfortable with working full-time in an office environment, and most importantly, I felt comfortable enough in my work environment to acknowledge that even under the best of circumstances, I enjoy working in interpersonal capacities more thoroughly than I enjoy working strictly at a desk doing research. Upon reflection, what I found most intensely rewarding about my CAP experience was the relationships I was able to forge with staff and fellow interns, which allowed me to feel supported and to produce better work.

This summer I had the privilege of interning at Mi Casa en Ipauratu thanks to the generosity of the Scripps Community and my donor, Rebecca Barber Adams of the class of 1961. My hope is that future Scripps students choose to partner up with this incredible non-profit organization and make a difference in the community of Paluato. Making a difference in a community in a matter of only 45 days seemed impossible to me prior to my internship at Mi Casa en Ipauratu; however, I quickly learned that I was quite mistaken. Every day that I was at this foundation, I was able to see the impact I, alongside other volunteers, had on the lives of the children that attend this foundation.

A typical week at the foundation consists of children coming in Monday through Friday, and sometimes on Saturdays for special events that volunteers, such as myself chose to lead. Every school day, the foundation welcomes its own students, each one suffering from at least one disability. School starts at 8 AM sharp every day and ends at 1:30 PM. After school, the older children that attend Mi Casa en Ipauratu would typically come on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 2:30 PM until 4:30 PM for a fun activity I led. Thursdays were the day of the week that I, along with the other three volunteers would go visit children that are considered to have physical and mental disabilities that render them unable to leave their homes.

Although there was a routine to my days, every day was so special and unique. The children that attend the foundation’s school are really only six, three bright young girls (Lorena, Daniela, and Yanissa) and three high spirited boys (Freddy, Jose, and Carlos). After just one day with these kids I felt completely at home at the foundation. I was amazed at how welcoming they all were to me. As soon as I joined them, they wanted to know who I was. Daniela and Yanissa, being the older ones of the group, would ask me to sit with them when they were working on their assignments; Freddy would come every morning and kiss my cheek to say hello; Lorena would argue with me because she did not want to do her assignment, but later would go behind me and surprise me with a hug. These acts may seem so small, but they made every second worthwhile. At first I wondered if these kids were so open because they were accustomed to having volunteers come so frequently throughout the year, then I wondered if it was a reflection of their culture, or if it was because they do not have anything materialistic to give in order to share their appreciation. Their behavior towards me helped me to look past the many challenges I faced.

One such challenge was coming face to face with the real definition of poverty. I, like many individuals, have read about people living in poverty, but I had never really met anyone in that situation until this summer. Visiting children at their own homes on Thursdays was quite impactful. Prior to my first visit the director of the foundation warned me that some of what I would be seeing would shock me. She was right; the very first house we went to was Dianiz home. Dianiz is a young girl that suffers from several epileptic episodes every day. Her parents cannot pay for any treatment, so she spends her day sitting in a chair or laying down in bed while wearing a diaper. Because of the financial situation, Dianiz’s parents cannot afford to change her diaper every time she urinates herself. Though upsetting, the director shared with me that sometimes all we can do is try to share our joy and put a smile on someone’s face, other times we can help through fundraising, and other times we can support a movement that will enact real and lasting change. I definitely think she is right and hope to pass on that lesson to those around me, along with the many other lessons or self-discoveries I made during my internship.

This summer internship is quite unforgettable. I was challenged to put my everyday comforts aside, I was challenged to learn about the marginalized communities of those who live in poverty and those who live with a disability, and I was challenged to learn about how to run a non-profit organization. I plan on keeping strong ties with this foundation and partnering up with them again in the future.

I found my summer internship using Google Maps. That may be a slight oversimplification, but Google Maps is where it started. Friends of mine had gotten summer internships at Amazon, the retail giant, in Seattle, and while I could place Seattle on a map of the United States, I knew very little about the layout of the city itself. A few clicks later, and I was hovering over the Amazon campus in South Lake Union, one of Seattle’s many neighborhoods. Zoomed in enough, I could see labels of other major attractions nearby, and one caught my eye: Institute for Systems Biology.

Backing up a bit, this was the winter of my sophomore year. I had just declared a biophysics major and would be heading to Wellington, New Zealand for a semester abroad from the end of February to the beginning of July. While this timeline meant that I had a nice, long winter break, it also meant that I would have a much shorter summer – 8 weeks. This limited time frame eliminated many of the traditional summer options for science students, especially the traditional 8 to 10 week research positions.

The little label on Google maps led me to a colorful website defining systems biology, explaining what the Institute researches, and introducing the principal scientists. There was a tab labelled “Education and Outreach,” which is where I found the Logan Center for Education, formerly the Center for Inquiry Science. The center works with K-12 educators and scientists to improve the quality of science education in Washington schools. Education had always been important to me and where I ultimately saw my career going.

