Over the course of this four week internship I have not only been able to learn about new subjects but, I was able to learn more about myself. This internship has made me realize that I thrive better in a more collaborative space. I believe this collaborative environment is better for me, this internship gave me an opportunity to develop my self-advocacy skills and become more independent. This was important for me to do because you need to be able to be independent. This is because through this internship I realized that I won't truly know if I enjoy a certain career field unless I experience it.
I was academically and professionally performing at my best throughout the internship. I believe that I was as prepared for this internship as I could have been. Over the course of the internship I got more comfortable talking to my coworkers and working in the office. In any future internships I will be able to use this one as an example of what to do and what to improve on.
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Date: 01/24/20
Time: 1:00PM Method: Facetime Teammates: Sheyla Medina & Angeli Solis Sheyla Medina Sheyla's internship is at the Las Palmas Medical Group in Escondido. They provide medical care for immediate, non-life threatening conditions. Sheyla's project is to make a brochure about depression and anxiety that will go on to be used at the clinic. Her brochure will be given to patients who want/need to learn more about depression or anxiety. Sheyla's favorite parts of her internship are that she gets to do a lot of hands-on work. This includes working with patients and filling out their paperwork. She also enjoys learning more about insurance policies and what the differences between all the policies are. The most frustrating part of her internship is the customer service part of it. Something that struck me was that she gets to work with patients by taking their vitals. Another thing was that Sheyla says her people skills and communication skills have greatly improved. Angeli Solis Angeli's internship is at an astrophysics lad at UCSD. At this lab, they study astrophysics and use a lot of coding to do so. Angeli's project is to create a list of binary stars, which are 2 or more stars that obit around each other. In this list she will include the distances and spectral type of the stars. Angeli's favorite part of her internship is all of the new things that she is learning. This includes coding and learning more about what researchers do. If Angeli was to share her internship with a junior she would tell them that they should be prepared to work alone or even be in the lab alone for most of the time. She would also tell them that the colleagues are inclusive, so when she isn't alone in the lab, she is invited to sit in on their meeting about other projects. Something that struck me was that through her astrophysics internship, she is also learning about fields like data science and computer science. Another thing was that her experience has been very similar to mine when I was interning in a nanotechnology lab at UCSD. How did you measure the success of the work you did while you were an intern? What did you learn from this?
I measured the success of the work I did while I was an intern by seeing if other people were able to use it without asking questions or getting confused. This told me if I did a thorough enough job or if I should have taken more time when completing the work. I learned that a lot of the work that is done in the workplace must be interpreted by someone else so you have to be careful with your wording and you have to make sure you go back and double check your work before sending it. How was your work significant or meaningful to the world beyond school and your specific internship site? My work was significant and meaningful to my internship site because it was actually used in the projects that were going on. I was doing the paperwork for some of the projects which is needed in order to actually get the work on the project started. This was important to the internship site because if I didn't do the work I was given on time or didn't put effort into it then the entire project could get held up. It was significant to my life beyond school because it helped me learn about how much effort you have to put into the projects you might get at work and how to get it done in the most efficient way. What qualities or characteristics did you see in the people around you that you want to develop in yourself? Why? Some qualities or characteristics that I see in the people around me that I want to develop in myself are communication, flexibility and positive outlook. I have noticed that everyone that I work with have there qualities and I think they make a huge difference between liking and not liking your work. For example, sometimes they have to do paperwork or work on a project they don't enjoy, but they always look at the positive side which is getting to go out and improve our city. These are important qualities to have in a workplace. How did interpersonal relationships and/or collaboration at work influence your understanding of life outside of high school? Interpersonal relationships/collaboration at work influenced my understanding of life outside of high school by teaching me that you will have to continue to work with people you don't get along with or that are just frustrating to work with, but you have to work past that and try your best to get the project done. This is something that isn't new to me, but this internship definitely solidified that fact.
Date: 1/17/20
Time: 3:30 Method: Facetime Teammates: Cheyenne Faulkner and Jazmin Calvario Cheyenne Faulkner Cheyenne's internship is at the UCSD Biomedical Research Facility and at the Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego. She is working in a lab that researches EOE which is a disease that causes inflammation in the esophagus. Cheyenne's project is working on IHC tissue stains for the S100Ar protein. She is staining the tissue samples in order to be able to see certain types of proteins. The samples that she is using are from children with active and inactive EOE, which is how the lab and hospital are connected. The goal of her project is to see the correlation between the S100A4 protein and other issues like acid reflux or esophageal erosion. Cheyenne is really enjoying her internship because she knows it is what she wants to do in the future and because the internship is very engaging. She says that if she were to give advice about this internship to a junior she would tell them that they should ask a lot of questions because scientists enjoy talking about their research. Something that strikes me about Cheyenne's internship is that even though she did this one last year, she still feels like she is learning a lot and is still very interested in what she is doing. Another thing that strikes me is that since she is working in both the lab and hospital, she might meet the kids whose tissue she is working with. Jazmin Calvario Jazmin's internship is at Renu Wellness and Spa. This spa is actually a chiropractic office and a spa that does adjustments, facials and massages. She is doing mostly front desk work like phone calls, faxing and scheduling appointments for patients. She also said that she is learning how to use a lot of new websites which is exciting for her. Jazmin's project is promoting the business through social media, advertising and by connecting with nearby businesses. She also said that since the business is relatively new, it is expanding quickly which is very cool to see. One thing that strikes me about Jazmin's internship is that her mentor actually rents out parts of the building to independent workers, which I think is cool since Jazmin might be able to learn about how that benefits her mentor. Another thing that struck me was that her mentor is giving her freedom on how to promote the business and is giving her the opportunity to think of ideas herself. What are you learning about yourself as a worker in a professional environment?
