1. My STEP signature project was an internship with Campus Service Officers, the place I work. As Campus Service Officers, we strive to improve and maintain the overall security of the Ohio State campus by making sure OSU properties are secure, providing a first response to medical emergencies, alerting the OSU Department of Public Safety of criminal or suspicious activity, advising the proper authority on safety and maintenance needs on campus, and building relationships with the community at large. My project really focused on finding the most effective route for our nightly building checks and compiling statistics to determine which buildings had the most security issues throughout my internship.
2. During my STEP internship, I realized how much I want to make a difference in the world, and I realized that I could really make this impact if I went into law enforcement. With everything going on in the world involving law enforcement recently, I was able to experience first-hand what it felt like to be on the other side. As an organization, we pride ourselves with being able to connect with students as we are all students ourselves. However, these past few months there was a disconnect. Especially last semester when we were patrolling east of high, many students really didn’t appreciate our presence. I really struggled with how to make my fellow peers understand that our presence wasn’t to cause them any trouble, but rather to help them if they got into trouble. With this in mind, I really feel like I know that the biggest impact that I have to being part of the solution is to help them understand where I’m coming from. The best way that I know to do that that I’ve realized from this internship is to go into law enforcement in some manner and show them the good.
3. I believe that the interactions that really led me to this transformation was really with the public and the people I met at my internship. A lot of the time when we patrolled on campus even, people almost seemed like they didn’t want us there. However, when we would actually approach them and talk to them and really show that we are here to help they would be more open-minded and we were able to have good conversations. Due to the fact that we were allowed to patrol east of High St. last semester, there were situations that occurred where we had to coordinate with CPD in order to get students the help they needed. Through these experiences, I was able to directly help students and provide them with the proper care while also improving upon my communication capabilities. Coordinating with CPD and even EMS really helped me build my communication and teamwork skills and test my abilities of being able to apply the knowledge I have gained. Being able to succeed in these scenarios really allowed me to gain confidence in my abilities to handle situations. Being able to actively patrol campus and conduct building checks allowed me to realize that I don’t want to sit in a lab all day – I want to be more proactive. I would still like to possibly do an internship in a crime lab to see if it would still interest me, but if I would be able to combine both that would be the perfect job. During this internship, I was also able to meet many people that have inspired me to go into this field of work. I made many friends and built connections with many people who have shown me what it is like to want to be the change. They have opened my eyes to the fact that there are many good people in law enforcement who really want to just protect and serve their community. Many of them are going into law enforcement or the military or themselves are police officers. They are an inspiration to me and made me realize that I owe it to myself to pursue what I love despite the criticism of others.
4. This change/transformation was very significant to my life because it allowed me to really determine the career I want in the future. It also opened my eyes to the realities of going into law enforcement and the hurdles that I would probably face. It also allowed me to understand what kind of path I want to take for my career. I’m pretty confident that I don’t want to be a police officer, but I also don’t want to sit in a lab all day and analyze data. My perfect job would be a combination of those two. Therefore, I believe that I would like to be able to be a criminal investigator of some sort. I would be able to be active in the field as I would be collecting evidence and trying to piece things together, but I also would be able to use my background in biochemistry and biology as it does require scientific expertise.

1. Please provide a brief description of your STEP Signature Project.

My STEP signature project was my architecture internship at Kime Design in Toledo, Ohio. I helped out on the residential side of things mostly with renovation projects. I assisted my boss with site measures, modeling, plans, elevations, and renderings, as well as final construction drawings.

2. What about your understanding of yourself, your assumptions, or your view of the world changed/transformed while completing your STEP Signature Project?

My internship at Kime Design was my first professional job in architecture. The whole experience really made me think about things more realistically, financially, and functionally. My education in architecture has been very conceptual and design based. While this has been a good start to learning about architecture and design, the professional world is much more practical. Every day at my internship I would have experiences that would help me think about architecture in a better way.

3. What events, interactions, relationships, or activities during your STEP Signature Project led to the change/transformation that you discussed in #2, and how did those affect you?

