Non-Profit

Spring 2017  

Position: Development Intern
Student: Sociology Senior

The summer of my third year at The University of Texas was spent pondering on what institution I would reach out to for my senior internship. I pursued non-profit organizations that operated on a large scale within the central Texas area. My professional home for the next academic school year ended up being Aids Services of Austin (ASA). ASA is an organization dedicated to building healthy futures within the central Texas area by providing services for those affected by HIV. Their services include free HIV/STI testing, assistance with counseling, housing, nutrition, dental health and overall health. The organization also has plans to expand into a pharmacy so clients can receive their medication directly from ASA. In order to fund all of these services, ASA applies for grants while also hosting annual large to small scale events that encourage donations. The team responsible for these events and essentially the heart of ASA is the Development Team which consists of a Director, Event Coordinator, Communications Coordinator and Donor Relations Specialist. As a member of the Development team for ASA I worked on projects for each member and eventually transitioned from an intern learning to a professional collaborating. Each project was hands on and enabled me to apply skills learned in class to gain real world experience and evaluate my performance to mature. Due to operating on a weekly/project based schedule, I never had set day to day responsibilities. I would assist anyone with anything they needed and it was mostly research, and digital content based, with events being the priority. If I wasn’t event prepping, I was creating content for social media, or the websites. This content included images for the most part, but I was also tasked with creating six videos showcasing services ASA offers. The best weeks were weeks we had an event. Whether it was an annual large scale event, such as The AIDS Walk, Dining Out for Life, or a small event exclusively for priority donors or board members, the event was a blast. I was given a first hand look at members within the community that my work was helping benefit, while also seeing my hard work pay off and come together for a great event. Being a member of the Development team for ASA was an enjoyable experience that taught me about the industry, community, skills, life and myself. I grew exponentially under ASA’s leadership and cherish the memories and relationships fostered. It was the best part of my last year as a Longhorn.

Summer 2019

Position: Student Intern
Student: IRG Sophomore

As an intern for the Alhambra U.S. Chamber I am exposed to many tasks including, research, contacting foreign agents, and aiding the Hoft Institute (a partner of the Alhambra US Chamber). The environment can seem a little disorganized and even chaotic at first, especially if you have no prior experience. Nonetheless, Anjum (the Chambers co - founder) has a plan, trust her and you will see as everything comes together.

Some of the tasks include researching individuals, organizations, and conferences. Other days however, we are given a project such as contacting different universities to form partnerships, or contact Harvard professors to provide classes to foreign students. The Alhambra US Chamber is constantly conducting projects that provide education with international education, learning about these organizations and knowing that you are making a difference is a great feeling. If not conducting research, or working on a project, the intern will be working with Anjum in any miscellaneous tasks she might need to be completed. This can include anything from organizing her flights to ordering books to the Hoft Institute. If there's nothing specific to be done with the Alhambra US Chamber then one can always help Blair out, the Vice President of the Hoft Institute. The help can include anything from organizing a fundraiser to translating documents. Lastly, if one simply needs a breather one could always play ping pong with some of the ESL students of the Hoft Institute. Getting to know them, their stories, and goals is one of the best parts of working with this organization.

Fall 2016 

Position: Brand Development Intern
Student: Economics Senior

In my experience as a Development Intern for the ALS Association of Texas was a very rewarding experience. I gained many skills to build my resume and professional workplace experience which has made myself more employable. Despite the experience being very rewarding professionally the biggest takeaway I felt was the joy from seeing the direct benefit I provided to families in the community who have been affected by ALS.

My internship was essentially broken down into 3 different time periods. The first third of the semester my day in the office was focused on applying for grants from various organizations and reaching out to companies who may be interested in purchasing a sponsorship for the ALS Walk. The second third was focused on contacting vendors who would want to come to the ALS Walk, organizing all details which go along with the event, and equipping families in the area to be able to fundraise. The final third of my semester has consisted of data entry from the event and thanking families who raised money along with the sponsors.

The time commitment definitely increased of the weeks coming up to the ALS Walk. From meeting with vendors to go over details outside of my normal work hours to spending the entire day of the event from 7am-6pm working non-stop making sure the event ran smoothly in every regard. The weeks following the ALS walk have been more relaxed and flexible with my time, which has been nice as I have been able to set aside more time for my job search.

Throughout the entire internship I have had the ability to do my work independently and take ownership of my work with some guidance. This internship given me an insight to the non-profit sector and I would recommend an internship with the ALS Association to anyone who is even remotely interested. It has been an experience which will help shape my professional future.

Fall 2018

Position: Immigration Intern
Student: English Senior

I am an immigration intern at American Gateways. Normally I come into the office in the morning and grab my assignments folder, which is in my supervisor’s office. Since I am not in the office every day if there is an assignment for me, the lawyers and clerks will leave a copy of the task and instructions for it to be completed by a set date. I go through the folder to see which are prioritized and then go into my supervisor’s office for any further instructions or questions I may have. If the assignment needs any further clarification, I can always go straight to the office of the person who assigned it.

The day to day is different depending on what is happening around the office. I do a lot of translations of documents from Spanish into English. Most of them are affidavits, statements, birth and marriage certificates, and letters of moral character. For the most day the day is spent on my computer working on these documents until I am ready to turn them in. I also help contact different clients when there are informational meetings for them to attend. After the meetings have taken place I will go through their files and collect any pertinent information that the lawyers might need to have on hand.

There are also opportunities to visit the detention center in Hutto. All you have to do is submit the paperwork in order to be cleared for visitations. I asked to go one day, since it is normally an all-day event I did not go often. It was a great experience. When I was there, I got to collect information on the women that listened to presentations. I also directed the women on where to go depending on their need and what lawyer they needed to talk to. I got to talk to one particular woman while I was there about her whole detention experience and the reason she had fled her country and feared returning. It was very heart wrenching to hear her story but it was also a good reminder of why I want to continue to work with non-profits.

Fall 2017

Position: Event Planning/Fundraising Intern
Student: Human Dimensions of Organizations Junior

I work at the American Heart Association as their Event Planning/ Fundraising Intern under the Heart Walk team. It is difficult to explain the day to day responsibilities, because they are constantly changing depending on the project at hand. Overall, they are very flexible with school schedules and last-minute schedule changes. It is expected to work around 15 hours per week, which seemed like a lot at first, until I adjusted. For me, the first two months were full of different projects, assignments, and little tasks here and there that needed to be completed for the Heart Walk itself, which was on October 21st. There was another intern working with me at the time, so a lot of the duties were split up between us.

The first thing that I would do whenever I get into the office is check my email. I would begin my day based off the emails that I had received, if, on the rare occasion that there wasn’t anything for me to do in the email, I would walk over a few cubicles and ask my supervisor if there was anything that I could do. Either that, or I would continue to work on a project that I had previously been asked to work on, that I had yet to finish. 

Before the heart walk, things in the office were somewhat hectic, and they kept me busy. From running errands, making last minute posters, searching the storage room, to calling companies asking for gift donations. I never knew what I would be doing each day. Switching to after the walk, the workload of the job has not changed, especially because the other intern was done after the walk, but the work itself has changed. The team has given me bigger projects that usually take me a week or more to complete. So now, I know what I will be doing in the office before I get there. Overall, the work environment is decently relaxed, everyone who works there is passionate about their mission, which is refreshing. The whole office is very welcoming, and they enjoy working with the interns and hearing fresh ideas to switch things up. The team is extremely grateful for all the interns do, and I feel appreciated for my hard work.

Summer 2019

Position: Student Intern
Student: International Relations and Global Studies Sophomore

As an intern for the Alhambra U.S. Chamber I am exposed to many tasks including, research, contacting foreign agents, and aiding the Hoft Institute (a partner of the Alhambra US Chamber). The environment can seem a little disorganized and even chaotic at first, especially if you have no prior experience. Nonetheless, Anjum (the Chambers co - founder) has a plan, trust her and you will see as everything comes together.

Some of the tasks include researching individuals, organizations, and conferences. Other days however, we are given a project such as contacting different universities to form partnerships, or contact Harvard professors to provide classes to foreign students. The Alhambra US Chamber is constantly conducting projects that provide education with international education, learning about these organizations and knowing that you are making a difference is a great feeling. If not conducting research, or working on a project, the intern will be working with Anjum in any miscellaneous tasks she might need to be completed. This can include anything from organizing her flights to ordering books to the Hoft Institute. If there's nothing specific to be done with the Alhambra US Chamber then one can always help Blair out, the Vice President of the Hoft Institute. The help can include anything from organizing a fundraiser to translating documents. Lastly, if one simply needs a breather one could always play ping pong with some of the ESL students of the Hoft Institute. Getting to know them, their stories, and goals is one of the best parts of working with this organization.

Fall 2016 

Position: Brand Development Intern
Student: Economics Senior

In my experience as a Development Intern for the ALS Association of Texas was a very rewarding experience. I gained many skills to build my resume and professional workplace experience which has made myself more employable. Despite the experience being very rewarding professionally the biggest takeaway I felt was the joy from seeing the direct benefit I provided to families in the community who have been affected by ALS.

My internship was essentially broken down into 3 different time periods. The first third of the semester my day in the office was focused on applying for grants from various organizations and reaching out to companies who may be interested in purchasing a sponsorship for the ALS Walk. The second third was focused on contacting vendors who would want to come to the ALS Walk, organizing all details which go along with the event, and equipping families in the area to be able to fundraise. The final third of my semester has consisted of data entry from the event and thanking families who raised money along with the sponsors.

The time commitment definitely increased of the weeks coming up to the ALS Walk. From meeting with vendors to go over details outside of my normal work hours to spending the entire day of the event from 7am-6pm working non-stop making sure the event ran smoothly in every regard. The weeks following the ALS walk have been more relaxed and flexible with my time, which has been nice as I have been able to set aside more time for my job search.