One thing that I am learning is that I don't enjoy it when there isn't any work for me to do. This is because I like to stay productive so when I don't have anything to work on, I feel like I am wasting time. What are your strengths? One of my strengths is asking questions. I think this is a good strength to have because it shows that I am interested in the work that I am doing and that I want to learn more. This strength also helps me stay on top of things by making sure that I am not confused and understand what I am doing. What do you enjoy most about your work? I enjoy the field visits the most. This is because I am able to get out of the office and go see the places that our work is benefitting. I also like field visits because you are able to see the beginning, middle and end of the project you are doing, so you can see it go from paper to real life. I really like being able to see how the work I am doing is making a difference. What do you dislike about your work experience? This doesn’t necessarily mean you dislike your work; however, maybe you are learning that you prefer to be active or like office work. We want you to identify types of work that you enjoy with the hope that this helps you identify jobs that may be a strong fit for you. One thing that I dislike is the office feel. I don't mind the paperwork and less interactive work, but it's the actual cubicles and traditional office feel that I don't like. I think it is because I feel like it is not really promoting a collaborative or creative work experience, but that makes sense in this field of work. What areas of your work do you want to continue to improve? One area of my work that I want to continue to improve is meeting new people. I think that this is important for me to do because it will help me get to know the office better. I am doing better than last year's internship, but there are still a lot of people here that I haven't met yet. How would you compare your current experience to last year’s internship? What type of work are you doing that is similar or different from last year? My internship experience this year is completely different than last year. Last year I was in a lab and it was more casual. I was also working with graduate students last year and now I am working with professionals. The work that I was doing last year was basically all hands-on and mostly independent. This year it is a little less hands-on and less independent because I am going out into the field with other people and my mentor is helping me on my project a lot more. This is because last year my project was self-taught, I researched and made my project on my own, but this time I can't really loo stuff up to help me on my project because there is specific guidelines and rules to follow. How is your experience shaping your thoughts about your future career path? This experience is letting me learn more about what I enjoy and don't enjoy. I think that even though I don't see myself going into environmental science in the future, I have learned a lot of valuable things here. For example, I enjoy work that allows you to travel outside of the office. I also think that it reinforced the fact that I don't want to be working in cubicles. This isn't to say that I don't want to work in an office at all, but maybe one that is more collaborative and less cookie cutter. What are you doing/creating for your project?
For my project I am going to be helping my mentor on one of her projects. This will allow me to learn about the entire process of how a project gets approved and completed within the Public Utilities Department. The project is on McGonigle Canyon where there was a access path that had been badly damaged. I will be working on this project by visiting the site and moving forward from there. I will have to figure out the best way to fix the path or if we even need to fix it. Then I will see if there is anything else in the canyon that needs to fixed in order for the wastewater collection group to access the manholes in the canyon. Then I will produce the environmental review that is necessary for the path to be fixed. Then, I will go back to the site to make sure we are complying with all environmental regulations and laws. At the end of the project I will produce another write up that states what we did and why it was the best option. That is the main part of my project, but I will also be visiting other project sites. What skills do you need in order for it to meet/exceed your mentor’s expectations? I need to be organized, timely and have good communication. These are all things that are necessary for my project because there are a lot of different documents that I am working with so I have to be organized in order to keep track of them all and in order for my coworkers to find and understand them. I need to be timely because if one document takes long then the entire project gets held up. Also because we have to be at certain sites at certain times so I have to make sure that I am ready to go on time. I need to have good communication because there are a lot of new terms and concepts so if I don't understand something I have to be able to communicate that. What support will you need and from whom? I will need support from my mentors and colleagues. I will need their support just to guide me in general because I have never worked in this field so they are teaching me a lot and helping me along the way. There isn't really any specific support that I need right now, but if I do then I will just ask my mentor. Part 1) Mentor Interview
What is your job title? Associate Planner What are your main duties and responsibilities? Some of my duties include environmental compliance in accordance with different environmental laws and regulations, and environmental documents. I also am responsible for emergency response in accordance with different sewer and water spills in environmentally sensitive areas. I also do permitting if we are in jurisdiction of other agencies, such as CALTRANS encroachment permits, permits for work in the jurisdiction of the Army Corps of Engineers, California Department of Fish and Wildlife. So basically my job is a lot of permitting, compliance, reporting and other biological support. How did you end up doing the job that you do? I actually started interning with Development Services in the city with a senior environmental planner. Since my degree was in environmental science I was looking for something in that field. Through that internship I got to know some of the planners and a little bit about CEQA and the way the city operates. When I saw a position for a planner with Public Utilities, I applied and was able to get the job. What do you enjoy most about your job? I enjoy being able to go out in the field and doing field work and that sense of accomplishment that I'm able to protect the environment, which is why I went to school for