Internships and apprenticeships are a time-honored rite of passage in many industries. We’ve asked some brilliant folks to share some of the most important lessons they learned during these early experiences in their career.

Lyndzey Dare

I started out as a volunteer for a friend’s apprenticeship program and ended up being the quickest graduate. My friend asked me to be the guinea pig for a few new things she was learning. I thought she was going to do some fancy massage technique so I was shocked when she started muscle testing me and making my weak muscles strong. I was so intrigued I agreed to volunteer for other students to practice on me. Read more>>

Anna Mintz

Being a teacher to a single individual or a group is a very important role and has the potential to make or break someone’s self -esteem. I’ll never forget the impatience my sewing teacher had with me to the point that I feared asking her any questions . As a result as an adult now, I have no confidence in threading a needle and can’t even sew on a button. I’ve always known that I love to teach and since I was in Kindergarten , I would come home with all my after school assignments excited to teach my younger brother all that I learned. Most of it was math and sure enough he ended up becoming a High school math teacher. Read more>>

Dr. April Givens

When I first started as an intern in 2011 I worked at a domestic violence shelter answering calls on the hotline and screening who would be admitted into the shelter. Once admitted, I provided individual counseling and group sessions to the ladies. This experience was heartwarming because I remember having to fight back tears when the ladies would enter the shelter and sit down with me to tell their story. This really shaped my experiences moving forward in the counseling field. Read more>>