Throughout the entire internship I have had the ability to do my work independently and take ownership of my work with some guidance. This internship given me an insight to the non-profit sector and I would recommend an internship with the ALS Association to anyone who is even remotely interested. It has been an experience which will help shape my professional future.

Fall 2018

Position: Immigration Intern
Student: English Senior

I am an immigration intern at American Gateways. Normally I come into the office in the morning and grab my assignments folder, which is in my supervisor’s office. Since I am not in the office every day if there is an assignment for me, the lawyers and clerks will leave a copy of the task and instructions for it to be completed by a set date. I go through the folder to see which are prioritized and then go into my supervisor’s office for any further instructions or questions I may have. If the assignment needs any further clarification, I can always go straight to the office of the person who assigned it.

The day to day is different depending on what is happening around the office. I do a lot of translations of documents from Spanish into English. Most of them are affidavits, statements, birth and marriage certificates, and letters of moral character. For the most day the day is spent on my computer working on these documents until I am ready to turn them in. I also help contact different clients when there are informational meetings for them to attend. After the meetings have taken place I will go through their files and collect any pertinent information that the lawyers might need to have on hand.

There are also opportunities to visit the detention center in Hutto. All you have to do is submit the paperwork in order to be cleared for visitations. I asked to go one day, since it is normally an all-day event I did not go often. It was a great experience. When I was there, I got to collect information on the women that listened to presentations. I also directed the women on where to go depending on their need and what lawyer they needed to talk to. I got to talk to one particular woman while I was there about her whole detention experience and the reason she had fled her country and feared returning. It was very heart wrenching to hear her story but it was also a good reminder of why I want to continue to work with non-profits.

Fall 2017

Position: Event Planning/Fundraising Intern
Student: Human Dimensions of Organizations (HDO) Junior

I work at the American Heart Association as their Event Planning/ Fundraising Intern under the Heart Walk team. It is difficult to explain the day to day responsibilities, because they are constantly changing depending on the project at hand. Overall, they are very flexible with school schedules and last-minute schedule changes. It is expected to work around 15 hours per week, which seemed like a lot at first, until I adjusted. For me, the first two months were full of different projects, assignments, and little tasks here and there that needed to be completed for the Heart Walk itself, which was on October 21st. There was another intern working with me at the time, so a lot of the duties were split up between us.

The first thing that I would do whenever I get into the office is check my email. I would begin my day based off the emails that I had received, if, on the rare occasion that there wasn’t anything for me to do in the email, I would walk over a few cubicles and ask my supervisor if there was anything that I could do. Either that, or I would continue to work on a project that I had previously been asked to work on, that I had yet to finish. 

Before the heart walk, things in the office were somewhat hectic, and they kept me busy. From running errands, making last minute posters, searching the storage room, to calling companies asking for gift donations. I never knew what I would be doing each day. Switching to after the walk, the workload of the job has not changed, especially because the other intern was done after the walk, but the work itself has changed. The team has given me bigger projects that usually take me a week or more to complete. So now, I know what I will be doing in the office before I get there. Overall, the work environment is decently relaxed, everyone who works there is passionate about their mission, which is refreshing. The whole office is very welcoming, and they enjoy working with the interns and hearing fresh ideas to switch things up. The team is extremely grateful for all the interns do, and I feel appreciated for my hard work.

Spring 2018

Position: Programs Intern
Student: History Freshman

I am a programs intern at Big Brothers Big Sisters located in Austin, Texas. Big Brothers Big Sisters is a nonprofit which aims to provide children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-on-one relationships that change their lives for the better. The main job of the programs department is to maintain these relationships between bigs and their littles. There are three sections in this department and I had the opportunity to experience all of them. Everyday was interesting.

The first part interviews potential bigs and littles to see if they are a good fit for the organization.  This is definitely the most interesting part in my opinion, because you get to hear about people’s entire life stories. Then once they’ve been interviewed, customer relations sorts through all their paperwork and finds them a match. It’s extremely tedious to sort through but also exciting when you find a big and little that you know will get along super well. Last, but certainly not least, comes match support. Their job is to maintain the matches once they are made. They call both sides of the matches every few weeks and make sure their doing well as well as planning events for them to participate in. It’s always special to see matches grow and prosper. 

During a typical day, I start off with working on the calendar. This is a list of events over the course of two weeks which gets sent out to all the matches that they may be interested in attending. I then will either do reference calls for potential bigs. This usually consists of talking to the volunteers friends, employers, or partners about them which is always interesting. Then I’ll usually finish off my day working on facebook posts in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Volunteer group in order to keep them engaged. Other days, I get to input paperwork into Excel or work on campaigns to increase awareness of the organization with the marketing team.

Spring 2018

Position: Development Intern
Student: Sociology Senior

For the Spring 2018 semester, I was fortunate enough to work with an amazing non-profit organization called CareBOX Program. This organization provides free care supplies to cancer patients in the Austin area. These supplies help prevent infection, injury and malnutrition. The supplies are delivered to patients’ homes by volunteers in the Austin area and by CareBOX employees.

At this organization, I was given the position of development intern. As a development intern I mainly completed everyday tasks. Other interns worked to find funding from donors and to plan a large event where we earned over $60,000 in donations. I helped occasionally with planning for our event, but mostly stuck to daily tasks. My main job was to pack patients’ CareBOXes. I would organize the patient’s items and place them on shelves. These shelves held every CareBOX we delivered, so I had to keep the shelves organized and had to make sure there were no items missing. Along with packing, I stocked the items shelves when we received new shipments. I would unload boxes and organize all the items accordingly, as well as put bar codes on each item so they could be scanned when they were put into a patient’s CareBOX. These were my two main tasks, but I would also help with organizing patient files online, organizing physical papers into a filing cabinet, and help plan our event.

Position: Development Intern
Student: Sociology Junior

My current internship site, The CareBOX Program, is a small, local nonprofit that serves Austin-area cancer patients. The central mission is to provide patients who are vulnerable to illness and infection with essential hygienic, personal and household products to ward off preventable complications. Since it’s founding in 2013, The CareBOX Program has delivered over 700 CareBOX’s and served over 500 patients. Online enrollment is completely confidential and available for patients to sign up, select the items they would like to receive. There are a number of volunteers who spend their time picking up CareBOXes from the site and delivering them to patients.

The primary role of my position, development and event intern, is to assist with fundraising events as well as communicate with potential sponsors. Since The CareBOX Program is a nonprofit, all of it’s revenue, and extent to which it can better serve patients, relies on donations, sponsorships, grants and fundraising events. Most day-to-day responsibilities are done on a computer responding to emails, submitting donation requests and organizing spreadsheets. Sometimes, my duties will include putting together auction packages for events, supply inventory and even delivering CareBOXes. Typically, I am expected to come into the office three days a week, for about 10-15 hours per week. However, my supervisors have been very flexible and understanding of my school schedule and work with me if I need extra time to work on an assignment or study for a test.

Spring 2018

Position: Policy Intern 
Student: Government Senior

My responsibilities at College Forward included many other duties besides policy research. One of the most recurring activities we took part in was webinars organized by the National College Access Network. These range from topics such as Financial Aid, to Advocacy 101 and the latest one “The Role of Loans”. After these seminars, I was then responsible for creating a small summary in order for our CEO to read. I often represent College Forward in conference calls when our CEO could not be present. I have never had a job or internship where I reported directly to the CEO, who responsible for running an organization who helped over 8,000 students. This led to the creation an interesting schedule for me throughout the semester. I could spread my hours evenly throughout every day of the week, or do 4 or 5 hours per day. There’s additional weekend research that I completed just to get ahead.

At College Forward, I am also responsible for tracking the current debate regarding the PROSPER Act, which reauthorizes the Higher Education Act (HEA). This is a massive higher education bill that overhauls our higher education system, which will have negative
consequences for our students if it passes in its current form. I am also responsible for reaching out to legislative offices either in DC or at the Texas Legislature. When we attended training in D.C., I was responsible for scheduling those appointments. Unfortunately, it snowed the day of our Hill Day and a few were cancelled. When the Texas Legislature starts, I will be responsible for reaching out to those offices to discuss higher education policy. Ideally, we will be reaching out to them many months before the start of the legislature, which will allow us to shape what goes on the debate agenda. However, at this point I am only doing research on major legislation that was passed last session. I am also reviewing the vast volume of documents we used as resources last session. Those documents range from legislative proposals we advocated for, contact information for various offices, a rating system for bills and committee agendas. Needless to say, I was in charge of all the policy at College Forward. This is a big learning curve,
but I am adapting and will succeed at bringing forward policy that will help College Forward students and others throughout the state.

Summer 2017

Position: Programs Intern
Student: Sustainability Studies Junior

This past summer I interned at A Glimmer of Hope Foundation. Glimmer is a private nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of impoverished Ethiopians through water, healthcare, agriculture, and livelihood. It was founded by Donna and Phillip Berber, current CEO and chairman, respectively - two wonderful people who have a passion to spark change in the lives of the most needy. Now Glimmer has grown into a welcoming work environment filled with people who love the work they do.

For me, a typical workday had me reporting to anywhere between one and five different people. Originally, I was hired for the position under the Program Development Manager of the organization. When working for her, much of my day was spent assessing program data and helping clean up the foundation’s database. On the surface this task is rather mundane, however I personally enjoyed it as it brought me closer to the heart of what Glimmer does.

On other days, my skills would be used to help the CFO and finance department. Thanks to my good eye for detail and strong background in math, I was often assigned to review extensive budgets. For me, I found the added responsibility of working for the CFO a wonderful challenge that taught me a lot.