On one of my first days, my boss asked me to sketch out a plan of a bathroom including a bathtub, toilet, and sink. I sketched it out thinking it was a pretty simple task. My boss proceeded to move things around and explain how there really is only one way to place everything that makes sense for function and to be most cost effective.

After this activity, my boss proceeded to explain to me what I’d be working on throughout the summer which would mostly be assisting him with home renovation projects. My first few weeks I worked on an addition for a family that wanted to add on a master bedroom as well as extend their kitchen, dining room, and pantry. This whole project for introduced to me the process of architecture between producing drawings, site measures, designing, and meeting with the clients, and finances. There was really just so much more to even a simple addition that I had not thought of before.

On the last day of my internship, my bosses surprised me and had planned for me to ride around with a common home builder of theirs. He took me to five different houses in the Toledo area his company was building all at different stages of construction. I had never had much of an interest in construction before but I was truly fascinated by it seeing it up close and with the builder explaining everything to me. It was also really cool to see him and his employees referencing the kind of drawings that I had been making all summer.

4. Why is this change/transformation significant or valuable for your life?

As I said previously, I started my internship with Kime Design after my junior year of my undergraduate degree in architecture. Since my freshman year, I have strongly questioned if architecture is for me. My interest in the field never seemed to align to my classmates or my professors which has really been a struggle for me. I have always had a gut feeling that the professional world is where it would click and would be where I would thrive. My internship entirely confirmed this for me. Even after just my first week I had a new confidence in myself and in my career in architecture. This confidence allowed me to have my best year academically, as well as the ability to start planning and getting excited about my life after graduation!

A rendering and plan of one of the home additions I worked on.

1. My STEP project was an internship with TicketFire. This was a part time internship where I helped manage the eTickets, website, and android application for the company.
2. Not only did it transform my technical knowledge, It also changed my view on what it means to be a business and how I might want to conduct business in the future. It made me want to start my own company in the future rather than just getting a job at a big company. Working in that Start-Up environment really made me want to do that again in the future, but rather than being the intern I want to be the CEO. The experience transformed what I think of the business world and how people can succeed in it.
3. There were a couple of people that helped shape the transformations that I had experienced in this time. The first of which was my manager. He was not just the person that gave me my day-to-day work, he also encouraged me to explore and take part in other aspects of the business.

At the beginning I was not too sure as I was only expecting to take part in the technical part of the company, but I was happy that my manager encouraged me to take part in the other aspects as it broadened my knowledge about the eTicket industry and how businesses in general function. My manager then told me that it might be fun and that he thought I might enjoy it. After a couple of times, I decided to attend one of the business meetings and that experience changed what I thought about the business side.

The other transformational part was the technologies that I learned. I learned many different technologies in the computer science field. I deepened my knowledge in many technologies that I had already worked with. I also learned new technologies that I have not experience in my classes at OSU. These are some technologies that I have leveraged in interviews and other personal projects and having these in my arsenal have been life changing.

4. Like I mentioned at the end of the last paragraph these are valuable to me and my life because I get to leverage those technologies and the knowledge in my day-to-day life whether it be through personal projects, or through professional experiences.

I get to use the technologies in my personal projects, like the android app I am creating. Without these technologies I would not be able to do that. I also get to use the business knowledge I learned to hopefully one day create my own business, as this internship inspired me to do that in the near future.

My STEP Signature Project was centralized on the internships I completed during the 2021 Spring Semester. I completed two short internships with Extension Professionals. The first internship was partnered with Dr. Kathryn Orvis, a professor, and Extension Specialist at Purdue University and with Dee Nicley, one of the Tippecanoe County, IN 4-H Youth Development Extension Educator. The second short internship was partnered with Kayla Oberstadt, an Ohio State Extension Specialist.

Before I completed these internships, I was not certain what I was capable of completing, and how well I would do my job. I have studied to become an Extension Educator for four years at Ohio State; however, I questioned if I was actually capable of exceling at the common aspects the job presented or if I would be an average intern. Throughout my life I have always compared myself to others and been negative towards myself. However, throughout my experience working with these professionals I was amazed at how well I handled everything I was tasked to and the knowledge and creative mind I was able to use during these tasks. Aside from that, I was in awe of the praise I received from various people around me about my achievements and ability to excel at my work performance. Now, I understand that I am an amazing person, and that I am ready to face the world as an Extension Educator. I no longer assume that I will be average at a task, now I assume that I will be able to transform simple tasks to help and change the minds of others.

