This is the final blog post I will make, as internship draws to a close, and here I will discuss what I spent my four weeks doing in detail.
When we started internship, we were tasked with working on a specific project, in mind with what our mentors would guide us towards. Since mine was in the computer lab of the Chemistry department, I knew I wanted to work with something in Chemistry, but I didn't have a specific idea in mind. My mentor asked me to create supplemental materials for the Student Resource Center on campus, on any topic in History, English, Math, or Science that I chose. I created a couple supplemental materials which were on multiple topics throughout American history. Then on the third day of Internship, my mentor came up with an idea: A Glossary of Chemical Terms. This Glossary was initially going to be about ten definitions each letter in the alphabet, for a total of two hundred and sixty definitions, but as time went on I kept expanding in regards to the amount of material present. I struggled with finding time to complete it, since internship was not twenty six days long, so eventually I was able to put in the work required to finish about two letters every day. As time went on and the glossary came together, I went about producing a cover for the book, as my mentor suggested, to complete the appearance of the glossary. I struggled through some designs before ultimately settling on my final cover, which can be seen below. I am not allowed to post the full glossary on my DP because it is in the process of being reviewed and turned into a Saddleback educational material, but I did get permission to post a preview of the first three pages. This link will also be below. I am very happy with how it turned out - and in this case, it is something that can benefit a great many of students. I myself struggled in Chemistry by being unable to relate terms, so when I took notes I understood them better. I am sure that just as this has helped me, it can also help reinforce a lot of the concepts in Chemistry that students may unintentionally overlook, and its a great reference material as well. Finally, as Internship drew to a close, I gave my POL - the Presentation of Learning, where I explained this process above using slides to build off points. I also related internship to my future as a college student and in the career of my choice. The slides for those will be below as well.
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I like to look at events with the view that I can learn from them. When keeping in mind the not-so distant future when I will be a twelfth grader, it is important for me to consider what I want to ultimately go into in life. I have already made my decision for a dream career, which would be a humans rights attorney, but I understand that this takes a lot of work to get to, and a lot of dedication is required from this work. While I do like the sciences, I do not see myself in any career in that subject.
Thus, it is important for me to ask myself: How has internship made me consider my college path which will ultimately lead to my career? The one thing I definitely observed among most student at Saddleback College was their dedication. Many of the students in the Chemistry department are premed majors, which is another difficult yet achievable occupation like the one I want to do. They did not play around when it came to work, and most finished their classes with as high of grades as possible. They would not let themselves get distracted by anything, and would channel their energy to preforming the best they can be. Even though I am a hardworking student, I always am humbled by seeing others achieve, and to see that class graduate during this semester, knowing that many of them are now a step closer to achieving their dream, is something which inspires me to work as hard as I can too. Thus, I am going to apply myself wherever I can. I will continue to learn from this experience and all the knowledge I gained during it, and use this drive to push myself to volunteer and achieve. As Internship draws to a close, I have curated the final photos I will be using in my photo essay. They show best what work I have done during this internship and also paint a picture of the daily setup at my internship. Please hover over each of the pictures to see the caption describing each of them and their relevance to my internship. In preparation for my POL next week and the final week of my internship, I am analyzing my work in response to several prompts, and comparing my first day at internship to the end of week three (today).