Besides that, I spent much of my time researching different concepts for various employees, learning tons about nonprofit operations and development work in the process. Overall, Glimmer taught me more than I could have hoped or expected of such an internship, and I truly will miss working there.

Fall 2017

Position: Development Intern
Student: Humanities Senior

As an intern at Helping Hand Home for Children, I work with members of the development department each day. I also have a semester-long marketing project that I am working on daily as well. A few people I work with most directly are the development coordinator and director, the development associate who deals with fundraising and donations, and the events manager. Each day is different, but mostly consists of work with these employees. I work with the donor database and help create thank you letters and donation request letters. I sometimes run errands for the events manager doing things like getting supplies for invitations, gifts, and other items for the events. An example is going to pick up items for the rider of Jimmy Wayne, who was a speaker at a major event, Champions for Children, for the home. I also help with internal events in the home like meetings for the gala participants and social events for the society members.

As a day to day description, I work three days a week. I come in and say hello, and then I check my emails and usually I will have messages from coworkers asking for help with things they need like letters or entering information into a database. If any additional help is needed, all the offices are close together so people will just come to me and ask me to help with something. Some tasks are not the most exciting, like making labels and making copies, but they are very relevant and are the kinds of things the development team would be doing without me. But a lot of tasks are important, like helping with information in the database or marketing materials (which is my specialty so they try and give me tasks related to this mostly). If I don’t have other tasks to work on, I work on my marketing packet, which will be provided on tours to potential donors of the home after I leave. All in all, the development team has worked with me to show me the function of nonprofit development, and has really tried to get to know me and give me assignments based on my skills and interests. I have really enjoyed my internship at Helping Hand Home and I would recommend interning with this wonderful organization. 

Spring 2018

Position: Development Intern
Student: Sociology Senior

For the Spring 2018 semester, I was fortunate enough to work with an amazing non-profit organization called CareBOX Program. This organization provides free care supplies to cancer patients in the Austin area. These supplies help prevent infection, injury and malnutrition. The supplies are delivered to patients’ homes by volunteers in the Austin area and by CareBOX employees.

At this organization, I was given the position of development intern. As a development intern I mainly completed everyday tasks. Other interns worked to find funding from donors and to plan a large event where we earned over $60,000 in donations. I helped occasionally with planning for our event, but mostly stuck to daily tasks. My main job was to pack patients’ CareBOXes. I would organize the patient’s items and place them on shelves. These shelves held every CareBOX we delivered, so I had to keep the shelves organized and had to make sure there were no items missing. Along with packing, I stocked the items shelves when we received new shipments. I would unload boxes and organize all the items accordingly, as well as put bar codes on each item so they could be scanned when they were put into a patient’s CareBOX. These were my two main tasks, but I would also help with organizing patient files online, organizing physical papers into a filing cabinet, and help plan our event.

Position: Development Intern
Student: Sociology Junior

My current internship site, The CareBOX Program, is a small, local nonprofit that serves Austin-area cancer patients. The central mission is to provide patients who are vulnerable to illness and infection with essential hygienic, personal and household products to ward off preventable complications. Since it’s founding in 2013, The CareBOX Program has delivered over 700 CareBOX’s and served over 500 patients. Online enrollment is completely confidential and available for patients to sign up, select the items they would like to receive. There are a number of volunteers who spend their time picking up CareBOXes from the site and delivering them to patients.

The primary role of my position, development and event intern, is to assist with fundraising events as well as communicate with potential sponsors. Since The CareBOX Program is a nonprofit, all of it’s revenue, and extent to which it can better serve patients, relies on donations, sponsorships, grants and fundraising events. Most day-to-day responsibilities are done on a computer responding to emails, submitting donation requests and organizing spreadsheets. Sometimes, my duties will include putting together auction packages for events, supply inventory and even delivering CareBOXes. Typically, I am expected to come into the office three days a week, for about 10-15 hours per week. However, my supervisors have been very flexible and understanding of my school schedule and work with me if I need extra time to work on an assignment or study for a test.

Spring 2018

Position: Policy Intern 
Student: Government Senior

My responsibilities at College Forward included many other duties besides policy research. One of the most recurring activities we took part in was webinars organized by the National College Access Network. These range from topics such as Financial Aid, to Advocacy 101 and the latest one “The Role of Loans”. After these seminars, I was then responsible for creating a small summary in order for our CEO to read. I often represent College Forward in conference calls when our CEO could not be present. I have never had a job or internship where I reported directly to the CEO, who responsible for running an organization who helped over 8,000 students. This led to the creation an interesting schedule for me throughout the semester. I could spread my hours evenly throughout every day of the week, or do 4 or 5 hours per day. There’s additional weekend research that I completed just to get ahead.

At College Forward, I am also responsible for tracking the current debate regarding the PROSPER Act, which reauthorizes the Higher Education Act (HEA). This is a massive higher education bill that overhauls our higher education system, which will have negative
consequences for our students if it passes in its current form. I am also responsible for reaching out to legislative offices either in DC or at the Texas Legislature. When we attended training in D.C., I was responsible for scheduling those appointments. Unfortunately, it snowed the day of our Hill Day and a few were cancelled. When the Texas Legislature starts, I will be responsible for reaching out to those offices to discuss higher education policy. Ideally, we will be reaching out to them many months before the start of the legislature, which will allow us to shape what goes on the debate agenda. However, at this point I am only doing research on major legislation that was passed last session. I am also reviewing the vast volume of documents we used as resources last session. Those documents range from legislative proposals we advocated for, contact information for various offices, a rating system for bills and committee agendas. Needless to say, I was in charge of all the policy at College Forward. This is a big learning curve, but I am adapting and will succeed at bringing forward policy that will help College Forward students and others throughout the state.

Summer 2017

Position: Programs Intern
Student: Sustainability Studies Junior

This past summer I interned at A Glimmer of Hope Foundation. Glimmer is a private nonprofit organization that works to improve the lives of impoverished Ethiopians through water, healthcare, agriculture, and livelihood. It was founded by Donna and Phillip Berber, current CEO and chairman, respectively - two wonderful people who have a passion to spark change in the lives of the most needy. Now Glimmer has grown into a welcoming work environment filled with people who love the work they do.

For me, a typical workday had me reporting to anywhere between one and five different people. Originally, I was hired for the position under the Program Development Manager of the organization. When working for her, much of my day was spent assessing program data and helping clean up the foundation’s database. On the surface this task is rather mundane, however I personally enjoyed it as it brought me closer to the heart of what Glimmer does.

On other days, my skills would be used to help the CFO and finance department. Thanks to my good eye for detail and strong background in math, I was often assigned to review extensive budgets. For me, I found the added responsibility of working for the CFO a wonderful challenge that taught me a lot.

Besides that, I spent much of my time researching different concepts for various employees, learning tons about nonprofit operations and development work in the process. Overall, Glimmer taught me more than I could have hoped or expected of such an internship, and I truly will miss working there.

Fall 2017

Position: Development Intern
Student: Humanities Senior

As an intern at Helping Hand Home for Children, I work with members of the development department each day. I also have a semester-long marketing project that I am working on daily as well. A few people I work with most directly are the development coordinator and director, the development associate who deals with fundraising and donations, and the events manager. Each day is different, but mostly consists of work with these employees. I work with the donor database and help create thank you letters and donation request letters. I sometimes run errands for the events manager doing things like getting supplies for invitations, gifts, and other items for the events. An example is going to pick up items for the rider of Jimmy Wayne, who was a speaker at a major event, Champions for Children, for the home. I also help with internal events in the home like meetings for the gala participants and social events for the society members.

As a day to day description, I work three days a week. I come in and say hello, and then I check my emails and usually I will have messages from coworkers asking for help with things they need like letters or entering information into a database. If any additional help is needed, all the offices are close together so people will just come to me and ask me to help with something. Some tasks are not the most exciting, like making labels and making copies, but they are very relevant and are the kinds of things the development team would be doing without me. But a lot of tasks are important, like helping with information in the database or marketing materials (which is my specialty so they try and give me tasks related to this mostly). If I don’t have other tasks to work on, I work on my marketing packet, which will be provided on tours to potential donors of the home after I leave. All in all, the development team has worked with me to show me the function of nonprofit development, and has really tried to get to know me and give me assignments based on my skills and interests. I have really enjoyed my internship at Helping Hand Home and I would recommend interning with this wonderful organization. 

Fall 2017

Position: Nonprofit Relations Intern
Student: Geography and American Studies Senior

The name for the Nonprofit Relations Intern position at I Live Here I Give Here describes the role fairly well. While this role has a lot of flexibility (it really becomes what you make it), the main responsibilities are aimed at assisting I Live Here I Give Here staff maintain and foster relationships with the nearly 800 nonprofits who participate in Amplify Austin.

I Live Here I Give Here (ILHIGH) rents office space at the Livestrong Headquarters on East 6th Street, about 3 miles from campus. As you’d expect, the building is amazing. Though the ILHIGH team is small, they are all incredibly kind, friendly, and funny. Each of them is excited to help you grow professionally and as a person.

Day-to-day tasks include managing nonprofit accounts on the AmplifyATX site, developing tools and materials to assist and guide fundraising efforts, and doing odd-jobs here and there for the ILHIGH team.

Interning at ILHIGH is an excellent experience for anyone who wants to eventually work for a nonprofit. I have learned a tremendous amount about Austin nonprofits, fundraising, and nonprofit management. Working closely with so many different organizations of varying size and success is like a nonprofit crash-course.

Hours are extremely flexible, though I was generally working Tuesday mornings and all-day Fridays.