During my first internship, I worked alongside Dee Nicley. Dee is an exceptional woman who changed her career from being a teacher to becoming an Extension Educator in her 30s. However, the most exceptional aspect about Dee is her ability to always be positive and energetic. She understands that problems occur, changes happen, but she has learned to look on the bright side of everything. While working with her, her positivity rubbed off on me. I stopped being as negative towards myself and really started to look at the opportunities and applaud myself for the achievements I have been working towards.

Another experience during my first internship that had a deep impact on myself was when I was interviewing Dr. Mark Russell. Dr. Russell is the Head of the Department of Agricultural Sciences Education and Communication in the College of Agriculture. The interview was an informational interview, allowing me to learn more about his career path and his perspective on Extension. Dr. Russell was an amazing person to speak to; he was honest, charismatic, and caring. During our interview we spoke about many things but what stood out the most was his love for helping students learn leadership skills and the way he cared about my future although he had barely known me. Dr. Russell was amazed at everything I had accomplished thus far in my life, he appreciated the work I have done on my family’s farm and he was very adamant about trying to persuade me to obtain my master’s degree in his department. This conversation helped me to realize that no matter what my background and education is, I can truly achieve anything I want in this world; and that no matter where I go there will always be friendly faces who care about my career. Dr. Russell symbolizes what I dream of becoming and allowed my passion for helping others to flourish more than I thought it could.

A third key aspect occurred throughout my second internship with Kayla Oberstadt. During this internship I had the opportunity to teach during a counselor workshop about the different learning styles, sit in on various committee and organization meetings, and create an abundance of survey and evaluation materials. I have always known that evaluations are a difficult task in Extension. Most programs focus on youth, and I know from personal experiences that youth do not enjoy completing surveys. However, I was able to become very creative while creating the evaluation strategies and I found that I had a passion for making evaluations interesting. Trying to create exciting ways to present evaluation surveys and evaluation data allowed me to flourish. I thoroughly enjoy statistics and this form of research is perfect to gain results from activities with the right about of statistics involved. Kayla was very inviting towards my ideas and was very impressed with my abilities. Without this internship I would not have been able to have the freedom and space to make the evaluations and evaluation data sheets like I had and discover my love and passion for evaluations.

These changes and transformations are very valuable in my life. When I become an Extension Educator, I need to be able to explain and agree with decisions I make. Part of that is feeling positive about my decisions and abilities. This internship has allowed me to better understand what I am capable of and allow me to challenge myself to achieve things I did not believe I could. This internship has also opened my eyes to the possibilities and opportunities I can achieve in Extension. Instead of questioning if I belong in Extension, I am excited to jump into my career and allow my education and experiences to push my past what others believe I can accomplish. Aside from being able to explain and agree with decisions I make; I have also been able to let up on my evaluations of my work. I am working on being nicer to myself, which I believe will help me go farther in my life academically, personally and in my future career. Lastly, my development in abilities regarding Extension tasks have allowed me to better understand my interests regarding Extension and will allow me to enhance the areas that I still struggle with while allowing me to also delve into the areas of Extension I have found an excitement for.

These developments matter because they are helping me to transform into the best Extension Educator I can become. They have helped jumpstart the excitment, development and connections I will use in the future.

I’d also like to thank STEP for providing me with the financial backing for this endeavor. This experience was life-changing and I am forever grateful.

Here is a few screenshots from workshops and projects I completed.

For my STEP Signature Project, I completed an internship with the Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center. The mission of this organization is to ensure that Ohio and Federal crime victims have their voices heard, are informed of their rights, and that the rights they choose to exercise are protected and enforced. My role as an assisting advocate was to ensure that victims were informed of their rights and to provide any resources that would be beneficial to them. The work I was able to help with was meaningful and intentional; I assisted victims in filing RFA (intake) forms, organized case summaries for Prosecutors in the office, researched and created a document that listed all housing relocation services in Ohio, completed online advocacy trainings, and so much more.

