Best Fit Opportunity

What's funny about being a student at MIT is that there are so many opportunities. Do you want to be pre-med? We have an event for that! Do you want to learn how to use end note? The library is running a seminar on that! Do you want to learn about thesis presentation? These are the names, subjects and room numbers of the thesis defenses in your major!

A lot of these 'easy' opportunities are no longer beneficial to me. Often this is because I have already tried something similar. Somehow, I think I've come to a saturation point for CPW; I no longer enjoy the rush of students and events in the same way. I learned how to plan, register, advertise, and execute an event for both small and large groups of people. I don't need more practice at that skill. Other times, the opportunity simply isn't relevant to me anymore. It can be simple: I can't apply to scholarships for rising sophomores but I still get the emails! Or it can be complicated: there is an upper limit to how helpful career and major information fairs can be. To be clear, as a freshman and sophomore, these events were critical to me narrowing my interests. These events helped me in a process of elimination. I learned that I do better in one on one interviews rather than the rush of a career fair. I now focus my energy setting up meet ups and interviews rather than diluting it on prearranged opportunities where I do poorly. The easy opportunity doesn't fit me because I already used it to my best advantage.

Now, I'm searching for opportunities that are a good fit for me. I don't need generic opportunities that show up in email blasts. These well publicized events are often low effort and low impact. I've gone to dozens of seminars and talks due to publicizing emails; I don't remember any benefit from most of them aside from the free food. What I need are carefully tailored opportunities that fill in the gaps of my experience. These niche opportunities aren't well publicized or low effort, but often they offer a big impact.

The carefully selected (or created) opportunities are the ones that you both have the best shot at and will garner the most reward for. For example, my Smithsonian internship was intended for students who didn't have much experience working at a museum. That was exactly the opportunity I needed; I was exactly the candidate they wanted. Now that internship is the foundation for my resume, displaying my interest in the field and interpersonal skills.

No opportunity is going to be perfect. If you find an opportunity that inspires you but has a problem, pursue the opportunity and get creative in improving it. At the Smithsonian, I was disappointed I wasn't working directly with their conservation studio but I ended up befriending one of the interns and also going to the Museum Conservation Institute symposium. That experience was a stepping stone to the opportunity I have now at the MFA. The internship I have now was a perfect fit for my interest - working directly with research conservators - but I was worried that it didn't pay. So, I got creative and pursued funding from other sources. The extra work you put into tailoring a self-made opportunity will pay off! I can now write about my successful pursuit of funding in addition to my hands on experience.

You have to find an opportunity that is the best fit for you. In that moment, look towards where you want to be in the future. Identify the experience, skills, or qualifications you need to get there. Then find opportunities that fill those gaps. Clearly demonstrating your dedication and excitement for the field, you'll make important career connections. If you create opportunities, no one else applying for a job will have that same unique experience and resulting skill. Focus on the best fit opportunities once you know what you want!

Summer Internship: 2014 at the Museum of Fine Arts!

I posted last year about what I brought to my summer internship at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Now I'm posting about what I'm bringing to my internship at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. Isn't that crazy how long it's been?! I can barely believe it!

I'm so excited to be working at the MFA this summer. I'm in the Research department of Conservation, working under the guidance of two amazing conservators. I worked with them throughout this year, coming in during January's IAP term. It was amazing to go through the process of a literature search. Seeing how all of those journal articles turn into new research: what a dream! Now I get to apply the protocols that I helped to design for what could very well be a published research paper.

Read more to see the outfit that I put together and what's in my work purse!

I'm using the same purse, but what's inside is pretty different. I'm trying something new for my images! Please let me know what you think of this type of style! Do you like the compilation? Any suggestions?

• Lab note book
• iPad
• Phone (I got a new case!)
• Owl writing pad
• Post it note pad
• Make up & hair serum
• Granola

You might notice that I'm not bringing any pencils with me. That's because I'm only supposed to write in pen in my lab notebook; it would just be too much temptation for me. However, there are some areas of the museum where you cannot bring pens in! It's a conservation concern. Fortunately these areas always have pencils on hand.

Here's the outfit that I'm going to be wearing, this dress and this silk scarf. I absolutely love this dress with it's little bow details and swooshy skirt!

Now I know that it might seem very plain without any jewelry. But I can't wear any jewelry since I will be working in a lab! Jangling bracelets and hanging necklaces are all a risk to the art. I can wear earrings. And since the lab is pretty lax due to a lack of dangerous materials, you can wear short sleeves and skirts.


Grab your own silk scarf at Modcloth!

 

(Modcloth, $23) (Modcloth, $16)

If you want to apply for an internship you can at the MFA's internship opportunity page. Internships really are amazing opportunities and the MFA has so many great positions to learn and network from. Check it out for the upcoming fall term!