Summer 2017

Position: Nonprofit Management Intern
Student: Humanities Honors and Rhetoric and Writing Senior

The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) is a research based nonprofit organization in Denver, Colorado, who’s vision is “to end human trafficking.” LCHT aims to have an interdisciplinary approach and welcomes all majors to participate in their Leadership Development Program (internship). They encourage anyone with “lived experiences" to bring their unique insight to the internship. This means LCHT values the opinions of anyone who has or currently is part of a marginalized community, those that have experienced violence, homelessness, trafficking, etc., and anyone that can respectfully work in a field dealing with these sensitive issues. Due to the fact that LCHT strongly believes in human rights and feminist goals and is attempting to change the subordination of women to men while challenging the binary definition of women by actively fighting for those that are in subordinate groups, this internship is only appropriate for those that actively hold these ideals.

During the summer LCHT requires a minimum of 150 unpaid hours. LCHT has four different internship paths to take: Community Outreach, Nonprofit Management, Development and Communications, and Research. LCHT is a three person staff so you have to be comfortable working closely and getting real hands on experience. This is not a “get coffee” internship, you will be actively participating in LCHT’s work. Due to there being a lot of overlap between each track, your current skills or those that you wish to develop, and the needs of LCHT the work will include a mixture of research, assisting with grants, donor relations, interaction with the executive board, attending trainings, attending meetings between staff and local agents, general financial reporting, blog writing, etc. There are many important tasks that LCHT will ask you to participate in and as long as you do so well and by deadlines they are flexible with your personal needs. LCHT is an excellent internship for those interested in human rights and nonprofit work.

Spring 2021

Position: Communications and Events Intern
Major: Psychology 

NAMI Central Texas is a non-profit organization that provides education through support and advocacy groups with the goal to change the way we address mental health. They have many programs available for those working towards recovery. I found this internship through the Handshake site. I then completed an external application where I had to submit my resume and a cover letter. My responsibilities at NAMI included social media, graphic design, and event promotion. Mind Matters, Stories & Strategies, and Mental Health Month have been some of the programs and events for which I have created and promoted content for. I have also been introduced to very basic html website editing skills to keep our website updated. My first individual project has been the creation and promotion of Mental Health Month this May. I have taken on the responsibility of creating the social media promotion plan and executing it. My favorite thing about my internship is that I am able to work with social media and content creation while being an advocate for mental health and using my work to create awareness for something I am passionate about.

Summer 2019

Position: Child and Youth Program Intern
Major: Sociology Senior

This summer 2019, I served as the Child and Youth Program Intern at NAMI Central Texas. NAMI Central Texas is the larger Austin area affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, whose mission is dedicated to improving the lives of all individuals affected by mental illness through education, support and advocacy programs. NAMI Central Texas envisions a community that addresses mental illness as a health issue and provides the systems, resources and education for all people to achieve recovery.

I interned at the NAMI office at Austin State Hospital Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in the afternoon, and occasionally from home and on weekends. A typical day in the office would consist of checking in with my supervisor about my tasks for the day. Once a week, we would have check-ins to discuss my progress on tasks and discuss upcoming tasks and events. Throughout this internship I’ve had a variety of assignments. On a typical Monday, I would usually organize and clean materials and supplies from NAMI Basics classes that happened over the weekend. NAMI Basics is a class for parents and caregivers of children experiencing signs of behavioral or mental health concerns. Other tasks included: listening to webinar presentations and taking notes for my supervisor, organizing volunteers’ scripts for NAMI presentations like Ending the Silence and In Our Own Voices, emailing volunteers regarding their status on online trainings and scripts, compiling and organizing materials for NAMI classes and volunteer trainings, sitting in on meetings with staff and stakeholders, and more.

Spring 2018

Position: Public Policy Intern
Student: Psychology Junior

My position at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Texas Chapter was as a Public Policy Intern. Situated at the Austin Hospital, this internship site is easy to travel to with the 801 bus. As an intern, I think NAMI Texas’s public policy director, Greg Hansch, helped me get a good idea of the current state of Texas mental health policy. Greg has allowed me to attend meetings around Austin as the NAMI Texas representative for Austin-based coalitions and meetings at Health and Human Services and the capitol. For this reason, interns would better excel in this work environment dedicating long shifts in their day in order to be present for the entire meeting held. Interns would also best fit this position if they are flexible with fast changing schedules and having to go around Austin with bus to attend meetings. For this reason, I also recommend interns to dress professionally and conservatively as I was representing a renowned national organization.

Other tasks I’ve had as an intern included administrative work in organizing information needed for the next public policy platform, logging in information for NAMI Texas stakeholders, and helping plan for the annual Empowerment Symposium being held in Corpus Christi this year. I also worked on social media and promoting the event with posting and designing banners.

In non-profit work, usually the co-workers one sees are the individuals doing everything needed from making pay-roll to working in policy workgroups at the capitol. I think that the variety in the roles means that interns have to be adaptable in learning the different tasks a co-worker may need help with. Similarly, it is important to take initiative and ask what one can help with doing. There is always something one can do to help.

Fall 2017

Position: Program Intern
Student: Psychology Sophomore

As a NAMI intern each day is quite different from the next. I personally assisted in the office and with actual programs themselves; both were incomparable experiences. A typical office day consisted of first, walking in to the office and sitting down with my boss. My boss would first always update me on what has happened with NAMI since the last time I was there, and would give me quick summary of the tasks I had for that day. The first tasks were usually simple data entry and updating files. Next, I would continue to work on a long-term project. My projects included marketing and managing a new app that NAMI was helping pilot, helping revamp our office space, organizing material, preparing for programs and other ordain office tasks. Typically, I got to the office anywhere from 2:45 to 3:15; they were very lenient and understood how much traffic changes each day. I would typically finish around 6:30. I worked in the NAMI office on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

While the office work is the backbone of NAMI, and extremely important to its operation, the more interesting part of my experience was participating in NAMI programs. I had the honor of participating and assisting in multiple different training sessions. These training sessions consisted of two days of learning the NAMI program that you are training for, and working along side people directly affected by mental illness. I am now certified to be a NAMI family-to-family teacher (a class for family members of those affected by mental illness), a family support group facilitator, a in our own voice speaker (trained to speak about my experience with mental illness), and a peer-to-peer support group facilitator (for people with mental illness). I also help out with a family-to-family class for two hours every Sunday, where I get to learn about mental illnesses and people real life family experiences. Overall, my NAMI internship has offered me both a practical and hands on experience. 

Summer 2017

Position: Communications Intern
Student: Political Communication, Rhetoric & Writing Senior

I spent the Summer of 2017 as a communications intern with the National Immigration Forum. The Forum is a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. which advocates for the value of immigrants and immigration to the United States. The Forum prioritizes remaining nonpartisan, and focuses its advocacy efforts toward center-right audiences. I personally lean left politically, but found this mission very interesting because I had seldom approached issues as complex as immigration policy from perspectives different than my own.

As a communications intern, most of my work involves monitoring social media analytics, producing social media content, compiling daily news clips, assisting with logistics for press conferences, and writing blog content. While my day-to-day tasks vary greatly, I spend most of my work time developing social media content and working to assist the rest of the communications team as needed. The work environment is easily the most interesting and productive I have ever experienced as an intern. I am consistently given tasks that challenge me and allow me to explore my interests in homeland security and immigration policy. My coworkers make sure to foster my interests and always take time to discuss my future goals and how they can help make them a reality.

The greatest challenge that I have faced as a Forum intern has definitely been in coming to terms with its nonpartisan nature. Working to tailor content to a conservative audience is something that I had never done before, and I often find myself stumped regarding necessary steps. I would recommend this internship to anyone interested in communication, border control, and immigration issues.

Spring 2016 

Position: Player Development Coordinator
Student: History Senior

An internship with RBI Austin provides you the opportunity to grow in a field of your choice.  I choose to work with the players in the RBI High School division and help develop player curriculum.  Thus I was given the title of Player Development Coordinator.  The duties of this title included the following: working with players at the high school level on getting better at baseball, working with schools to help develop their baseball programs, and help set up the RBI High School summer league.  In addition to these responsibilities, I was also in charge of taking care of the high school field that RBI is in charge of and help facilitate interactions with local baseball coaches and academies.  One of the biggest tasks I had this semester was to start up an entire spring baseball league by working with two elementary schools.  

The tasks and responsibilities that I had were great and difficult but that wasn’t the best part about working with RBI Austin as an Intern.  The best part is the experiences that I picked up along the way.  Just from a financial standpoint, I learned how to navigate and use invoice systems when being involved with a nonprofit.  Specifically, I learned about how much detail and tax knowledge goes into these things. 

In addition to learning about the financial ins and out of the organization, the way they treated me is probably the highlight of the semester.  They treated me like I was going to be on staff for another 5 years, they trusted me and gave me some freedom to make decisions that were paramount to the success of the organization.  Finally, the best part about working for RBI Austin is the people you meet and have to work with.  I have driven to every part of Austin this semester and have meet people of different ethnicities and backgrounds.  I learned how to interact with everyone in a professional manner and learned how to work within the community.  If you are looking for an internship that is very people based, look no further than RBI Austin, you’ll meet the mayor and work with the inner-city families in the same day.

Fall 2023

Position: Community Outreach Intern

Student: Psychology (B.S) Senior

Working at Girls Empowerment Network has been an amazing experience! I found this position on Handshake last semester and have been interning here since June. This semester, I have helped the community engagement team build up to the organization’s annual Radiant G Conference, which 500+ youth and adults will be attending. My responsibilities have included reaching out to businesses for in-kind donations, speaking with schools about bringing groups to the conference, assisting with volunteer nights, and providing overall support to the team as they ramp up for such a massive event. My favorite thing about working here is knowing that I am working with an organization that is making such a positive impact on youth, but the people here are also incredibly great to work with, and I have learned so much from them.