After having completed my internship, I definitely became more aware about what specific crimes are most prevalent in Columbus, as opposed to the organizations’ locations in Cleveland and Cincinnati. I was able to interact with the other interns who were working in these two locations, so we would compare and contrast the types of cases we had coming in. For example, many of the cases I handled in Columbus were domestic abuse cases. However, I also dealt with cases pertaining to elderly abuse, child abuse, theft, violence, and stalking. Having the opportunity to engage in a hands on role in these cases allowed me to understand that every case is different, unique, and must be approached in the appropriate manner.

Before this opportunity, I had believed that all cases were approached in a standard way with the same set of questions for victims, but the victim advocate who I worked alongside taught me that advocates have to thoroughly consider all aspects of an individual and their case in order to know what specific questions to ask. This experience demonstrated the importance of empathy and maintaining an open mind, which are traits that I believe will be applicable in my expected future work as a victim advocate and social worker. Because you never know what a victim has been through and how they may be feeling about their experiences, these qualities will make a victim feel assured that you are there to help have their voices and stories not only heard, but prioritized. My view of the world has shifted because I realize that the Criminal Justice System isn’t always set up to best serve victims. Victims may not receive the anonymity and protection they deserve to keep them safe, and that’s why organizations like the Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center are crucial for vicim advocacy. If the Criminal Justice System fails a victim, all hope is not lost; they’re still able to find free and reliable assistance through a victim advocacy center.

One of the experiences I had that highlighted the importance of anonymity and protection, was when I was assigned to work on a domestic violence case. In this case, a woman had been experiencing spousal violence at the hands of her husband. She reached out to our organization for help out of this situation, and we prioritized her safety by approaching her case with care. For example, we would never send emails to her because there was a chance that her spouse would see it and further violence would ensue. We contacted this victim only over the phone when she was able to call us at her convince.

Another project I worked on where anonymity and protection was prioritized was through my work researching housing relocation services for victims. As I researched housing relocation services in the Ohio area that we could offer as resources for victims, I spoke with the representatives of these organizations to ensure that if a victim were relocating to escape harm or violence their information would not be given out. When I created the document listing all of the resources I had to make sure that anonymity was valued by all of the organizations listed. Additionally, I made sure to find relocation services that would cater to victims in need of different services. For instance, I gathered housing relocation services offered financial assistance with rent for victims with little or no income, safety planning for victims seeking a way out of a situation, 24/7 hotline support, disability considerations within the building, mental health services, and many other services to ensure that every victim could find housing that met their needs.

This experience has been beneficial for my professional goals because as a Criminal Justice major, this is the field I would like to enter upon graduation before going for my Master’s degree in Social Work. I believe the experiences and knowledge I’ve gained with the Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center will be useful tools that I’ll be able to draw upon in the future. As this internship came to an end and I began applying for jobs as a victim’s advocate, I’ve seen the value of having experience working with victims as it pertains to future job opportunities. Although I was unsure about my abilities when I first began working with this organization, I’ve seen my confidence for helping others exponentially increase during my internship. This confidence boost was exactly was I needed to know that I’ve chosen the right career path to pursue upon graduation. I know that assisting victims and those in need is my passion, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to practice my passion through my role at the Ohio Crime Victim Justice Center. While seeing my strengths in action really inspired me, being able to recognized my weaknesses has proven to be just as useful. Due to the fact that I’ve been working with a mentor through the Mentorship Program at Ohio State, I’ve been able to recognize my weaknesses at my internship and work with my mentor to finds ways to address them head on. One of these weaknesses has been how to handle the emotional weight of the cases coming in and not get so invested my own personal life is affected. I’ve learned that balance is key, and having balance in all areas of my life (physical, mental, and social) goes a long way in being able to best help others.

Prompt 1 –

For my STEP Signature Project, I completed a virtual Spring internship with the Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, where I worked on the Energy Project Team. On this team, I supported energy-focused policy analysts by completing research projects, summarizing legislation, drafting social media posts, and writing a blog post on a topic of vertical farming. I also engaged in professional development activities such as networking with the interns from other teams and attending virtual panels discussing graduate school, the world of lobbying, and more.

