Bridget Cahill

Responsibilities

I had a lot of different responsibilities in my internship, which is a good representation of the field I am in, where people wear a lot of different hats. I gained a lot of experience in communication, leading meetings, meeting a lot of new people, research, advocacy, learning new technologies, and applying them to the project I was working on. I had the responsibility of working on the i4a learning institute, which provided me with a valuable learning experience and significant growth in areas I am less familiar with.

Accomplishments

My greatest accomplishment during my internship was researching, meeting with many people, setting up meetings, leading meetings, and handling everything else involved in the implementation of the online learning management system. I led meetings with the HR staff, met with various sales vendors, and continued learning and researching to put together the research paper. My finished project was presented at the board meeting, followed by sharing my proposal paper.

Learning experience

I learned many valuable lessons during my internship, which have given me more experience and learning opportunities. One lesson I learned is how important communication is. During my internship, I have had to communicate, listen, and adapt in the field. Another important lesson is connections and how important they are. Connections are extremely important especially in the field I work in, so being able to gain many connections and meet new people was valuable.

What advice would you give?

My advice to future students in Human Development and Family Studies is to prioritize gaining experience across many different areas and fields, because you never know what you may end up loving to focus on. Another piece of advice is to build relationships with classmates, professors, others in your field, and professionals in the field. Connections and experience are important in any field, but they are especially important in the field I work in.