Spring 2023

Position: School Group Program Intern

Student: Psychology Major and Business Minor Senior

John Knox Ranch is a non-profit summer camp owned by Mission Presbytery. I have been working at JKR for 5 years and they created this internship for me to work along with our School Program Coordinator and Program Director planning activities for the school groups that come out for the day. Aside from planning program activities, I work in our kitchen making meals for groups with about 20-150 people, physical work maintaining camp, and cleaning services in our rental units. My favorite aspect of my internship is how versatile my work is and that I get to work with my friends! Sometimes my day consists of running archery, playing guitar, leading low ropes, making meals, and swimming!

Summer 2017

Position: Nonprofit Management Intern
Student: Humanities Honors and Rhetoric and Writing Senior

The Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) is a research based nonprofit organization in Denver, Colorado, who’s vision is “to end human trafficking.” LCHT aims to have an interdisciplinary approach and welcomes all majors to participate in their Leadership Development Program (internship). They encourage anyone with “lived experiences" to bring their unique insight to the internship. This means LCHT values the opinions of anyone who has or currently is part of a marginalized community, those that have experienced violence, homelessness, trafficking, etc., and anyone that can respectfully work in a field dealing with these sensitive issues. Due to the fact that LCHT strongly believes in human rights and feminist goals and is attempting to change the subordination of women to men while challenging the binary definition of women by actively fighting for those that are in subordinate groups, this internship is only appropriate for those that actively hold these ideals.

During the summer LCHT requires a minimum of 150 unpaid hours. LCHT has four different internship paths to take: Community Outreach, Nonprofit Management, Development and Communications, and Research. LCHT is a three person staff so you have to be comfortable working closely and getting real hands on experience. This is not a “get coffee” internship, you will be actively participating in LCHT’s work. Due to there being a lot of overlap between each track, your current skills or those that you wish to develop, and the needs of LCHT the work will include a mixture of research, assisting with grants, donor relations, interaction with the executive board, attending trainings, attending meetings between staff and local agents, general financial reporting, blog writing, etc. There are many important tasks that LCHT will ask you to participate in and as long as you do so well and by deadlines they are flexible with your personal needs. LCHT is an excellent internship for those interested in human rights and nonprofit work.

Spring 2021

Position: Communications and Events Intern
Student: Psychology 

NAMI Central Texas is a non-profit organization that provides education through support and advocacy groups with the goal to change the way we address mental health. They have many programs available for those working towards recovery. I found this internship through the Handshake site. I then completed an external application where I had to submit my resume and a cover letter. My responsibilities at NAMI included social media, graphic design, and event promotion. Mind Matters, Stories & Strategies, and Mental Health Month have been some of the programs and events for which I have created and promoted content for. I have also been introduced to very basic html website editing skills to keep our website updated. My first individual project has been the creation and promotion of Mental Health Month this May. I have taken on the responsibility of creating the social media promotion plan and executing it. My favorite thing about my internship is that I am able to work with social media and content creation while being an advocate for mental health and using my work to create awareness for something I am passionate about.

Summer 2019

Position: Child and Youth Program Intern
Student: Sociology Senior

This summer 2019, I served as the Child and Youth Program Intern at NAMI Central Texas. NAMI Central Texas is the larger Austin area affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, whose mission is dedicated to improving the lives of all individuals affected by mental illness through education, support and advocacy programs. NAMI Central Texas envisions a community that addresses mental illness as a health issue and provides the systems, resources and education for all people to achieve recovery.

I interned at the NAMI office at Austin State Hospital Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in the afternoon, and occasionally from home and on weekends. A typical day in the office would consist of checking in with my supervisor about my tasks for the day. Once a week, we would have check-ins to discuss my progress on tasks and discuss upcoming tasks and events. Throughout this internship I’ve had a variety of assignments. On a typical Monday, I would usually organize and clean materials and supplies from NAMI Basics classes that happened over the weekend. NAMI Basics is a class for parents and caregivers of children experiencing signs of behavioral or mental health concerns. Other tasks included: listening to webinar presentations and taking notes for my supervisor, organizing volunteers’ scripts for NAMI presentations like Ending the Silence and In Our Own Voices, emailing volunteers regarding their status on online trainings and scripts, compiling and organizing materials for NAMI classes and volunteer trainings, sitting in on meetings with staff and stakeholders, and more.

Summer 2017

Position: Communications Intern
Student: Political Communication and Rhetoric & Writing Senior

I spent the Summer of 2017 as a communications intern with the National Immigration Forum. The Forum is a nonprofit in Washington, D.C. which advocates for the value of immigrants and immigration to the United States. The Forum prioritizes remaining nonpartisan, and focuses its advocacy efforts toward center-right audiences. I personally lean left politically, but found this mission very interesting because I had seldom approached issues as complex as immigration policy from perspectives different than my own.

As a communications intern, most of my work involves monitoring social media analytics, producing social media content, compiling daily news clips, assisting with logistics for press conferences, and writing blog content. While my day-to-day tasks vary greatly, I spend most of my work time developing social media content and working to assist the rest of the communications team as needed. The work environment is easily the most interesting and productive I have ever experienced as an intern. I am consistently given tasks that challenge me and allow me to explore my interests in homeland security and immigration policy. My coworkers make sure to foster my interests and always take time to discuss my future goals and how they can help make them a reality.

The greatest challenge that I have faced as a Forum intern has definitely been in coming to terms with its nonpartisan nature. Working to tailor content to a conservative audience is something that I had never done before, and I often find myself stumped regarding necessary steps. I would recommend this internship to anyone interested in communication, border control, and immigration issues.

Summer 2021

Position: Field Intern
Student: Urban Studies 

NLIHC is a non-profit organization which advocates for federal policies that create and sustain affordable housing, protect the rights and interests of low-income renters, and advance anti-poverty efforts. NLIHC also works directly with state-level housing advocates around the U.S. to coordinate and report on policy efforts. The organization publishes reports such as "The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes", "Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing", and "Tenant Talk" which are regularly cited by national publications including NPR and The Washington Post. They offer recurring internship positions for the fall, spring, and summer semesters which are listed in their "Employment Opportunities" page. My responsibilities primarily included writing, research, outreach, and policy tasks. I wrote articles for Memo to Members and Tenant Talk, drafted calls-to-action and membership requests, and was in charge of the outreach email inbox. I conducted research on state and city-level legislation related to right to counsel, eviction diversion programs, fiscal year budgets, and other housing issues. I created a database of all Public Housing Authorities in the U.S. and maintained a database on eviction diversion legislation. I would recommend this internship to any students interested in the intersections of urban studies, fair housing, anti-poverty work, and tenant rights. Everyone at NLIHC is very passionate about fair housing and extremely knowledgeable. I loved working on the field team because my coworkers offered insightful feedback on all my work and were always willing to talk through complex housing issues in a way that really expanded my understanding of the field.

Fall 2023

Position: Events and Fundraising Intern
Student: History Junior

The Texas Advocacy Project is a nonprofit organization that provides free legal and social services to victims of power-based abuse. I found my internship through my sorority, Alpha Chi Omega. I am tasked with assisting the Events and Fundraising staff with collecting donations, communicating with donors, and organizing events. My favorite thing about this internship is that I get to work for a great cause and see the fruits of my fundraising efforts, i.e. how people are actually helped by this organization due to the money I help raise.

Spring 2016 

Position: Player Development Coordinator
Student: History Senior

An internship with RBI Austin provides you the opportunity to grow in a field of your choice.  I choose to work with the players in the RBI High School division and help develop player curriculum.  Thus I was given the title of Player Development Coordinator.  The duties of this title included the following: working with players at the high school level on getting better at baseball, working with schools to help develop their baseball programs, and help set up the RBI High School summer league.  In addition to these responsibilities, I was also in charge of taking care of the high school field that RBI is in charge of and help facilitate interactions with local baseball coaches and academies.  One of the biggest tasks I had this semester was to start up an entire spring baseball league by working with two elementary schools.  

The tasks and responsibilities that I had were great and difficult but that wasn’t the best part about working with RBI Austin as an Intern.  The best part is the experiences that I picked up along the way.  Just from a financial standpoint, I learned how to navigate and use invoice systems when being involved with a nonprofit.  Specifically, I learned about how much detail and tax knowledge goes into these things. 

In addition to learning about the financial ins and out of the organization, the way they treated me is probably the highlight of the semester.  They treated me like I was going to be on staff for another 5 years, they trusted me and gave me some freedom to make decisions that were paramount to the success of the organization.  Finally, the best part about working for RBI Austin is the people you meet and have to work with.  I have driven to every part of Austin this semester and have meet people of different ethnicities and backgrounds.  I learned how to interact with everyone in a professional manner and learned how to work within the community.  If you are looking for an internship that is very people based, look no further than RBI Austin, you’ll meet the mayor and work with the inner-city families in the same day.

Fall 2017

Position: Cancer Intern
Student: Psychology Senior

Regarding: Cancer’s office is located in a building on the East side of Austin near the interstate highway. This is where meetings are usually held, and this is where interns will go if they need to have direct contact or discuss something urgent with Regarding: Cancer leadership. However, most of the work done for Regarding: Cancer is done remotely. The benefit of this internship is that since most of the work is done remotely, timing is usually pretty flexible and works well with your school schedule. There are occasional meetings in which you must go directly to the office, but for the most part it’s a great internship for students. Assignments and workloads are varied depending on the tasks you are given. For example, towards the beginning of the semester I was working on a volunteer manual and flyers, while towards the end of the semester I was working mainly on cancer inventories. My days looked quite different for both of those tasks. For the volunteer manual, I would carve out a piece of my day where I could just use the template and type for quite a while. For the cancer inventories, I would spend time researching the cancer for a while, understanding its causes and its treatments, how it was staged and why, and the various regions in which it could occur. The research often took much longer than the inventory itself. Once, all the information was in one place, it was relatively easy to put together the inventory. It was also important to check the inventory to make sure it was broad enough to cover all aspects of the cancer, but also specific enough to prevent it from providing helpful information. Thus, inventories took much longer, but the workload and the type of work does change from task to task. It also made the work more interesting and prevented it from becoming too repetitive.

