Embedded Files
Successes
Time Management: An overall thing I am proud of myself for is time management and organization. I have learned so much about making time for classes, homework, studying, and my internship. It took discipline for me to learn how much work I can truly do in one day, and when to take a step back for myself.
Completing New Tasks: A specific success I am proud of is doing a task for my internship that hasn’t been done since the pandemic. I worked with my supervisor to begin a task where I met with research participants and helped them complete a drug screening. I am proud of myself for reaching out to my supervisor for other tasks, not just the work I have been doing where I complete longitudinal follow-up with the research participants.
Growth: Time management, organization, independence, asking questions, and learning to not be afraid to reach out have been transformative for me. Now I feel much more confident in my skills, and eager to continue learning. I will be able to apply these skills not only to school work and other opportunities throughout my college career but also in my future career in child psychology.
This Google Sheet is what a week might look like for me.
Pictured above is the type of drug test we use.
Challenges
Stepping Out of Comfort Zone: Coming into my internship I didn’t have a clear idea of what research was, and I felt a bit overwhelmed at the beginning of my internship. I had to step up and ask a lot of questions about things the research team at my lab has been working with for years.
Being Overwhelmed: I’ve come to a better understanding of the data and the information I work with, but it is easy to feel a little overwhelmed or out of place. This challenge has helped me improve my communication skills by asking questions. My research team is very supportive and has reassured me that they don’t expect me to know everything about research, which helps me feel a lot better.
I have learned that it's okay to sometimes feel like I don't belong or to be overwhelmed with questions and work. I know that I have a very supportive team that wants to see me succeed, and asking for help or leaning on them sometimes doesn't make me weak, it actually helps me grow as a professional.
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