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.

Cody Clark

I never had a traditional internship the way some people do. For me, it all started with working alongside my dad. He founded Olde World Walls & Ceilings in 2004, and by the time I was a teenager, I was spending my summers and weekends on job sites, learning by doing. That was my first real apprenticeship. My dad taught me the value of precision, discipline, and showing up prepared, even when the work is tough and the weather’s hotter than it should be. But he also taught me that no matter how much you know, there’s always more to learn. Read More>>

Shang Da

During my internship at an online mental health clinic, I had an experience that shaped not only my view of the world, but also my purpose. I met a girl the same age as me, but her life was vastly different from mine. She came from a family living in deep poverty. Her parents and siblings were either seriously ill or had disabilities. Despite this, she worked long hours to support the whole family and still found time to study, hoping for a better future. Read More>>

Leslie Phu

The first time that I witnessed Neuro-emotional technique at Terrain Wellness in Portland, Oregon was the day that I realized I had found what I was looking for in practicing medicine. Not only was Dr. Dani able to work on infants and adults alike, but school-aged children were also in awe of the identification of their hidden emotions using this modality. Read More>>

Suhail And Saif Al Fataftah

While many people’s first professional stories begin with internships or apprenticeships, ours took a different route, one that threw us straight into the deep end of leadership.
Instead of shadowing someone else, Saif and I decided to organize a free medical day for underserved communities. We weren’t interns; we were just two medical students who cared deeply and wanted to make an impact. That decision quickly taught us what real responsibility feels like. Read More>>