Spring 2016 

Position: Development Intern
Student: Psychology Senior

Special Olympics is an internationally recognized non-profit organization that serves the community of people with special needs and their families through offering learning, growth, and fun experiences through sports to their athletes. The statewide headquarters for Special Olympics Texas is located in Austin, TX and serves over 52,000 athletes and 30,000 volunteers, making it the second biggest division of Special Olympics behind China. The headquarters consists of several departments: finance, marketing, programs, and development. The development department of SOTX is in charge of merchandise, fundraising, and event planning.

Interning for the development department consisted in a variety of day-to-day tasks, but the overarching project of this internship was planning and executing their December gala auction event. This event started my first semester as an intern and after our success it is anticipated to continue being a major fundraising event for the organization for years to come! Planning this event really centered around donation acquisition: emailing or calling countless companies about the event and the potential to donate to the live/silent auction, collecting donations, organizing them into packages, sending receipts and thank you cards, and running the online auction system. All of these components were aspects of the day-to-day along with occasional work in the merchandise, organizing new items, going to events and helping with sales, or running inventory.

Spring 2017  

Position: Legislative Aide
Student: Economics Junior

This semester I had the opportunity to work for Texans fro Education Opportunity, a non-profit organization that is fight to pass House Bill 1335 and Senate Bill 3. Over the course of my semester I have had the opportunity to work within the Capitol and meet people from several different organizations. I have looked into the life of politicians. I have seen the beauty and history of The Austin Club and the Texas Public Policy Foundation building. I have been lucky enough to be a part of the behind the scene efforts of getting a bill passed.

The organization very understanding that I am a college student with many responsibilities. I was able to set my own schedule and when weeks were very homework and test heavy I could request to work in my projects from home. There are days that run a bit long but those days happen to be the most interesting. I have no set weekly schedule because my supervisor lets me work whenever is best for me.

My favorite days have included hearing the bills we are working to get passed on the senate floor. Today, for example, House Bill 1335 is supposed to be heard on the House Floor. Many people have come from all over the state to testify on the bill. There is a lot of politics that are involved and there is a chance that I can be here until 3 am. The typical day is not very crazy, some of my responsibilities have included calling the offices of all of the house members and getting the contact information of the staff of the House members, delivering letters written by Ted Cruz. I have also worked to help with marketing and campaigning.

Spring 2017  

Position: Outreach and Legislative Engagement Intern 
Student: International Relations and Global Studies Senior 

Texans for Education Opportunity is a non-profit that aims in assisting in school choice legislation. We are champions of education savings accounts for the economically disadvantaged, special needs children, and parents who want more of a say in where their children want to go to school. As an intern for Texans for Education Opportunity, you will assist in multiple projects ranging from editing Opinion Editorials, to meeting with legislatures in the Texas Capitol. Education reform is a bipartisan issue so there is no need for a specific party affiliation. As part of your role as an intern you will be expected to review all relevant bill overviews and be able to discuss discrepancies about the bills with lobbyists, legislatures, and other coalition members. You will also be expected to also draft Opinion Editorials that will be examined multiple times. You will also be expected to make deliveries to key members of the Senate and House and provide a summary of the key issues within the packets. You will also monitor social media outlets and emails for Texasn for Education Opportunity. Social media assignments include Twitter, Facebook, and email updates for press conferences, marches, and grassroots events. Your day to day varies as the legislative session proceeds. But generally the assignments progress from office work for planning events to legislative meetings and coalition organization. You are expected to attend Monday and Friday meetings with the coalition and lobby groups in order to understand the week’s assignments. You are also expected to keep up with hourly emails and agenda to inform the rest of the organization and coalition partners of the schedule. In order to be successful and productive an expansive knowledge on the legislative process of a bill is recommended but not required. You will meet various groups across party lines in person and virtually, so written and verbal communication skills are highly recommended. The ability to adapt to the legislative session and networking skills are the two main components of being a successful TEO intern.

Fall 2017

Position: Intern
Student: Government Sophomore

A typical day at the Texas After Violence Project can vary, it all depends on the current project that is being worked on. I usually began my day around 10am, I would run next door and grab coffee, the office is in a convenient location on South Congress right by downtown and a 24/7 coffee shop. It would usually be our Director and Project Coordinator and one other intern sharing the office space. Upon arriving, we would have a casual meeting to discuss what projects we were starting or working on, interns would share their progress on our projects, and the Director and Project Coordinator might use this time to ask for our input on aspects of their projects. We spend the rest of the day working and occasionally gathering again for input or updates.

A typical project could be transcribing an oral history interview. This involves, the actual transcription itself which can take a few days depending on the length of the interview, then we have to edit and format the transcription. Then we create a cover page, consisting of a summary, or an abstract. We also research the subject of the interview and write up a biopic of the interviewee for the cover page. Afterwards we scan the content for any content warnings that we need to label the transcript with and notes those on the front summary. This process can take varying amounts of time to finish, but it’s vital for the upkeep of the digital archive of interviews that the Texas After Violence Project keeps.

Some days are interview days, this means you will travel with either the Director or the Project Coordinator off-site to assist with the interview process. This was one of my favorite parts of the internship because you never know what your day will end up like. Interviews usually take place in the Austin area but sometimes they occur in Houston or Dallas. The intern will assist in pre-interview research, set up the videography equipment, set up the microphone and sound equipment, record the interview itself and have a chance to ask questions. Afterwards the transcription and video editing portion of the project occurs. 

Spring 2017  

Position: Intern
Student: Government Junior 

Working at the Texas Association of Consumer Lawyers (TACL) is a truly immersive experience.  At this special-interest group, there is a singular mission: influencing legislation.  Because, compared to other groups operating in Austin, TACL is relatively small and underfunded, everyone working here at the office is essential in the day-to-day operations of the organization.  This definitely includes the interns.  There are only two interns here at TACL, and we are both expected to commit ourselves as fully as possible to the job.  With that being said, TACL is very accommodating to your school schedule and going to class is (obviously) not a problem, however whenever you are not in class, between the hours of 8:30 and 5:30, you are expected to be in the office and contributing to the organization.  One of the special things about working at TACL is that each day is different.  An intern’s daily tasks could range from delivering documents to legislators to reading legislation to going to committee hearings to accompanying lobbyists to meetings.  To be successful at this job there are a few things you need to embrace.  You need to welcome new and sometimes uncomfortable experiences.  Because of the varying nature of your daily tasks, you will occasionally be asked to do things that you have never done before and that might not necessarily be in your comfort zone.  The people who work here are knowledgeable, helpful, and more than willing to lend a hand.  One thing that makes this internship different from others is that the job will occasionally take over your life.  There will be days when you are at work until 10 or 11 at night, and some mornings when you need to show up to the office at 6 or 7 am.  While this may seem excessive when compared to other internships, it is this total immersion that makes the interns truly become a part of the TACL team.

Spring 2016 

Position: Development Intern
Student: Psychology Senior

Special Olympics is an internationally recognized non-profit organization that serves the community of people with special needs and their families through offering learning, growth, and fun experiences through sports to their athletes. The statewide headquarters for Special Olympics Texas is located in Austin, TX and serves over 52,000 athletes and 30,000 volunteers, making it the second biggest division of Special Olympics behind China. The headquarters consists of several departments: finance, marketing, programs, and development. The development department of SOTX is in charge of merchandise, fundraising, and event planning.

Interning for the development department consisted in a variety of day-to-day tasks, but the overarching project of this internship was planning and executing their December gala auction event. This event started my first semester as an intern and after our success it is anticipated to continue being a major fundraising event for the organization for years to come! Planning this event really centered around donation acquisition: emailing or calling countless companies about the event and the potential to donate to the live/silent auction, collecting donations, organizing them into packages, sending receipts and thank you cards, and running the online auction system. All of these components were aspects of the day-to-day along with occasional work in the merchandise, organizing new items, going to events and helping with sales, or running inventory.

Fall 2017

Position: Intern
Student: Government Sophomore

A typical day at the Texas After Violence Project can vary, it all depends on the current project that is being worked on. I usually began my day around 10am, I would run next door and grab coffee, the office is in a convenient location on South Congress right by downtown and a 24/7 coffee shop. It would usually be our Director and Project Coordinator and one other intern sharing the office space. Upon arriving, we would have a casual meeting to discuss what projects we were starting or working on, interns would share their progress on our projects, and the Director and Project Coordinator might use this time to ask for our input on aspects of their projects. We spend the rest of the day working and occasionally gathering again for input or updates.

A typical project could be transcribing an oral history interview. This involves, the actual transcription itself which can take a few days depending on the length of the interview, then we have to edit and format the transcription. Then we create a cover page, consisting of a summary, or an abstract. We also research the subject of the interview and write up a biopic of the interviewee for the cover page. Afterwards we scan the content for any content warnings that we need to label the transcript with and notes those on the front summary. This process can take varying amounts of time to finish, but it’s vital for the upkeep of the digital archive of interviews that the Texas After Violence Project keeps.

Some days are interview days, this means you will travel with either the Director or the Project Coordinator off-site to assist with the interview process. This was one of my favorite parts of the internship because you never know what your day will end up like. Interviews usually take place in the Austin area but sometimes they occur in Houston or Dallas. The intern will assist in pre-interview research, set up the videography equipment, set up the microphone and sound equipment, record the interview itself and have a chance to ask questions. Afterwards the transcription and video editing portion of the project occurs. 