Prompt 2-

My STEP project was nothing short of transformational on both a professional and personal level. I came into this internship feeling like a shy “newbie” that felt intimidated to share her ideas in a meeting. I’m coming out of this internship as a confident, well-spoken professional who truly believes that her opinions and insights are valuable and worth sharing. I completely challenged and conquered my old fears of public speaking, making mistakes, and (especially) not interpreting constructive feedback as personal critique. As I look toward graduation in May, I am headed into the workforce with a stronger, healthier mindset that will enable me to make a greater impact when working on the public policy issues I care about.

Prompt 3 – 

Throughout my STEP project experience, I had mentors, activities, and interactions at my internship site that elevated this experience into one of transformation and growth. At the Bipartisan Policy Center, I worked on a team that included policy analysts, grant writers, administrators, social media personnel, directors, and more. Though our team was small in number (less than a dozen people), it housed a wealth of knowledge. Members of my team had experience working on Capitol Hill, in the public and private sector, in academic research, in the nonprofit space, and in consulting. From my incredible colleagues, I gained a wealth of knowledge about energy policy, emerging technologies, the grant process, the innerworkings of Washington DC, the pros and cons of graduate school, and more. The relationships I created were one of the most rewarding aspects of my STEP experience, as I have not only expanded my network in DC but, in doing so, have created genuine and meaningful connections with inspiring people doing inspiring work. This has only motivated me further.

In regard to the activities that facilitated my professional and personal transformation, a few stand out as key growth points during my internship. The first was presenting research on carbon pricing to my team. Public speaking has always been one of my biggest fears and most poorly-executed skills, as I struggle with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, making it mentally very challenging to present. However, with the support of my supervisors, I successfully gave a ten minute presentation with a Q&A session at the end with no hiccups. My team said that they genuinely would never have guessed that I struggled with public speaking in the past; it went that smoothly. This presentation represented a time where I pushed past my comfort zone and delivered and, in doing so, boosted my confidence in my professional abilities.

Another time that facilitated my growth was when I received multiple rounds of feedback on my big research blog on vertical farming. I had never received so many rounds of feedback from so many people on a single project, and while it originally felt disheartening, I realized that the products BPC puts out are held to an incredibly high standard and therefore I would be producing one of my best-ever research projects. Instead of viewing this feedback as criticism (which it truly wasn’t), I pushed ahead and continued to refine my blog post until it was excellent and fit the goals of my organization. My supervisors appreciated my patience with the process and I came to feel the same way. Having had little experience writing in a truly bipartisan style prior to my internship (one of the best hard-skills I learned during my time at BPC), I learned multiple lessons: 1) There’s value in learning to be more patient with myself and 2) People are not expecting perfection on the first go at something, so why put that false pressure on yourself? These are lessons I will carry with me far beyond the conclusion of this semester.

Prompt 4 –

I believe these transformations are integral to my success in navigating my career and (broader) personal life post-graduation. The immense personal and professional growth I gained during my internship (thanks to the STEP program) came at the perfect time, as I know feel more ready and prepared than ever to formally enter the workforce in May. As I plan to move to a new city to pursue a career in public policy, I have the new “hard” skills that have enhanced my professional portfolio and made me a stronger job candidate (in an especially-competitive DC market). I also have new, but equally important, “soft” skills, including increased confidence, patience, drive, adaptability, and gratitude. I will carry these skills with me throughout my twenties, as I try to find work-life balance and pursue a fulfilling career where I can make a positive impact on this world. Thank you so much to the STEP program for allowing me this opportunity for growth. I plan to pay this forward by being an active Ohio State alumni that advocates fervently for the STEP program and all of the wonderful benefits it brings its fellows, especially in the form of the internship path.

This Spring I decided to use my STEP Signature Project to help me through my part-time internship. I began working with CESO as an intern in June of 2020, and I continued working with them part-time when school started again in August. I used the STEP funds to help me pay for essential expenses such as food, gas, and professional attire.

