Amazing Smithsonian Comment: My thoughts in response

I would first like to recommend this amazing article from Jezebel: Don't be the Intern Your Fellow Interns Hate. Having read this article, I started to scroll through the comments and I ended up stumbling on an amazing one from Chasmosaur100. She was a volunteer intern at the Smithsonian.

I implore you to read her comment. She shares some great information on how to balance an unpaid internship with a paid job, make a good impression, and to set some strong boundaries.


Read more for my drawing out of key points and response based on my experience as a Smithsonian intern.

Boundaries

Also working at the Smithsonian in an unpaid internship, I've found that it can be important to set a clear schedule and make clear that this is so that you can work another job, not to go hang with friends. My position was fairly flexible in the sense that I staff events after hours. Those "extra" evening hours can be subtracted from the usual business hours as I see fit.

Be clear from the beginning what hours you can work, how you can be contacted, and follow through on these commitments. Keep in mind that a company that doesn't respect your boundaries as an intern likely won't respect them as an employee either.

Menial tasks

Her willingness to do menial tasks is something that all interns need to embrace. It makes a good impression on the staff; they really are grateful. Simple tasks are often the stepping stones to bigger ones. If you can't be trusted to sort mail, how can you be expected to write it?

These tasks also aren't difficult. Administrative work does require attention to detail and time, but it's something that most people can do quite well if they just dedicate themselves to it. While it might not be the most educational, spending a few hours in front of the copier is not difficult. As I joked with one staff person who was reluctant to give me a copying job, it needs to get done and I'm as good at standing in front of a machine as any paid employee. Dull low skill tasks should be balanced by mentorship, complex tasks, and (hopefully) pay. Get through it and do it well.

The corollary to this is that you are not to good for any job or task. You are not too good to copy, fold, print, or even take out the trash. I really don't understand how some interns think they're too good for certain tasks; they have to get done.

Relationship

Due to the good relationship that she made with the scientists, she was invited to go on a three week research trip. What an amazing opportunity! Creating a relationship with fellow professionals in your field is an important part of any internship.

Creating an good relationship can make a world of difference for what doors open to you. People want to hire someone that they can work with and chat with in the office. Social skills and building relationships is an important part of others' perceptions of you. I personally struggle with this as I'm an introvert. But doing your best and finding a niche that fits you can work wonders.

She found that her sense of humor and chatting over lunch helped her to get a good relationship with the staff, well backed by her competence. I also find that lunch is a good time to chat. In public programs, I often stay after the program to help take down and chat with other staff and volunteers. While I'm not the chattiest person, I make an effort to show that I am there and interested in others.

10 Things About College You'll Miss on Break

There are a lot of great things about college - the level of independence that you get to experience - things that you lose when you go home for break. Sitting here in Virginia, I'm thinking about the things I miss about Boston and the MIT campus.

Read more for my list of 10 things about college you'll miss on break.

1. Going where you want to when you want to

If you are returning to the suburbs from the city, then you're probably missing the ability to walk wherever you want to. And maybe you've gotten roped into driving a sibling somewhere. You don't realize it while you're at college, but the ability to go where you want to when you want to without answering to your parents is really great.

2. Blasting music

Whatever the rules are for your dorm, I'm sure you've found the time and place to blast your music. Your home, however, probably doesn't have a place to blast music. And it's likely that even if you could blast your music, the commentary from parents and siblings would ruin the joy of airing your music out.

3. Cussing

I don't cuss that much, but I do relish the occasional swear when the moment is right. The moment is never right at home. Worse than that, if I slip out a cuss word a younger sibling will parrot it back a million times.

4. Seeing your college friends

This one is obvious. Even if you're in the same area, it's different to live with someone and see them all the time vs. schedule a meet up to get coffee. I really do miss seeing my college friends all the time and our little impromptu hot chocolate runs.

5. Avoiding the home-town politics

I found that college really changed my politics. I now have very different politics than the people in my home; even my approach to discussing politics has changed.

6. Getting tons of take out and snacks

Everyone knows that college kids eat a lot of snacks and take out. But when we return home, we get all sorts of sass for eating poorly. I don't think that the occasional snack is bad, but it's hard to convince the parents to buy it.

7. Waking up late

College might not start until noon, but the rest of the world wakes up to start at 9am. It can be a painful transition back to the early bird life, especially if you want to chat with college friends that live in a later time zone.

8. Leaving your room a mess

I don't think that I'm particularly mess but when I'm working on a project I do like to have my things spread out. Also, I'm one of those people that's opposed to making their bed. But when I'm at home, I have to make my bed and clean up all my things each night. If I don't there's a scolding waiting for me!

9. Wearing whatever clothes you want

I do love different gyaru, mori and lolita fashions, but no one at home knows what these things are, much less understands them. Even in the case of wanting to wear party clothes, there's really no opportunity. Work and family don't understand your clothing choices the way college students with similar interests do.

10. Academics

I won't say much about this but I think we all know that boredom starts to set in a few weeks after break starts.

Internship Update

I wanted to give a little update on how my internship has been going.

Read more to find out how things have been going!