Spring 2017  

Position: Legislative Aide
Student: Economics Junior

This semester I had the opportunity to work for Texans fro Education Opportunity, a non-profit organization that is fight to pass House Bill 1335 and Senate Bill 3. Over the course of my semester I have had the opportunity to work within the Capitol and meet people from several different organizations. I have looked into the life of politicians. I have seen the beauty and history of The Austin Club and the Texas Public Policy Foundation building. I have been lucky enough to be a part of the behind the scene efforts of getting a bill passed.

The organization very understanding that I am a college student with many responsibilities. I was able to set my own schedule and when weeks were very homework and test heavy I could request to work in my projects from home. There are days that run a bit long but those days happen to be the most interesting. I have no set weekly schedule because my supervisor lets me work whenever is best for me.

My favorite days have included hearing the bills we are working to get passed on the senate floor. Today, for example, House Bill 1335 is supposed to be heard on the House Floor. Many people have come from all over the state to testify on the bill. There is a lot of politics that are involved and there is a chance that I can be here until 3 am. The typical day is not very crazy, some of my responsibilities have included calling the offices of all of the house members and getting the contact information of the staff of the House members, delivering letters written by Ted Cruz. I have also worked to help with marketing and campaigning.

Spring 2017  

Position: Outreach and Legislative Engagement Intern 
Student: International Relations and Global Studies Senior 

Texans for Education Opportunity is a non-profit that aims in assisting in school choice legislation. We are champions of education savings accounts for the economically disadvantaged, special needs children, and parents who want more of a say in where their children want to go to school. As an intern for Texans for Education Opportunity, you will assist in multiple projects ranging from editing Opinion Editorials, to meeting with legislatures in the Texas Capitol. Education reform is a bipartisan issue so there is no need for a specific party affiliation. As part of your role as an intern you will be expected to review all relevant bill overviews and be able to discuss discrepancies about the bills with lobbyists, legislatures, and other coalition members. You will also be expected to also draft Opinion Editorials that will be examined multiple times. You will also be expected to make deliveries to key members of the Senate and House and provide a summary of the key issues within the packets. You will also monitor social media outlets and emails for Texasn for Education Opportunity. Social media assignments include Twitter, Facebook, and email updates for press conferences, marches, and grassroots events. Your day to day varies as the legislative session proceeds. But generally the assignments progress from office work for planning events to legislative meetings and coalition organization. You are expected to attend Monday and Friday meetings with the coalition and lobby groups in order to understand the week’s assignments. You are also expected to keep up with hourly emails and agenda to inform the rest of the organization and coalition partners of the schedule. In order to be successful and productive an expansive knowledge on the legislative process of a bill is recommended but not required. You will meet various groups across party lines in person and virtually, so written and verbal communication skills are highly recommended. The ability to adapt to the legislative session and networking skills are the two main components of being a successful TEO intern.

Spring 2017  

Position: Intern
Student: Government Junior 

Working at the Texas Association of Consumer Lawyers (TACL) is a truly immersive experience.  At this special-interest group, there is a singular mission: influencing legislation.  Because, compared to other groups operating in Austin, TACL is relatively small and underfunded, everyone working here at the office is essential in the day-to-day operations of the organization.  This definitely includes the interns.  There are only two interns here at TACL, and we are both expected to commit ourselves as fully as possible to the job.  With that being said, TACL is very accommodating to your school schedule and going to class is (obviously) not a problem, however whenever you are not in class, between the hours of 8:30 and 5:30, you are expected to be in the office and contributing to the organization.  One of the special things about working at TACL is that each day is different.  An intern’s daily tasks could range from delivering documents to legislators to reading legislation to going to committee hearings to accompanying lobbyists to meetings. 

To be successful at this job there are a few things you need to embrace.  You need to welcome new and sometimes uncomfortable experiences.  Because of the varying nature of your daily tasks, you will occasionally be asked to do things that you have never done before and that might not necessarily be in your comfort zone.  The people who work here are knowledgeable, helpful, and more than willing to lend a hand. 

One thing that makes this internship different from others is that the job will occasionally take over your life.  There will be days when you are at work until 10 or 11 at night, and some mornings when you need to show up to the office at 6 or 7 am.  While this may seem excessive when compared to other internships, it is this total immersion that makes the interns truly become a part of the TACL team.

Spring 2017  

Position: Service Learning
Student: Government Sophomore

As with many jobs in the non-profit industry, a “typical day” that consists of regular tasks and duties on a day to day basis does not exist. Because the nonprofit sector depends on external events to shape its internal structure, it is imperative that individuals have the ability to adapt to changing conditions and remain flexible. Regardless of this fact, as an intern at the Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP), there were still some consistencies in the tasks I performed on a daily basis. From data-entry to attending hearings of legislation on the death penalty at the Texas Capitol, each day brought its own unique adventure. 

My supervisor was extremely flexible and allowed me to create a schedule that was conducive for me. I was required to work a minimum of ten hours a week so I chose to divide my hours between Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Everyday when I came into her office, she would provide me with a set of tasks she wanted me to complete for the day. These tasks varied in nature and in the amount of time needed to complete them. Some examples of assignments include conducting research for writing assignments related to TCADPs blog and monthly newsletter, data entry, assisting with the 85th Texas Legislature by monitoring bills, supporting TCADPs Lobby Corps members, and providing logistical support for the state conference and Advocacy Day at the State Capitol. 

The work atmosphere at my internship site was quite peaceful and easygoing. My supervisor and co-workers created an environment that was extremely welcoming and free of the typical workplace stress. In order to perform well as an intern at TCADP, I found certain skills very useful and necessary. Above all of them, organization seemed most important to me because the success of an organization is ultimately dependent upon the strength of its organizational structure. Overall, my internship experience at TCADP was highly transformative and educative. 

Summer 2017

Position: Development Intern
Student: Anthropology Senior

I walk into the small Texas Folklife office, located in a cozy, brightly painted bungalow house in the North Loop area. The first person I see is the Operations Manager Eugenio, and I greet him and get myself situated at my desk. The first thing I do is turn my computer on, check my emails, and make a to-do list (often with unfinished tasks from the day before or with updated assignments that have come into my inbox). I work three, five-hour days a week between the business hours of 10-6. The office is very flexible and allows me to make my own hours, which I add to the work calendar. Sometimes, if the Executive Director is in, I will have a quick check-in with him to see if there has been any new tasks assigned.

The summer is the busiest grant season, so every day there are multiple tasks, and multiple grants that are in different stages. We have a staff calendar with deadlines and I maintain a spreadsheet with additional, grant-specific deadlines and a list of contacts who may need to be followed up with. After I make my to-do list, I prioritize tasks based on the nearest deadlines.

A typical day will involve me following up with people to get letters of support for our organization for a grant, researching prospective grant, perhaps sending an email to reach out, looking over the website guidelines, or taking part in a webinar, writing a narrative draft (this will include information such as the organization’s mission statement, detailed information about the programs’ values, activities, and intended audience, as well as impact on the community, and is a big part of every grant application), and pulling images, videos, and other promotional material from various places to update a grant application with attachments.

I may need to do several edits of the narrative before uploading into the particular grant system. This can take some tweaking, especially as the word counts are often strict, which may require me to trim more and edit again. I work with the specific program directors to get the most current information and statistics (audience numbers, participants, etc). I sometimes get together with Eugenio for budget information, especially if I am working on a final report of a grant (which mostly involves stating how you used the awarded money in the way your grant application said you would). Before a final submission of a major grant, I have the Executive Director review all materials and attachments. If he gives the clear, I submit and celebrate!

Summer 2016 

Position: Intern
Student: Economics Sophomore

I was an intern for the Texas Natural Gas Foundation in the summer of 2016. The Texas Natural Gas Foundation is a non-profit educational and research organization established to increase public awareness, support, and knowledge of the benefits of natural gas use in Texas. As an intern, I helped out with research that was done on natural gas use in Texas and distributed in a number of press releases by the organization. Over the course of the internship we accumulated data and drew conclusions on several economic topics concerning natural gas, including to what degree public government grants leverage private natural gas investment, how prolific natural gas use is by region in Texas, and how much taxes on natural gas fund state public education.
I worked at the internship site from 1:30 to 4:30, Monday through Thursday, for 9 weeks.  Some days, depending on what we were working on at the time, I was able to work from home. My supervisor was very accommodating for factors such as class. For the first part of the internship my responsibilities focused on data collection. We conducted a survey of all ~300 known organizations in Texas who have invested in natural gas infrastructure or vehicles. We did this by emailing and phoning contacts the organization has at each company/organization. The next step focused on reading previous studies of natural gas stations/vehicles to determine the functional dollar values of investment we would use for different types of stations and vehicles. We were then able to draw economic conclusions from our data on natural gas investment dollar value by region, and comparison with total government grant input. Most of my time at the internship site was spent contacting companies for information, reading papers on natural gas, and data cleaning/manipulation in Google Sheets/Excel. I found that the internship was a great opportunity to learn and practice Excel skills. I also thought that it was a good experience for anyone who is interested in research as a career.

Spring 2016 

Position: Intern
Student: Economics Senior

My internship with the Texas Natural Gas Foundation offered me many opportunities to gain valuable experience in a couple different facets. I was able to apply some of my economic skills, analyzing how the market for natural gas is changing and researching data in order to put together press releases and newsletters for subscribers. Not only did I get to research a lot of material pertaining to natural gas, I also was part of writing some of the pieces in the newsletters, mostly in the second semester of this internship (Spring 2016).

Writing has never been my forte, but this experience that this internship awarded me is helpful in any career I may choose. Mostly, in the first semester (Fall 2015) of this internship, since the Foundation was very new, I did a lot of cold calling for information and inviting to workshops we were putting on. I wont lie, this was not fun, however, I do feel a lot more comfortable cold calling now than I did before. After I cold called a couple people, I became more comfortable with having the sometimes awkward conversations and learned how to direct them to the response I needed or wanted, which either ended with them providing the information I needed or them promising to attend the event. Whether I enjoyed this or not, there is no doubt that it was great experience for any job I may have in the future.