My internship has truly been a transformational experience from the beginning. When I started in June, I barely knew how to use AutoCAD Civil 3D, which is a widely used Civil Engineering program. Now that I have been working at CESO for over 10 months, I have become very comfortable with the program. I use it almost every day I work, and I seldom need to ask for help from my coworkers to figure out how to create a design or solve a problem in the program. I have also developed an understanding of the site development process. While this is different depending on where the project is located, I have worked on numerous projects and come to know the common outline that is typical in many locations. During my time with CESO, I also gained a familiarity with the codes and regulations projects must follow. Again, these do change depending on jurisdictions, but I can now typically navigate to and find the necessary codes that are needed for the projects I work on. There is much more that I have learned while at CESO, but these are three broad categories that can encompass the work I have done.

While those were mostly professional transformations, my internship has also had lasting personal impacts on me. Throughout my time, I have become fairly close with several of my coworkers. These connections have made the work I do much more enjoyable. While these are personal connections, it has also expanded my professional network and could potentially lead to more opportunities in my future. I also now feel very comfortable in a professional environment and feel that I personally fit well into it. I can see myself having a fulfilling career in a workplace like CESO. The internship has also impacted me personally because CESO is devoted to volunteering and making an impact in our community. The ideals CESO practices has motivated me to stay involved with my community and to give back whenever I can. I have truly transformed into a much more experienced and better engineer and person through my internship.

There are many factors that helped the transformations I discussed above become possible. One of the main factors was the work I was exposed to. When I first started, I was slowly exposed to new concepts and parts of the field that I would need to learn. Over time, I developed a good understanding of these. I continued to receive more challenging assignments that deepened my understanding of the engineering field. Now, I feel comfortable accomplishing many of the tasks I receive and am able to provide more of an insight on the projects.

Another large factor is the relationships with my coworkers that I built. I have worked especially close with two of them. They both helped me throughout my internship to ensure I was understanding the work. They guided me through examples and showed me how to apply them to the projects I would work on. These coworkers also made the work more enjoyable because we were able to develop more of a personal connection and entertain each other throughout the day.

Volunteering while at work was another transformational aspect of my internship. One day while working, the office took a break to pack backpacks full of school supplies to give to less fortunate children around Christmas. We also took a day out of the office to help construct a house with Habitat for Humanities. These experiences proved to me that CESO was a company built on good ideals and that I would be proud to work for them.

This internship had a huge impact on my professional goals because I have been offered a full-time position. I will be starting in May after graduation and continuing to work with the same department and people I am with now. This internship has given me a huge head start in the company because I do not need to go through the onboarding process, and I am already familiar with the common procedures of the work. The STEP program has helped me continue this transformational experience and allowed me to focus more on my academics and career without stressing about paying for my expenses.

For the first several months of 2021, I spent a great deal of time with the horses at the Ohio State equine facility. As a reproduction intern I was assigned a pregnant mare, an open (non-pregnant) mare, a stallion, and a young horse to be responsible for. This meant grooming the horses,  taking their vitals, collecting semen from the stallions, aiding the breeding of the open mares, training the yearlings, etc.

Before this internship I had interacted very little with horses and not in a very invasive manner. I had nothing against horses but I didn’t ever have an urge to work with them. Working with the horses at the equine facility has totally changed my view and I can very well see myself working in this area in the future. I had never done any kind of farm work either and I learned that I actually enjoy that kind of labor, like operating the tractor and even mucking out stalls. I’d never would’ve thought myself as the type of person to like doing any of the tasks I had to do for this internship, and I always would’ve thought that if I was not given this opportunity.

Working at the equine facility allowed me so many new relationships, interactions, and experiences that I won’t ever forget and that I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere else. I have new professional contacts like the professor in charge of our internship, as well as our herd manager and barn manager, all of whom are fantastic and are valuable networking assets. My fellow interns were amazing also and I’m sure many of us will remain long-term friends. The great teaching skills of our supervisors and the comradery I felt working with everyone played a key part in how much I enjoyed our work.