Positive Change> Average: TED talk

Shawn Achor: The Happy Secret to Better Work

Please check out this exciting and hilarious talk. Achor has a great sense of humor and that makes his material so exciting to listen to.

"Amy amy wait. Don't cry. No human lands on all fours like that. Amy, I think that means you're a unicorn!"

What to do when your internship ends?

So my internship ended yesterday!

Huzzah for getting through the internship!

But there's still plenty of time until I head back to school, almost a whole month. So what do you do now?

Read more to find out a few productive and fun ways to spend the in between time.

Wrap things up from your internship

This involves writing thank you letters to those who helped you during your internship, people who interviewed or mentored you, any people who you owe gratitude to.

Keep this contact information for future use. A name, telephone number, email address, and business address are good to have on hand for asking for recommendation letters or just to check in.

Also, compose a list of things you did during your internship. Focus on what you will use to get other jobs or in you intended profession. You might be amazed by the diversity of things that you did. Composing this list while things are still fresh in your mind will lead to a more accurate and complete description of skills that you've learned.

Now that you have a list of things you did and learned, use that list to update your resume.

Plan for the fall semester

I've been planning out my courses for the fall semester, figuring out what my schedule will be like. Adding in the school's academic calendar dates like holidays can get you started on your calendar and give you a good sense of pacing.

Having a good sense of what your fall will look like may motivate you to do some preparatory reading over the summer or to get in touch with a professor. I'm also starting to look at how much my textbooks will cost. Saving up for textbooks or lab fees can be quite a feat!

On that note, if you want to have a internship for the fall, you will probably need to start your search now to send out applications towards the middle of August. If you need to apply separately for funding, the search will be a bit more intense and may end up being the objective of this month.

Plan for the next summer

What are you going to be doing next summer? Don't know? Find out.

Try contacting the internship office where you were working this summer. Try reaching out to professors; likely they'll ask you to check in later but asking early will already put you on their mind when applications open.

Do you want to study abroad? Check out what your school has to offer. There's probably a study abroad office. You can also check with your department to see if any professors have travel planned or contact with international countries. Volunteer work can be another way to get out of the US. Planning your study abroad will likely take a lot of time, especially if you are looking for funding or have never been out of the country before.

Personally, I'm going to be asking around about study abroad. I'm going to try to apply for MIT's  MISTI program with the goal to have a museum internship in Europe. I've already made an appointment for when I get back to campus.

Fun things

You should be having some fun during your summer. This is a break from the rigour and schedule of school and work, which should be taken advantage of.

I'm going to be going to Otakon and hanging out with friends. Figuring out when these things will happen and organizing for us all to get together takes time if I don't want to be stressed as I scramble at the last minute.

Take time for your extensive or time consuming hobbies. Read books! Read lots of books! Work on a craft project that you've put aside for a long time.

Travel and take advantage of the things happening where you are. Since I'm in D.C. there are tons of free and fun events for me to go to which I'm going to try to take advantage of.

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.

Internship advice

I'm going to do a few posts to provide advice for interns. I really struggled when I first got my internship with all sorts of questions. This is certainly natural: most minimum wage jobs and academic settings are a completely different work paradigm than an office job or internship.

These posts will provide some basic advice for interns, from starting out to finishing up.

These are a few key approaches to be an amazing intern.

Attitude: Interview

Your internship is really just a very long interview. Receiving an internship is just getting your foot in the door; you still have to continue to be an amazing potential employee. You haven't made it in yet. While you should be proud of landing the internship, you should realize that this is just the first step to making a good impression at the company and with your supervisor. Even if it seems that you will be likely give the job, look further: you can still see this as an interview for the next job that you apply for or the promotion that you will want.

Much like an interview, every day you should be on your best behavior, looking out for pitfalls and opportunities.

Thank you letters

Gratitude is an amazing thing to demonstrate. People are always happy to help someone who take the time to pat them on the back and return that help. Especially in well established companies and those jobs that gave you your first experience, gratitude for the opportunity to work is expected.

Write thank you letters for being interviewed, for recommendation letters, for being mentored, for the opportunity to work. If you can, give back some sort of value to the person who helped you. This could be sharing a bright idea that they inspired, pointing out an opportunity for funding, or offering to put them in contact with a professor at your school who you think they would get along with. They helped you so you should do your best to help them.

Don't discount what you can do to help them! These small acts coming from you now will signal how truly motivated you are and that you will be an important professional connection.

Thank you letters should be well written in content and put on nice stationary. An email will not cut it.

Proofread and Perfect

When you first get an assignment, ask questions about it. Try and get a sense not only of what you are asked to do, but why and what your supervisor truly wants. Don't pretend like you know what you're doing. It's better to ask questions than make mistakes.



Here are some useful questions:

Basic details

• Would you like this saved as a pdf or word document? 
• Should I print this in color? 
• Who should I copy on this email?
• When do you want this by? 