In addition to recruiting these attendees for our workshops, I also was able to help plan the workshops. This gave me some insight in what goes into planning an event like this. This internship with the Texas Natural Gas Foundation has also allowed me to work with and for a state representative. Jason Isaac is extremely helpful and was always willing to answer any questions I had about government or the oil and gas industry. Being a state representative, he was able to introduce me to many people within the industry, giving me great contacts and networking opportunities. He is also very friendly and has given me a lot of advice regarding places to seek employment after this internship is over. A lot of the work I did, was done in the home office of my supervisor, however I did occasionally get to work inside the Texas Capitol, which is amazingly beautiful on the inside and a great place to get to call your place of employment.

Summer 2017

Position: Success by 6 Intern
Student: Psychology Junior

My internship took place at United Way for Greater Austin, and my internship position was titled “Success by 6 intern”. United Way in a non-profit organization that aims to fight poverty in Austin. In the Success by 6 initiative, United Way aims to make sure that all children enter kindergarten being happy, healthy, and ready to succeed, which is also known as “school readiness”. This means that Success by 6 works with stakeholders, schools, the city, parents, other nonprofits, and directly with children to ensure that low-income children ages 0-5 receive high-quality education and opportunities to start off on a more even playing field.

My role as a Success by 6 intern included learning about the issue of poverty in Austin, and how the cycle of poverty starts so young. I work 15-hour weeks, 3 times a week working on many different tasks. Part of working at a non-profit is that it is all hands-on deck, so many kinds of tasks are needed by a single person. I would say typically I would come into work at 10 am, get a small 1 on 1 with my boss if it is the beginning of the week about my progress and a few tasks that need to be completed. After that, I get to work. This could be about entering data about the center project, putting iPad cases on iPads for the Play to Learn program, sitting in a staff meeting, creating lesson plans for a new parenting initiative called Vroom, creating social media content, volunteering at a “Splash Day” for the GAVA program that supports keeping children healthy and active, or many other possibilities. Every day is a new experience.

Summer 2021

Position: Field Intern
Student: Urban Studies

NLIHC is a non-profit organization which advocates for federal policies that create and sustain affordable housing, protect the rights and interests of low-income renters, and advance anti-poverty efforts. NLIHC also works directly with state-level housing advocates around the U.S. to coordinate and report on policy efforts. The organization publishes reports such as "The Gap: A Shortage of Affordable Homes", "Out of Reach: The High Cost of Housing", and "Tenant Talk" which are regularly cited by national publications including NPR and The Washington Post. They offer recurring internship positions for the fall, spring, and summer semesters which are listed in their "Employment Opportunities" page. My responsibilities primarily included writing, research, outreach, and policy tasks. I wrote articles for Memo to Members and Tenant Talk, drafted calls-to-action and membership requests, and was in charge of the outreach email inbox. I conducted research on state and city-level legislation related to right to counsel, eviction diversion programs, fiscal year budgets, and other housing issues. I created a database of all Public Housing Authorities in the U.S. and maintained a database on eviction diversion legislation. I would recommend this internship to any students interested in the intersections of urban studies, fair housing, anti-poverty work, and tenant rights. Everyone at NLIHC is very passionate about fair housing and extremely knowledgeable. I loved working on the field team because my coworkers offered insightful feedback on all my work and were always willing to talk through complex housing issues in a way that really expanded my understanding of the field.

Summer 2017

Position: Development Intern
Student: Anthropology Senior

I walk into the small Texas Folklife office, located in a cozy, brightly painted bungalow house in the North Loop area. The first person I see is the Operations Manager Eugenio, and I greet him and get myself situated at my desk. The first thing I do is turn my computer on, check my emails, and make a to-do list (often with unfinished tasks from the day before or with updated assignments that have come into my inbox). I work three, five-hour days a week between the business hours of 10-6. The office is very flexible and allows me to make my own hours, which I add to the work calendar. Sometimes, if the Executive Director is in, I will have a quick check-in with him to see if there has been any new tasks assigned.

The summer is the busiest grant season, so every day there are multiple tasks, and multiple grants that are in different stages. We have a staff calendar with deadlines and I maintain a spreadsheet with additional, grant-specific deadlines and a list of contacts who may need to be followed up with. After I make my to-do list, I prioritize tasks based on the nearest deadlines.

A typical day will involve me following up with people to get letters of support for our organization for a grant, researching prospective grant, perhaps sending an email to reach out, looking over the website guidelines, or taking part in a webinar, writing a narrative draft (this will include information such as the organization’s mission statement, detailed information about the programs’ values, activities, and intended audience, as well as impact on the community, and is a big part of every grant application), and pulling images, videos, and other promotional material from various places to update a grant application with attachments.

I may need to do several edits of the narrative before uploading into the particular grant system. This can take some tweaking, especially as the word counts are often strict, which may require me to trim more and edit again. I work with the specific program directors to get the most current information and statistics (audience numbers, participants, etc). I sometimes get together with Eugenio for budget information, especially if I am working on a final report of a grant (which mostly involves stating how you used the awarded money in the way your grant application said you would). Before a final submission of a major grant, I have the Executive Director review all materials and attachments. If he gives the clear, I submit and celebrate!

Summer 2016 

Position: Intern
Student: Economics Sophomore

I was an intern for the Texas Natural Gas Foundation in the summer of 2016. The Texas Natural Gas Foundation is a non-profit educational and research organization established to increase public awareness, support, and knowledge of the benefits of natural gas use in Texas. As an intern, I helped out with research that was done on natural gas use in Texas and distributed in a number of press releases by the organization. Over the course of the internship we accumulated data and drew conclusions on several economic topics concerning natural gas, including to what degree public government grants leverage private natural gas investment, how prolific natural gas use is by region in Texas, and how much taxes on natural gas fund state public education.
I worked at the internship site from 1:30 to 4:30, Monday through Thursday, for 9 weeks.  Some days, depending on what we were working on at the time, I was able to work from home. My supervisor was very accommodating for factors such as class. For the first part of the internship my responsibilities focused on data collection. We conducted a survey of all ~300 known organizations in Texas who have invested in natural gas infrastructure or vehicles. We did this by emailing and phoning contacts the organization has at each company/organization. The next step focused on reading previous studies of natural gas stations/vehicles to determine the functional dollar values of investment we would use for different types of stations and vehicles. We were then able to draw economic conclusions from our data on natural gas investment dollar value by region, and comparison with total government grant input. Most of my time at the internship site was spent contacting companies for information, reading papers on natural gas, and data cleaning/manipulation in Google Sheets/Excel. I found that the internship was a great opportunity to learn and practice Excel skills. I also thought that it was a good experience for anyone who is interested in research as a career.

Spring 2016 

Position: Intern
Student: Economics Senior

My internship with the Texas Natural Gas Foundation offered me many opportunities to gain valuable experience in a couple different facets. I was able to apply some of my economic skills, analyzing how the market for natural gas is changing and researching data in order to put together press releases and newsletters for subscribers. Not only did I get to research a lot of material pertaining to natural gas, I also was part of writing some of the pieces in the newsletters, mostly in the second semester of this internship (Spring 2016).

Writing has never been my forte, but this experience that this internship awarded me is helpful in any career I may choose. Mostly, in the first semester (Fall 2015) of this internship, since the Foundation was very new, I did a lot of cold calling for information and inviting to workshops we were putting on. I wont lie, this was not fun, however, I do feel a lot more comfortable cold calling now than I did before. After I cold called a couple people, I became more comfortable with having the sometimes awkward conversations and learned how to direct them to the response I needed or wanted, which either ended with them providing the information I needed or them promising to attend the event. Whether I enjoyed this or not, there is no doubt that it was great experience for any job I may have in the future.

In addition to recruiting these attendees for our workshops, I also was able to help plan the workshops. This gave me some insight in what goes into planning an event like this. This internship with the Texas Natural Gas Foundation has also allowed me to work with and for a state representative. Jason Isaac is extremely helpful and was always willing to answer any questions I had about government or the oil and gas industry. Being a state representative, he was able to introduce me to many people within the industry, giving me great contacts and networking opportunities. He is also very friendly and has given me a lot of advice regarding places to seek employment after this internship is over. A lot of the work I did, was done in the home office of my supervisor, however I did occasionally get to work inside the Texas Capitol, which is amazingly beautiful on the inside and a great place to get to call your place of employment.

Summer 2017

Position: Success by 6 Intern
Student: Psychology Junior

My internship took place at United Way for Greater Austin,  a non-profit organization that aims to fight poverty in Austin. In the Success by 6 initiative, United Way aims to make sure that all children enter kindergarten being happy, healthy, and ready to succeed, which is also known as “school readiness”. This means that Success by 6 works with stakeholders, schools, the city, parents, other nonprofits, and directly with children to ensure that low-income children ages 0-5 receive high-quality education and opportunities to start off on a more even playing field.

My role as a Success by 6 intern included learning about the issue of poverty in Austin, and how the cycle of poverty starts so young. I work 15-hour weeks, 3 times a week working on many different tasks. Part of working at a non-profit is that it is all hands-on deck, so many kinds of tasks are needed by a single person. I would say typically I would come into work at 10 am, get a small 1 on 1 with my boss if it is the beginning of the week about my progress and a few tasks that need to be completed. After that, I get to work. This could be about entering data about the center project, putting iPad cases on iPads for the Play to Learn program, sitting in a staff meeting, creating lesson plans for a new parenting initiative called Vroom, creating social media content, volunteering at a “Splash Day” for the GAVA program that supports keeping children healthy and active, or many other possibilities. Every day is a new experience.