Hello, my name is Cecilia and I am a rising senior at Rider University. I have been an intern with Independent Colleges and Universities of New Jersey (ICUNJ) for the last six months working on advancing social media and defining messaging. As I complete my time with ICUNJ, I want to leave you with a student’s perspective on the value of an internship and to give other students some insights into what to expect from an internship.
I realize now that internships are one of the best things you can add to your college experience. My internship at ICUNJ taught me some valuable lessons about creating healthy working relationships, about the inner workings of my field through the nonprofit sector, and about how to conduct myself in a professional manner. One of the biggest reasons to participate in internships early and often while you are in college is that internships can teach you many of the skills and lessons needed to be effective in developing your career. It will complement coursework with skills best acquired on-the-job. These skills make navigating the world of work far easier and can be the difference between landing a job or missing the mark.
My internship also taught me a lot about myself. I was able to work through some critical concerns about getting work done outside of school. It identified for me what level of support I need from others to complete assignments and contribute to goals effectively and assisted me in defining the type of environment that will help me thrive. These are all lessons that will assist me both in my personal and professional lives – really whenever I need to get something done.
The time with ICUNJ exposed me to the possibility of working for a nonprofit. An opportunity which I had not given much consideration but now find holds significant interest for me. Through this internship, I have come to love working at a non-profit where passion for mission drives focus and activities. The experience has genuinely left me excited by the thought of working at a nonprofit again.
Overall, the experience of being an intern has taught me so much about myself, my field, and the professional world. I genuinely cannot recommend getting an internship enough and encourage you to start early allowing for more than one while in college. Each experience will offer you something different.
Check with you college about completing internships in your field, review the opportunities of different types of internships – general or project driven, and talk to people about adding experiential learning to your resume.
Go out and land that internship and get your career path started!
Cecilia Simon (she/her) ’25, Rider University