The questions and their answers will be below. Please keep in mind all screenshots are of a work in progress, and may or may not be present in the final product. Both Question 1 and 2 are answered below. 1: How did your project go from an idea or inspiration to a final product? 2:What did you learn about your own work from your internship project? Initially, my idea was to create a quick "cheat sheet" for students. It would have helpful tips such as how to calculate various formulas, or a color coded periodic table. Eventually, after long discussions with my internship mentor, I realized that a large problem in regards to the practice of Chemistry as a subject is how many students struggle when first introduced to Chemistry. It is a very vast and difficult science, and also one that is important. I remembered my first chemistry class in the Tenth Grade, where one of the most helpful things our teacher had done for us was to explain topics in simple terms, and gradually help us build up our vocabulary. When I looked at this, I decided that the most useful thing to do would be to create a glossary from A-Z with chemical terms, knowledge, and formulas that were worded in a simple way so that new students may better understand the material. From here, I worked, gradually filling in about a letter a day, although my initial design was very bland. I decided then to create a cover and back sheet, which would be useful in giving some design to my otherwise bland book. Then, I decided that along with words, pictures for some of the more complex items would help paint a clearer picture. I am now at the stage of my product where I am almost done with the glossary itself - I only have a few blank spots scattered around the book that I have to define still. Then, I am going to recreate my cover sheet to be more scientifically accurate, and to also have a better design. Finally, I am going to add the selection of pictures to the definitions chosen - I would say I am about 75% done with my work so far, and the rest is very easily done. Throughout this process, I have further solidified my work ethic and strong belief that I should never accept the minimum. What was my initial idea of maybe ten pages has turned into almost fifty pages of work, which is still not finalized, and I am excited to have this reference material for myself and for any student who may potentially need it. While working, it is also important for me to reflect on my experiences at the internship site itself, and how this may have developed or changed my views. Thus, I answer these two questions below: Question 1: What qualities or characteristics did you see in the people around you that you want to develop in yourself? Why? Question 2: How did your view of life beyond high school change or develop during your time as an intern? A lot of the students I saw in my time during the end of this semester were very dedicated - chemistry is required for medical students, and the students at Saddleback are some of the most ambitious I have ever seen. The class average was very high compared to what I would see at my own High School, and even though one can chalk that difference up between mandatory education and higher education, I always admire the perseverance of people who wish to succeed. Even though I have a very strong work ethic, I want to continue developing it, because it is one of the best traits one can have. I always have believed in what I call the three H's: Honesty, Humility, and Hard Work, and all three of these traits in a person serve to make them the best they can be. When viewing this development and comparing it to my work in school, I can see I've learned a lot as an intern, even though I was not really interacting with people for this one and instead studying. I have learned a lot about the college process, something I will be going through in a year, and the knowledge I have gained will be extremely useful for me to develop and utilize. One of the oldest sayings is "A picture is worth a thousand words" - and I think there is a lot of truth to that. Very few can paint a picture with words better than actually seeing what is being described, which is why photography is very important in keeping things tracked. One of our assignments for internship is to create a "photo essay", with the above quote in mind, that can be used to show interesting developments during our Internship. I've created a list of five starting photos which will be among the first in my final photo essay below. Please hover over the pictures to see the caption describing each of them. How have I advocated for myself during my internship?
In analyzing the work I have done for my internship, I have seen one key factor: I am always willing to ask clarifying questions. To me, preforming a task correctly the first time is one of the best traits one could have, and if I find myself confused about a topic, I always ask about it before I begin working. To me, this ensures that I fully understand what is required of each topic, and am always willing to use this to my advantage in regards to creating the best work I can. I think I am a persistent student, and this persistence will be useful in an actual job, where demands and deadlines are much more solidified than schoolwork. What this does is ensure that I am a memorable intern, and that I am able to work hard. Even though I very quickly figured out what my major project was for internship, I had to fine tune a lot of parameters in it in order to truly begin. I also had a curiosity to further my understanding of the college process, I would end up using, and asking clarifying questions ensured my curiosity was sated. By advocating for myself in this regard, I am ensuring the best work can be made. My main goal for this internship, other than creating the product and meeting the prerequisites, is to be an intern that is remembered. To me, there is no better way of doing this than by expressing creativity and friendliness. Even though I do not really have any coworkers, I am courteous to anyone who is in the area I am working in, and I can say that this has resulted in me becoming friendlier with some oft he staff on campus. My creativity also allows for products of good quality, which is the kind of work I want to show off. The position I have in regards to asking clarifying questions also ensures that my work is the highest quality it can be, and is also something that will benefit my internship location. Thus, all of these factors go into hopefully becoming a memorable intern. To give a small update on my prorduct, I am linking the finalized cover I made for the Glossary below. I may change the color scheme a bit, but this to me is one that is captivating, while also mantaining some scientific accuracy. There is no zero element (in regards to aether), but it was a classical concept and one that also completed the word science so I had to put it in. Otherwise, I think this could look good for a cover. One of the major goals for our Academic Internship is that we not only learn during the process, but also leave something behind. This product could be anything relevant to the internship. For my product, I am doing a variety of projects, although I have one huge project I am working on, while the others are more busywork and other minor tasks.