environmental science. We have a lot of sensitive habitats in San Diego County and it feels good that I am helping to protect that. I also enjoy being able to do different types of work, which are being out in the field, seeing construction methods, learning about habitat types, learning about different agencies, permitting, and just our water and wastewater systems. What is a typical work day like? It really varies because our projects can be seasonal, so during rainy season there can be a water main break or sewer spill due to the incoming flow of water in the system. I guess a typical day would be looking at the different projects I have and finishing up reports or submitting permits. Every other week I will do site visits and check up on different restoration sites and projects that I have. What is the purpose of this organization? We are just one section in one division in a department of an entire city. So our section's purpose is to make sure that our department is in compliance with environmental laws and regulations. Part 2) Internship Reflection What connections can you make between this internship and what you've done in school? There is actually a lot of connections between this internship and what I have done in school. One example is the watershed project from tenth grade. Since I am interning at the City of San Diego Public Utilities office, water is involved in every project we do. This department deals with waste water and drinking water, therefore knowing about the watersheds in San Diego county is important. Another connection is from eleventh grade biology. In eleventh grade we did a project that involved native and non native species. This plays a lot into the work that I am doing because we have to make sure that with every project we are doing everything we can to protect our native species. It is important to know the native species from non-native because it makes the process of approving project much easier. In fact, there is something called mitigation, which is where we "give back" more native plants than we take for every project. For example, if the city does a project that removes 2 acres of Coastal Sage Scrub, they must replant more than 2 acres of Coastal Sage Scrub. They replant in their mitigation sites. What have you learned about your organization's mission and purpose? Everything that I have learned about the organization I work at is new to me. I didn't even know that the specific division that I am working in existed. Basically, the division that I am working for makes sure that all projects in environmentally sensitive areas for the Public Utilities Department comply with federal, state, regional and local regulations. They are also responsible for any permitting that needs to be done, as well as going out to the field and seeing what the best way to address any areas of concern are. This division is responsible for getting permits from organizations such as the USArmy Corps of Engineers, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and CALTRANS, on an as needed basis. I also learned that this division performs the environmental review for any Public Utilities projects in environmentally sensitive areas. This is to make sure that every project avoids and minimizes impacts to sensitive environmental resources. This week specifically, I have been learning a lot about the different laws and regulations they have to follow, including the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the Clean Water Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Multi-Habitat Planning Area. What new skills are you developing (or will you need to develop) for this internship? Some new skills that I am developing for this internship are self advocacy, note taking, and interpersonal skills. Self advocacy is important because I need to go ask my mentor(s) what I can do next or ask questions if I am confused in order to be successful. Since there is a lot of projects at once and a lot of new terms being used around me, it is important that I ask questions or it will be very easy for me to fall behind. Note taking is also something I have found to be helpful as I am attending meetings and it is easy to forget key information. Also, during field visits it is important to take notes and take pictures so that you can make the rest of the process easier for yourself. Lastly, I am improving my interpersonal skills a lot. This is mainly due to meeting a lot of new people and working with them as well. Something that strikes me about my workplace is how many different moving pieces there are. There is so many different groups in the City of San Diego Public Utilities department that are all different, but in order to get projects done, they all have to work together. For example, for a recent project to be approved, the director of a completely different department had to authorize the project. This is so that there is confirmation that the project is necessary and makes sense. Then the project must be approved by a different set of engineers and be looked over by the other departments to make sure it doesn't have any mistakes in planning or that it will interfere with any of their projects.
What strikes me most about my colleagues is how much they enjoy what they are doing. Everyone that I have talked to so far seems to really like their jobs and they seem very passionate about it. They especially enjoy the part of their job that has to do with restoring native species and creating habitats for native animals, most of which are endangered. One thing that strikes me about the job I am doing is how many people the city needs to get approval from in order to start a new project. I wasn't aware of how many environmental policies and regulations that the projects had to correspond with. Even when there is emergency projects, they have to get permits and approval from a lot of organizations. This was eye opening because it made me realize why certain things take a long time, I think a lot of people wonder why the city isn't doing this or that, but it is because they need to get approval first. It also surprised me when I learned just how much the city does to protect the environment and our native species. I am looking forward to going to site visits and being able to see what the different environmental projects are happening. I already got to go to two different site visits. One was in Sorrento Valley and one was in Mira Mesa. They were both interesting to go to because I was able to see how the City of San Diego deals with different environmental problems. One wondering I have about my workplace is how /if they interact with the general public, especially when it comes to special projects. I am wondering this because at one of the site visits there were a lot of people watching, so I wonder if they answer questions for them or not. |
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