Fernanda Ramirez

Describe the steps you took to obtain your internship/research opportunity/fellowship.

I secured a phone interview from a NoleNetwork posting and moved on from there for my very first meeting with my supervisor. I was glad to hear that he was very interested in my ideas about raising awareness for a non-profit and the creativity and determination I offered for the growth of the organization's social media posts. I was then hired. 

How far in advance did you prepare and begin applying for your experiential learning opportunity?

I applied for an internship during my junior year and made sure I had all the skills from previous experiences and classes from college. For example, during my sophomore year, the mock interviews at the Career Center taught me to answer quickly, effectively, and to be professional. It was exciting to go to these interviews because I had to pretend they were a real interview, and every time I did them, I learned something new. I am now better prepared at skills like communicating and problem-solving, which helped me prepare for an internship experience. 

If you used any Career Center services, resources, or events to obtain your internship, what were they? How did they support your application process?

I did several mock interviews at the Career Center, I polished my resume at the Career Center and with the Career Liaison, I went to the career fair, and I did real several interviews just to learn from experience. All these services and resources allowed me to develop as a professional and improve on my weaknesses. Applying at my current internship allowed me to use these skills that I have improved on. I used to struggle with telling a story and giving real-life examples of projects or experiences I worked on, but now I am able to think more quickly and think ahead of how the experience I will describe will relate to a job interview. 

Describe some of your responsibilities or duties during your experiential learning opportunity.

As the Communication intern, I was responsible for creating social media posts, gaining new followers, leading volunteers and interns, writing emails to important contacts, mailing newsletters, and creating any relevant content such as articles and/or drafting new ideas for the benefit of the organization.

What was a typical day like "on the job?"

A typical day is usually logging on all social media platforms and trying to reach new followers and gain ideas from social media pages. I regularly check emails and try to reach out to potential donors and people of interest. I will usually have a task to do from my supervisor on what tasks I should prioritize, and I tailor my day around it. Most often, I will be following up with other students on their ideas and report back to my supervisor. 

What are some major takeaways from your experience? How will these help prepare you for the next step after graduation? 

Major takeaways of my experience were creating interesting content and meeting with important figures in the organization. I was excited to meet Lieutenant General Honoré on a Zoom call, as it was exciting to meet him and to talk about applying for a grant with the Clinton foundation. I heard pitches trying to interest him in our organization and update him on our work. He mentioned he would give the Clintons a call on our behalf, which was very great to hear! I also created a post for Glenn Smucker, who is an anthropologist who has worked for many prominent Haitian charities. He has worked in the past with Sean Penn on his charity, and to have him join our team was also very exciting!  After graduation, I will use these takeaways to prepare myself on how to present myself when I meet important figures and how I would like to envision my progress towards my goals. I think organization, inspiration, and motivation will help me achieve my future goals as they have helped me with this internship opportunity.

How did this experience help clarify your career path?

I feel like this experience helped me explore a variety of interests that I have, which helped narrow down my career choices. I am now more aware of what I would like to do in the future and am proud that I learned to accomplish so much in little time. I would definitely like to do another internship to gain more knowledge or at least another semester to learn more about what I can achieve..