Conceptual questions

• What is the target audience of this project/publication?
• What is the goal of this project/publication?
• Do you have an previous examples?
• How was this program developed?
• What is the latest innovation for this program?

Work quickly and efficiently but make sure to keep up the quality of your work. Proof read everything you do. The best way I've found to proof read is to print out everything and read what I've written multiple times.

Share ideas and innovation

Having asked meaningful questions about the project, think about the project. How would you run this project? What could be added to the project? Where would there be problems?

Once you know what is wanted of you and what is being asked of you, do both and add your own spin to it. If you can, add some sort of innovation to the task. Are you making an event program from Word document? Make the program in Publisher; explain to your supervisor that it will be easier to print. Create several designs for the event program, designs that fit with the feeling the event is going for. Do everything you can to make a perfect product.

I also ask other coworkers to look things over or bounce ideas before speaking to my supervisor. This shows initiative and, when I credit the coworker for sharing their idea, humility and good teamwork.

The point

You are you. You can do a lot to become a better worker. But to be a truly excellent intern, you need to show yourself as an excellent worker and as someone who can add to the company.

What you add is about who you are.


If you're an amazing social butterfly and spend tons of hours running events for your sorority, take that to your job. Be Elle Woods. If you're a quiet dreamer with tons of ideas, work them over in your mind and then share them. Take your inspiration from the imagination and rectitude of Tesla.  If your social skills are so so, but you love the technical side of things find an office that understands this, find a task where you technical skills can shine as you work independently, find your niche.

You can't be happy constantly changing who you are; you can't be a good worker if you hide your best aspects.

3 Keys: Through the internship

So you have an internship and you've been there for a while. The glow is wearing off and your familiarity with the copy machine might be starting to wear on your nerves. But you want to keep up the good work you had that first week! You really want to do a great job!

Well there are 3 Key means to make sure you stay on the right track during your internship.

Read more for these 3 tips.

Stay humble 

You are not too educated or too haughty to get coffee, photocopy or do any other menial task. This should be obvious. Stuffing envelopes or entering data into excel spreadsheets may not be what you look forward to in the morning, but it's what you do with a smile once you get to work.

Take a little initiative with these things. If you're entering data, offer to find averages of attendance. Proof read the program of events before you make 500 photocopies. Ask if anyone wants fair trade or organic coffee. These little moments of initiative won't require much from you but will certainly get you noticed.

Perhaps most obvious: don't complain at work. You're welcome to do so to your family and friends off hours. But smile through the day and keep a good attitude.

Stay motivated

No matter what you should be doing you best work. Whether your boss has a bad attitude or the metro wasn't great that morning, you should be doing the best you can. Keep asking for things to do and projects to work on. If you can suggest a new idea, brainstorm against another coworker you feel comfortable with.

Try to avoid negativity at your internship. Appreciate what you can do and the accomplishment that you get out of your assignments.

Keep looking for opportunities. The adrenaline of the first week might have worn off, but the opportunities haven't gone away. Keep looking for them!

Meet with your supervisor

If you can, take the time to meet with your supervisor and get a sense of what you are doing well, how you can improve, and how you can better understand your supervisor's role in the company.

Ask about how your supervisor got into the field, what they enjoy about the company, what trainings they suggest.

Their advice will be very valuable to you - along with the fact that you are showing interest in them and motivation for your career. This can be a good way to work in networking if you're on the less chatty side.

Who's who at an internship

It can be really difficult to start a new job, especially an internship where you know that you will be relying on the good opinions of others to get recommendations or job offers.

Of course different organizations will have different people and different organizations of power. But this is a good rundown of who you'll probably meet at a your internship.

Read more to find out Who's Who at an internship and a few hints about who you are!

Intern supervisor

You've probably already had plenty of contact with this person in the process of getting your internship. The intern supervisor most likely is in charge of all of the interns in different departments.  This is the person that you should touch in with periodically; most likely they'll be the one that schedules your meetings and trainings. If your supervisor has any problems with you... well, the intern supervisor knows. And lets you know too.

The intern supervisor is also generally the person you go to if you are having any difficulties. If your access badge hasn't come or your supervisor is asking you to work 50 hours a week, you should talk to the intern supervisor about finding a solution. They serve as a good mediator between you and the larger company, making sure you get proper respect and treatment. The intern supervisor will also have final say over your recommendations and your review.

Direct supervisor

Your direct supervisor is whoever is in charge of the office you are in. This supervisor is the person who directly assigns you tasks. Some supervisors are happy to have interns and will truly take you under their wing. Others will see you as an imposition and do their best to ignore you, despite your desire to work. Still others will simply see you as another pair of hands and give you a never ending line up of dull tasks.