Although, the people were great, the ones who really won me over were the horses. Every experience working with the horses was one that drew me in to the equine world more and more. The truly amazing part, if I had to choose just one, was working with the newborn foals. I actually got to watch two of the mares give birth, one of which was my assigned mare (Betty). She gave birth in February and I got to interact with her and her baby (Snickers), 3 days a week. One of our jobs was to “imprint” the foals, meaning we smother them in affection so they get used to human contact. Getting to watch Snickers and the rest of the foals grow was a huge part in my conversion to equine science.

Learning the ins and outs of equine reproduction hands on was incredible. It would not have been the same coming out of a textbook or in a lecture hall. Every day we were there we actively had to think about our mares in their different stages, trying to get pregnant, pregnant, or lactating, and what each of those means for them. We had to collect the semen from our stallions and evaluate it ourselves then help our supervisors breed them to the mares. We even stayed all night at the barn multiple nights for foal watch when one of the mares was signaling to go into labor. We ate, slept, and breathed horse for this internship. Now none of us will be the same.

As I mentioned before, I never thought of myself as much of a horse guy, but now that’s changed. My career goals include me going to vet school and becoming a full fledged veterinarian. Having equine experience that was this hands on, and this educational is priceless in regards to the application to attend veterinary college. I was dead set on exotic animal medicine, but now I am considering going a different direction, all thanks to this legendary internship.

1. During my STEP signature project, I worked as a retirement actuarial intern at Aon’s Columbus office. My workload consisted of preparing benefit calculations for retirement plan participants, analyzing pension plan funding statuses, and generating annual filings. I learned many valuable tactics that I will apply to my full time job after graduation.
2. The main transformation I went through during my internship was from an eager college student to a budding young professional. The past four years, I have focused my time and attention on going to classes, getting good grades, and doing homework. I have been  finding single solutions by following the same processes. However, during my internship, my focus was on solving client issues, asking questions, and learning efficient ways of working. This experience was much more dynamic because every client has unique problems. There was also much more emphasis on the process by which a task was done rather than emphasis on the final solution. It helped transform my thought process and gave me experience on what I’ll be doing when I start full-time. 
3. One key aspect of my internship that helped my transformation was the fact that it was virtual. With the Aon office being closed, I did all my work from my apartment on a laptop. This was not ideal as I would have rather been in the office, interacting with coworkers face to face. However, working virtually was still a very valuable experience and it taught me many key lessons. The first benefit of a virtual experience is that it forced me to step outside of my comfort zone to ask questions. If I was in-person, I could just stop by someone’s office to ask a question. Instead, I needed to look at their Outlook calendar, write down my question, and ask them via Webex. This process was intimidating at first, but I quickly realized that my coworkers were more than happy to answer my questions because they have all been in my shoes before. This gave me more confidence to ask questions when I start full-time.
   Another key event that made my experience transformational was reading an attestation for an Annual Funding Notice (AFN) from start to finish. This 50+ page document describes the intricacies of the AFN which is a document that is sent to pension plan sponsors each year that outlines key funding indicators. The attestation provided  background into legislation that helped from the AFN and gave detailed descriptions on each section of the AFN. Moreover, it gave descriptions for special events pension plans can go through such as an annuity liftout or merger. My thorough readthrough gave me information that I could apply to individual clients. For instance, if there were a merger of pension plans, I would have a general idea of what changes needed to be made to the AFN. Although I am by no means an expert on every subject yet, this readthrough gave me industry knowledge that prepared me for when I start full-time.
   The last two events that helped make my experience transformational may seem minute but they had a large impact on me. Firstly, buying and wearing professional attire helped me feel more prepared for my career. Although I had some dress clothes before my internship, STEP provided me with the ability to buy quality clothing that I feel confident in. I wouldn’t usually attend class in business casual or professional attire, but I came to work (logged onto my laptop) in these clothes. Trying on different outfits and getting more comfortable in this type of clothes helped me gain confidence for when I start full-time. The second seemingly small event that helped transform me was going into the office to get the keys. Although my internship was all virtual, my boss met me at the office one day and showed me around. Talking with her and seeing my name on my cubicle really excited me. Although it may be seen as dorky, this was a big moment for me and it helped me feel like I was a part of the team.
4. I have already touched upon it earlier, but this experience is directly correlated with my professional goals. The more experience I have before I start full-time, the more confident I will be in my role as a retirement actuarial associate. Even things as simple as knowing where certain files can be found on the intranet will give me a step up for when I start this summer. I have high aspirations in my career and the earlier I can learn things, the better. And although I will need a deep understanding of the basics of my role before I progress, this experience started to build that base. I’m very grateful for the ability to STEP funds to help transform me from a student to an aspiring young professional. 