What I do

I'm currently in the Public Programs Office; I'm working on an assortment of projects along with staffing evening events. Most projects are small internal paper work things, organizing things in Excel, or helping with the Family Days. I kind of want to work through a few mini-classes in Excel. My experience with tutoring and teaching has been really useful for prepping for the Family Days. I think the most exciting part of the internship is staffing the events: it gives you a real sense of the role the museum plays in the community.

Where I am

I'm in the Public Programs Office, External Affairs. The Public Programs Office is really great. Everyone is super friendly at the Smithsonian. That was one of the first things that struck me about the environment. But this office just goes beyond, filled with enthusiastic and cheerful people. I'm amazed by the scope of these women's work: they do so many programs for the American Art and Renwick. And there are just five of them!

The space itself is an office in the Smithsonian American Art Museum offices in the Victor Building and the museum itself, which is right across the street. This is all right outside of the Gallery/Chinatown metro stop; I just ride the yellow line straight in. I also sometimes make my way to the other Smithsonian museums for research, trainings, special events, or just for my own pleasure.

What I'm learning

I'm trying to take the time this summer to learn as much as I can about the Smithsonian and it's programs. I want to leave with a strong understanding of how museums organize themselves and how individuals can best help a museum. I'd love to see how my understanding of the museum's role for the community changes as I help to staff events rather than just attend them as a guest.

I also want to learn more about professional development; I feel very disconnected at MIT since we don't have a strong program for Art History or Studio Art. Hopefully, I can take the resources and people to find out and connect to the career of conservation.

Why I'm sharing

I'm going to start writing about my internship; I do want to give it a little bit of time so that I can process my experiences and deliver the best information. Also, there is the consideration of privacy and respecting the museum. I doubt that any posts on proper attire or behavior would brush against that, but I need the time to go over things and make sure they are fully in line with the museum's policies.

I might also write about interesting things that are in the museum's catalogue. As I do research, I come across all sorts of neat little gems within the catalogues. Not to mention that it would help to expand my knowledge and yours too!

End of Term

It's absolutely amazing to think that it's the end of the semester. Next year I will be a junior! There are so many exciting things to talk about: an exciting summer job, studying for exams, packing for a return to Virginia.

Due to finals there won't be any more posts until after May 24th, when I return to Virginia. After that, I will return to schedule.

Read more for my thoughts on the end of term and summer plans.

Semester Wrap Up: Academics

To think that I'm half-way through my college career is crazy. I just can't believe it; it feels like the time is flying past me. Truth: college takes a lot of sustained work and concentrated dedication. I've felt the wear down of the year when winter was in its coldest, but as the weather warmed up so did I. Not to mention the lift that my floor mates and friends provided. I'm intensely grateful for the friends that I've made. For them and myself, I want to keep up the effort and the energy for the next two years, staying focused on making myself happy and learning rather than weakly stumbling through.

Finals are something that I start prepping for at the start of May, so I'm not drowning in cramming. However there was a major surprise from MIT about Random Hall going through construction and Bexley being closed for the next couple of years. This threw me off schedule for studying. I have a take home exam, a final, and two papers to write. Most of my things are organized to be packed up. Taking the time to pack up also means taking the time to purge my room of things I don't adore. For the summer, I'm going to be storing my things at a paid storage facility; thankfully, MIT should be covering this cost.

Gratitude: The Year as a Gift

There's so much that I'm grateful for, even as I struggle through finals and packing and all the things that come with the wrap up of the year. The winding down of the year puts so many things into perspective. My low points this year are also a way to get back down to my foundation.

So many opportunities and knowledge have come to me, but through this year my goal has been to acknowledge these opportunities as a gift. No one is owed anything so to be gifted kindness, knowledge, and kinship is something really valuable. Easy to overlook, but difficult to find. I've been focusing on improving myself, reading and breathing to appreciate what I have.

This year, every day of it, has been a gift. Low points and high points are part of the process of living; I want to appreciate them as an opportunity for growth and self-possesion.

Upcoming Summer: Work and Play

My summer job is an internship with the Smithsonian American Art. Link through to read about the summer program internship for SI American Art. I'm so excited for this amazing opportunity. There's no way for me to express how much it means to me to be stepping forward toward my dream of working in a museum, to be working with art and towards the purpose of preservation, outreach, and education. I adore the Smithsonian and can basically guarantee that I'll spend my summer gushing about it. If you're also interested in this type of work: Check out the Smithsonian's page for summer internships. 

I'm thinking of getting a part time work-from-home job since the Smithsonian internship isn't paid. I'd like to have something to give me a little bit of spending money and some savings to start off my junior year.

For play, I'm going to be having some of my college friends over. I've already got the full plans for a friend coming over for Otakon! Link to read about Otakon, an amazing anime convention in Baltimore, Maryland. This summer will be my third year attending. Another friend may be dropping by sometime during the summer since she fell a bit in love with Virginia after visiting for Thanksgiving.Also, I'm considering going to see Motion City Soundtrack for their concert July 9th at Virginia Beach.

Summer Blogging

With an increased amount of free time, I want to work on my blog. I really want to step it up to the next level. My goals are to create a banner, signature, line break, and maybe even  an extra feature for each week. I'd really like to work on my graphic design and art; utilizing that toward the blog would give me a good schedule and motivation.

I would also like to get back into Youtube and creating videos. It's something that I've always enjoyed but don't seem to block out time for.

If there's anything you want to see in the blog or from me in general, please let me know!