I carefully constructed my email to Dr. Dana Riley Black, the head of the Logan Center. The gist of the email was, “I think what you do is amazing. Can I be your intern?” After what felt like forever but was not very long at all, I got a polite response directing me to the Institute’s undergraduate internship program, doing research with scientists in the labs. Oops. I tried again, clarifying that I specifically wanted to work with her team in the Logan Center and explaining my limited schedule. We went back and forth a few more times, and I learned that in order to make this happen, I would need to secure my own funding for the summer.

Thankfully, I live close enough to Scripps that I was able to walk in to Career Planning & Resources and explain my situation to the student at the front desk. The good news was that Scripps offered internship grants for exactly this purpose. The not as good news was that applications were due later that day. I was thrilled. Not only did Scripps offer the resources to make this opportunity possible, but I had found out about it in the nick of time. I spent the entire day in the CP&R Library and the Motley, writing up a résumé, asking a plethora of questions, and filling out the application. I finished just in time.

As you can probably guess, I received the internship grant, was utterly thrilled, and secured a six-week internship at the Institute for Systems Biology’s Logan Center for Education.

Washington State and others, including California, have adopted the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), a series of K-12 science education standards developed from education research, with collaboration between scientists and educators, and with a feedback and revision process. I worked to develop ways to understand the new engineering standards and to find connections between the new standards and the old.

ISB and the Logan Center specifically have a very healthy work environment, which strongly encourages collaboration, respect, and flexibility. Throughout the process, I worked closely with my supervisor who shared her thought process with me and made critical and constructive suggestions in a respectful manner. I met women who were thriving in science fields, and I felt that I spent my summer doing meaningful work. I would like to thank Dr. Dana Riley Black for facilitating my internship and serving as a supportive mentor.

I encourage everyone to keep your eyes open and find your own opportunities – even if they are on Google Maps.

At Molina Healthcare, I worked with their College Recruiting Program Coordinator to find shadowing positions were I could experience both managed care and patient care. We determined splitting my time between the family clinics, the Molina offices, and their hospital, College Medical Center would give me a well-rounded experience.

I began my summer internship shadowing family doctors at clinics in southern California. At the clinics, I was required to wear business clothes, covered by an official blue lab coat embroidered with “Future Physicians: Molina Clinic Shadowing Program,” to ensure patients understood my role when I entered the private rooms. These clinics served mostly low-income, Hispanic families with Medicare or Medicaid insurance, which often introduced a language barrier.  With some Spanish background, I was able to understand much of the conversation. Throughout the day we would see patients and complete the appointments by entering notes and ordering labs and prescriptions on the computer system. The most common appointments were for the children of young Hispanic, often single, mothers or for diabetic patients needing an alteration in their medication dose. Through observing interactions with all aged patients, with a large range of healthiness, and with expansive health insurance differences, I could see the importance of having a strong and open relationship with the patients, as well as how the same quality of care was given to all patients at Molina’s clinics.

I worked in their managed healthcare departments, as well. Throughout my experience in these departments, some of the duties I was involved in were triaging patients with the nurses at the Nurse Advice Line, attending meetings, conducting surveys with new mothers, and assisting members who wished to quit smoking. These positions gave me a perspective on the necessary pieces to provide great care to patients and insurance clients.

For the final two weeks of my internship at Molina Healthcare, I shadowed at College Medical Center. College Medical Center is a teaching hospital, meaning they have medical student rotations, residency programs, and daily “lunch lectures” given by doctors and other medical professionals. For the most part, I shadowed under a 2^nd year resident. It was typical for us to go to rounds in the morning, then a lunch lecture, followed by visiting patients. The afternoons were often less structured. Sometimes I would talk with the medical students, and they would share advice on choosing the right medical school and the steps to becoming a practicing doctor. Other days I would see surgeries, such as a C-Section, a colonoscopy, or an open reduction and internal fixation of humeral fracture.

My favorite daily activity was “Rounds,” which is when all of the internal medicine residents and medical students would meet with an established doctor in the conference room and present their cases. Typically, the doctor would quiz them about possible diagnoses or medication possibilities. Although I did not understand much of the terminology they used, as the days went on I could put the patients with their descriptions and understand more of what they were discussing in Rounds. I saw about eight surgeries over the 2 weeks at College Medical Center. Ultimately, my favorite part of this internship was the exposure to the operating rooms. I was particularly intrigued by the orthopedic surgeries. It was quite difficult to grasp that these doctors use drills and screws to fix something besides a building, let alone to fix a human bone. I am planning to look deeper into orthopedics for a career pathway.

The most difficult part of this internship for me was being comfortable around the residents at the hospital. I was very intimidated by their vast knowledge of medical topics, as well as, grasping the idea that I, some day, could be in their position. I am absolutely thrilled with the experience I had. It showed me that realistically, I would love to be a doctor.