Internships and apprenticeships, when done right, give interns and apprentices life long lessons. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, these opportunities aren’t accessible to many and so we wanted to invite folks who have had these experiences to share some of the lessons they’ve learned.

HATSUE

I moved to New York the summer of 2021 without an internship. My high school best friend went to Columbia University and we planned out the perfect semester living together in an Upper West Side apartment. My plan for the next few months was to network and shoot with whoever I could manage to connect with. Read more>>

Sarah Marilyn

When your in college, most students take one or two internships for credit. But when I saw there were several different ways you can use your journalism degree, I was stumped. I loved community and writing but almost every job included doing that. It took five Internships in completely different field to find where I felt was a right for me. Reporting in television news, reporting for Radio, and Magazine writing. Read more>>

Santriss Hawkins

When I was in College and during my clinicals I remember having an older preceptor saying to me ” baby girl I can see you running a company one day so don’t give up”. That resonated with me heavy because I have always wanted to be my own boss without saying it out loud. Read more>>

Kim Urmaza

I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Athletic training in 2013 from Nova Southeastern University. I spent the majority of my undergraduate years buried beneath textbooks and completing mandatory clinical rotations to graduate. At the time, I was not 100% invested in the profession due to the possibility of attending graduate school to pursue physical therapy the following year. Read more>>

Lauryn Mott

Before I finished cosmetology school I was working at a salon in their associate program. The program consists of you being an assistant to the entire salon for at least six months, once that is complete you move to being an associate. When you are an associate you, you’re placed with each stylist for one month each, taking in everything you can from them to help you advance your skills. After going through each stylist you’re able to spread your wings on the floor and given your own chair. Read more>>

Ashley Leslie

My first and only internship experience was right out of college at The Bottomless Toy Chest. I was in my senior year at Oakland University (OU) and unsure about the next chapter in my life. I quickly learned my senior year, that even with my diploma at arm’s length, not everyone knows what they would to do after they graduate from college. Read more>>

Alexis Busse

During my Junior year in college, I accepted a position that marked my very first foray into the professional realm: an internship. Specifically, the role of a marketing intern at Doperalski State Farm. It is worth noting that this establishment was in its nascent stages, having freshly unveiled its operations during the time of my internship. Read more>>

Daniel Salazar

Nothing gives you more experience and exposure faster then internships, apprenticeships, and even free work. Providing value, offering help, and having a self-starting attitude will take you extremely far in networking and career building. I interned at the Utah Jazz in 2017 for one year and it was an amazing experience working on the corporate side of professional sports. Read more>>

Marki Hunt

I think the biggest lesson for me when it comes to experience is that you don’t always have to know everything you’ll need to know when you’re going into it. I didn’t have any business experience and certainly not a business degree. Sometimes you just have to take the leap and be willing to learn things as you go. Read more>>

Erika Ball

For my undergrad internship at UNT – Dallas I worked at a women’s shelter for refugees of foreign countries and their children. These were women who were survivors of human rights abuses, including human trafficking and domestic violence. Since I am fluent in Spanish, and both my parents are immigrants from Paraguay, I was able to help Spanish-speaking women with translation, courtroom accompaniment, and legal consultations. Read more>>

Sebastian Livingston

One of the core lessons I learned as an apprentice is that this is my life, it is real, and it is short. A strange take away from a tattoo apprenticeship, but I am grateful tattooing became an avenue for me to further explore that concept. Read more>>

Denice Lee

When I went into healing school, Lionheart Institute, I had no intention of becoming a mind body therapist. I went in for my own heaing. I just took the next step and said yes because it felt right. Read more>>