#WorkingFromHome

My capstone internship was with Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security (FCEMHS), the all-hazards disaster preparedness organization for Central Ohio. At FCEMHS, I was tasked with assisting the development of the Medical Reserve Corps for COVID-19 mass vaccination. Over the past 6 months, we have gone from fewer than 500 volunteers to over 3000. As an intern, I verified medical licenses and personal information of volunteers, responded to phone calls and emails, and assisted with other administrative work as needed. My main project was developing a Basic Strategic Plan for the Medical Reserve Corps in accordance with FEMA’s Comprehensive Preparedness Guidelines.

This experience has taught me a lot, not only about public health, but also about myself. I have discovered that I am very passionate about community action; getting to know our volunteers helped me understand how passionate members of the public are about helping their communities. I also have learned that I much prefer field work and hands-on experience over desk work. Taking these two things into consideration, I have found an interest in water quality and environmental health. Environmental issues often have a lot of community involvement, and I would greatly enjoy working with community actors to identify problems in environmental health and seek to find solutions that satisfy public and private agencies as well as community members.

While writing the Basic Plan portion of the Emergency Operations Plan for the Franklin County and Columbus Medical Reserve Corps, I came to realize that my skills and experience do not align with my passions. I have previously worked as an intern in an emergency management department, where I had the opportunity to write a communications plan targeting Limited English Proficiency populations. I was able to use this previous experience as leverage to be selected for an internship with FCEMHS, but discovered that I am not as passionate about writing policy as I had previously thought. While it is an opportunity to make a large-scale impact, I would rather work directly with people who are affected so that I can see the impact I can have.

Managing volunteers using a computer database was another task that I did not find as interesting as my work in the field. Responding to emails and phone calls was rewarding, as the volunteers and members of the public were often extremely grateful for the clarification and direction I could provide, but managing an email listserv, verifying documentation, and processing applications were all rather tedious tasks. The combination of writing and administrative tasks has helped me to realize that my selected career trajectory was not one that I would find fulfilling. While I do anticipate that my degree in public health will be useful to my future, I have come to realize through this internship experience that emergency preparedness is not a field in which I would like to be employed long-term.

The realization that my career path would not be fulfilling was something I have been struggling with a lot this semester. While I am still skilled in my role and able to complete all the tasks assigned to me, I noticed that I was not looking forward to clocking into my internship on administrative days, whereas I was always excited to head to the vaccination site or even to clock in to my part-time job as a bicycle technician. To deal with this confusion, I made a slew of appointments with professors, professionals, and career counselors to discuss what I could do with my future.

While there have been several good options, the one I feel the most drawn to is environmental health risk assessment. Through environmental health risk assessment, I will be able to work with community actors to identify hazards and environmental concerns, and to find solutions to those problems, similar to the field work I have had with FCEMHS. The daily work in environmental health risk assessment includes a good balance of field sampling, community engagement, data management, and planning. After I graduate, I plan to enroll at the University of Florida and work towards a graduate certificate in Soil and Water for Public Health, which will set me on a more fulfilling path.

Without completing this internship, I would be on a totally different career trajectory. This experience has helped me to identify not only my strengths and weaknesses, but also my passions and goals. Through this internship, I have made many amazing connections, developed valuable skills, and received a great number of certifications from FEMA that will all certainly aid me in my future endeavors. The work I completed with FCEMHS was incredibly rewarding, as I was able to see the impact our community can have when people work together. I value this experience a lot, but I would say that the most transformational aspect of this experience has been how my future plans have been reshaped to better suit my passions and interests.