Reflection on my internship so far

When I was doing my graduate school applications, something struck me. Throughout this entire time at my internship, I thought it was merely an internship. But when I had to reflect back on my various experiences for the essay that I had to write, I found that a lot of my thoughts went back on the orphanage and my internship there.

As someone who wants to work in the student affairs field, I will be working with students from all backgrounds and ways of life. Reading a book about the culture that they’re coming from will help, but actually experiencing their culture is something that will give me an added benefit. Even though many college students might not come from India to study in the U.S., having this experience in India and at the orphanage will help a great deal. Anywhere in the world where there is turmoil and conflict, people will always go to their families and loved ones for comfort and safety. At the orphanage, when a girl is sick or is crying, she knows that she has people around her all the time who love her and can comfort her. If a student has just started college, they might have some very difficult times ahead of them. If they’re able to find support and comfort through other students that they meet, then they will have a more enjoyable time at college. Helping students to create that sense of support and comfort is something that I plan to do in my career.

Right now, I might not know the full extent of how much this internship has changed my way of thinking or how much of a change it has made to my life. But as I begin to reflect back on this internship, I can see that it will definitely have changed me in more ways than one.