You don't have much control over how your supervisor decides to treat you. You do have control over how you react. Always be polite and professional. Do your best to ask for challenging work; when you complete a task, check with the supervisor that it has been done properly and ask for more work. If you are curious about something, take initiative to research it and then ask if that information is correct.Your direct supervisor will hopefully see your motivation and creativity as an addition to the office and take advantage of it.

Obviously, your direct supervisor is important: they are going to be the one giving you referrals and having a large say in the decision of whether to offer you an opportunity to return. Try to impress them by working hard and working smart! If you'll lucky, your supervisor will appreciate your dedication, fostering a great relationship.

Coworkers

You may have a closer relationship with others in your office. Having a coworker who has taken you under your wing or who you can consistently turn to for assignments can be a really great thing. I find that other coworkers who still remember what it's like to be an intern can offer a great working relationship. If you have questions about office politics or how to relate to your supervisor, your coworkers can be a good resource for such questions.

Do remember: Coworkers are still above you! Don't get too friendly with them or forget their place above you!

Also remember that coworkers have more loyalty to their supervisor than to you. If you choose to gossip about your boss to them, don't be surprise if that gets back to your boss. Offices are small places, made smaller when people get too cozy with one another. It's not bad to make friendships, but remember to respect the workers who are above you.

Fellow interns

I think that maybe the best thing about an internship is meeting other people. Your fellow interns are also at college, with an interest in same career field as you but they have a totally different perspective to offer you. Talking to fellow interns can give you a sense of what the field you're in is like, the personality of your future coworkers, and even inspire some pretty amazing goals for once you head back in the fall.

Being open and respectful to your fellow interns is the best thing you can do. Do your best to avoid competitive comparisons and instead focus on the common ground. If you're all in an unpaid internship, focus on exchanging tips for cheap lunch vendors or easy tutoring gigs rather than competing to see who has the best or worse living condition. Just being pleasant and constructive can go a long way.

After the internship is over, see if you can meet up with or at least email a few of the interns that you connected with. Ask them if they're doing alright, when they're moving back to campus or what they though of the internship. If you feel an honest connection, such an outreach could start a valuable friendship.

Volunteers or customers

On the offhand chance that your work will have you dealing with volunteers or customers, remember to be kind and generous with them. Be as helpful and respectful as possible to everyone, no matter how inane (or insane) they may seem. If they are a regular of the program, their input may be very important. Comments from customers or those who volunteer can mean a lot to a small organization- so a compliment for you from someone may be very valuable.

You may rank slightly above volunteers or be trusted to supervise them. But remember: you can get fired. A volunteer can't. So really, who's in a position of power? If you are put in charge of volunteers, try to be as polite and respectful as possible. And don't delegate everything to them.  Everything they do, you should do too and work twice as hard at it.

Who's Who and Who are you?

You are who you are. You are a hard working and motivated person- so show that off! Work hard while you have the opportunity. If you have a brilliant idea, work to make that idea have an impression on your company. Be the best that you can be and the world will take notice.

One thing that I would say: I know that a lot of people seem to think that networking is the end all be all. There's this image of networking as the ability to effortlessly charm hundreds of people and inquire on the intimate details of someone's life that you've gleaned from an office party. But that's really not how things work in an office. Networking is about the daily encounters: asking someone if they're alright when they're having a bad day or making the effort to offer to help with something when someone seems particularly stressed along with doing your work as well as you can.

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!

Summer Internship Start!

Yesterday, I had my orientation for my summer internship. I posted about getting the internship earlier in my End of Term post. The tl;dr version is that I have a 6 week unpaid summer internship with the Smithsonian American Art Museum. I'll be working in the Public Office; I can't wait to work out the details of the projects that I'll be helping with.

Read more for the preparation that I put into the orientation.


They sent us an email about dress, making sure to keep it professional. I wanted my first outfit to show that I took this seriously while following their rules for dress code. But I also wanted to show my coworkers that I had a sense of style. So here's what I was wearing and carrying with me:

Do you like that everything is in cool colors? I can't seem to help myself! I always end up getting blue and green things.

Earlier in May, I made a large purchase of spring semi-professional clothing. I assumed that the internship would expect attire that respected the summer heat but maintained professional standards. I got this particular dress from Marshalls. It had a large stain on it so it had been marked down; it was great for me since I hemmed the dress, cutting off all evidence of the stain.

This is the purse I recently got for the internship. I didn't think that any of my day purses were large enough or professional enough. I wanted to have a larger purse for carrying paperwork and supplies that still looked professional-cute. I'll likely do a post on the purse, reviewing it and saying how it holds up to a week or two of use.

Here's what I packed inside of it:

• Folder for requested information
• Notepad and planner
• Tea (not shown)
• Pencil case
• Phone
• Mini make up case

I'm so amazingly thankful for my summer internship. I can't wait to share with you all the things that I learn. I worked hard to make a good impression and I hope that it paid off.

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!