Since I am interning in a computer lab within the Chemistry department at Saddleback College, I decided I could put my writing skills to good use and create something helpful both to students there and potentially to students at High Tech. My huge project is to make a dictionary of Chemistry terms, using my own words and arranging it in a way that can be understood by someone with zero foundation in the subject. My glossary goes from A-Z, and explains topics with a wide range of examples. Due to the fact that this dictionary/glossary is rather plain on its own, I also plan on designing cover art for it, as well as pictures for each and every definition. I am currently looking at defining over 1000 terms, so this will be a tough task but I can manage. In order to create this, I need to manage my time wisely, and also be able to study a topic and write about it effectively. Both of these are things I do not struggle with, and are some of my greatest strengths, so I can work fine on creating this. Another thing I should be sensitive about is other sources, and being able to put my content in my own words. I also do not struggle with these, and can work fine on this behalf. Finally, it is important to consider whether or not I will need any assistance. I may need help in creating a cover from one of my friends, but the rest I can manage on my own, and have worked miraculously so far. I'm finished almost entirely with A and B, and i'm starting the letter C. I look forward to meeting this expectation and surpassing it, and having a good final product that I can be proud of. A screenshot of some of the glossary so far is below. Please note this is a work in progress. After conducting my interview, I decided to reflect upon three questions as to my first week of Internship, as well as a plan for the next week. This is below:
Interview with Mr. Bruce Lee Today, I conducted an interview with my mentor, Mr. Bruce Lee, in order to learn more about his job and what it entails. Here is a transcript of the questions I asked him, and his responses.
What is your job title? What responsibilities does this job entail? Officially, it is Instructional Programmer/Analyst. I work in the computer labs around campus, but mostly I'm based in the science building's computer lab. I monitor the student's activities, and also occasionally watch over students who are taking exams. When some chemistry labs use computers, I make sure the computers are put away safely at the end. I analyze what is happening on our networks, and watch to make sure that each student is producing work that is their own. Why did you choose to work here? How did you end up doing the job you do? I worked in several jobs, but I also have my Masters of Science in Computer Engineering from Penn State University. They (Saddleback College) had me work over this stuff, and gradually they made me watch over more. What is your typical work day like? Some students come here incredibly early, and use their time to study. For my job, I come in at around 10:00-11:00 AM, and I unlock the Computer Lab if it is locked. I then sit and analyze some reports, see who is logged in and what they are doing, etc; for about an hour, before taking a quick break (staring at screens is bad), and then I come back and continue my job until 2:30 or so. Any labs that would be running on that day would finish by then, so I go in and clean the rooms and put everything back in it's proper place. I then go back to the computer lab and stay till around 4:00, where I go home. How important is it to collaborate with others for this job? Here in Saddleback, those of us in our respective department know each other very well, and we usually get along on very great terms. Even though the teachers classes are separate, we often collaborate on forming schedules, curriculum, and labs, since we share the space, and we work together to ensure no student is leaving without having to put in some effort to learn. Even though I am not a teacher, I work very close with them, and I consider them to be my friends. What should I know about this organization as I begin working here? You represent yourself by the quality of work and your demeanor to others. Even though this is a college and the other people in this computer lab and building are students or teachers, you create the best image for yourself by working hard. By creating the products you are doing, you are not only helping some students here, but potentially students at your school, or even students outside of your school. Today was my first day of working at Saddleback College. I'm working on several projects concurrently, which I will go into detail about below. The area of the campus I am working in is in the Computer Lab within the Student Resources Center. I am able to work whenever - I sit at a computer within the lab and have my own space present. Due to the fact that it was my first day, I worked with my mentor and cleared through some of the initial assignments that he gave me.
My main job as an intern is to create products that can be used as resources for students. Writing is one of my strongest suits, and also something I am passionate about, so this is something that appeals to me greatly. These products can be used for a variety of subjects, and are all presentable when finished. For example, I am making a Glossary of Terms for Chemistry, going from A-Z with some pictures and unique definitions. Since the Computer Lab is within the Sciences building, this makes sense, and is also probably the most important (and demanding) piece. The job entails making definitions in such a way that they can be understandable by those with little experience in Chemistry, of which I am happy to provide. Today I finished about half of all terms that I can reasonably fit into A, and in future days I can finish about a letter and a half of terms. Another assignment I am creating is to write my own thoughts on domestic issues, from education to foreign policy, and these can be potentially used in a political science course. Finally, I want to write several historical articles, and give my own impression or views on historic events. History is one of my greatest passions and also something that I think is undervalued, so being able to create resources for that will work. All of these will be finished and distributed to each of the departments if they meet their level of quality, which I intend to do. |
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