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.

Ingrid Gomez

This past summer, I had the honor of interning at NYU Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital, where I gained invaluable insights into medicine as an art and as a calling. One experience that resonates deeply with me unfolded in the operating room. I was observing an internal fixation surgery led by Dr. Tina McLauren, a highly skilled and passionate Black female surgeon. She was instructing three Black doctors, with a Black medical student also observing, while afrobeats played in the background. It was surreal. Not only did I witness the surgical precision and mentorship of Dr. McLauren, but I also experienced a rare and empowering moment of representation and excellence in action. Dr. McLauren’s leadership was a perfect balance of warmth, humor, and high expectations, which inspired me deeply. It became clear that representation in medicine matters on a profoundly personal level, and I aspire to lead and mentor others with the same approachable yet rigorous spirit. Read more>>

Joseph Price

In truth, I will never stop being an apprentice to my engineering mentor so long as he continues to be willing to share his expertise and experience, however, now that I am capable of going out on my own and finding small successes, I am able to look back on the time as a beginning apprentice that got me here. Kevin Pergantis is my engineering mentor and is the sole reason as to why I have any sort of chance at a successful career in the recording industry. With that said, I have assisted Kevin on the majority of his projects during our working relationship and by far the most memorable one was an orchestral recording for what is now going to be the new national anthem sign off for all “Gray Television” networks. Kevin and I had been working together for a while, and while I had decent experience at this point, it was still a privilege for Kevin to entrust me with this assisting role. Read more>>

Kristine Skeate

When I was studying and earning my certifications on the pilates method in 2000 with Maria Leone her studio Bodylinela I learned something so valuable. My mentor Maria, developed a training called “train your eye”. Not only did I learn proper form and how to teach it, through this method. I learned how to spot variations in one’s body. All bodies are build differently and learning proper mechanics of the body and then spotting the small imbalances while training and then knowing how to make corrections had taken me so far in my career. Read more>>

Ariela Lack

There are so many stories I could tell from my internship days that I could probably write a book! But one story stands out the most. I had just started as a clinical intern at a private practice focused on supporting immigrant and refugee communities. Like any counseling intern, I was both nervous and ridiculously eager to get it right. The reality of being a “real” counselor hit me hard when I was assigned my very first client. That’s right—I was going to be someone’s therapist. Imagine people saying, “My therapist said…” and realizing they were talking about me. Cue a major mix of excitement, anxiety, and just a dash of “oh no, what have I gotten myself into.” Read more>>