Internship

Workplace

Skills/Strengths

While advancing my work and school career, I have been able to develop some skills/strengths that can contribute towards my internship site. 

I have great adaptability skills. No matter where I am I can adapt to my environment and thrive, while handling different situations at the same time. This is an important skill to have during this internship because while in this new workspace, I will need to quickly learn new processes and contribute effectively to ongoing projects.

A strength I am proud of is my determination. Whenever I start anything, I always try my hardest to see it through until the end. This preservice allows me to overcome any challenges and stay focused on my goals. This skill will help me complete my internship successfully, as I will remain committed to learning and contributing towards my personal and organizations objectives. 

Throughout my internship journey, I have grown into a dedicated and engaged team member. Early on, my role involved closely following instructions, but as I consistently asked questions to understand the purpose behind each task, I developed a stronger grasp of how my work fit into the bigger picture. By February, I had transitioned from being closely supervised to independently preparing experiments, which allowed my supervisor to focus on more complex aspects of the project. My contributions whether it be setting up materials, recording data, or completing routine tasks, played a vital role in keeping the larger project on track. These efforts, though sometimes small, helped maintain consistency and momentum, demonstrating that every role matters when it comes to achieving our team’s overall goals. 

Successes and Challenges

 The goal of my internship site is to develop therapeutic drugs that help cure diseases, such as cancer. This work matters because it has the potential to significantly improve the quality of life for patients suffering life threatening conditions. A fun fact about my internship is that we perform PCRs, which allows us to amplify specific DNA segments, aiding in the analysis of our genetic material. 

Successes 

Two times I felt successful at the beginning of my internship was when I was able to complete a PCR by myself and organize material in their respective places. These tasks were particularly rewarding because they demonstrated my growing ability to handle independent lab work. In this internship, I am constantly exposed to new concepts and techniques, so taking notes has become essential to my progress. I make a point to review my notes during free time to not only reinforce what I’ve learned but also stay up to date with the evolving processes and methodologies I’m working with. This continuous review helps me feel confident in my abilities and prepared for future tasks. 

Another instance where I felt successful during this internship was when I was able to complete multiple procedures on my own and truly understand the purpose behind each step to ensure everything went smoothly. For example, I was able to perform both transformation and overnight culture without any guidance. However, one of my biggest accomplishments came after several attempts, with my supervisor’s support I was finally able to run a full experiment independently, troubleshoot unexpected results, and adjust my technique with confidence. This moment showed me how much I had grown in both skill and mindset. I learned that success isn’t just about getting it right the first time, but about being persistent, open to feedback, and willing to learn from mistakes. These experiences have taught me the importance of resilience and critical thinking skills I will carry into my future academic work and eventually into my career. 

Challenges

One of the most challenging parts of the semester was keeping up with my assignments and studying while attending my internship. Before starting this internship, I would complete my tasks last minute because I had no other major commitments. However, now that I had to attend my internship regularly, it became a challenge to keep up. A solution that I created was having a planner that set out tasks a week in advance, so I could organize my time better and ensure I was staying on top of both my internship and academic responsibilities.

Another challenge that I faced throughout this internship was keep up with all the information explained. While at this internship I am constantly learning new things, which is interesting but at times it can be overwhelming. I had a hard time remembering procedures I was taught a week in advance. A solution I devised from this was to not only take notes while learning new information before revising it on a later date and doing further research on topics that were still confusing. 

 Another challenge I faced toward the end of my internship was being tasked with performing an experiment on my own while my supervisor was out of the lab. At first, it was nerve-racking because I had no one to double-check if I was doing everything correctly—but I persevered. The task involved transferring two sequences onto a gel and waiting for them to run. After the process was complete, I noticed that only one of the sequences had worked. This outcome was surprising and frustrating, as it had never happened to me before. Initially, I was angry at myself for possibly making a mistake. However, after discussing it with my supervisor, I learned that not every experiment will go as planned, and sometimes results like this are just part of the scientific process. It was a valuable reminder that even setbacks offer learning opportunities, and being able to troubleshoot and reflect is just as important as getting perfect results. That experience gave me more confidence in my ability to work independently and to approach challenges with a problem-solving mindset.