One of our assignments during our two-week internship immersion was to photograph around our internship site and create a photo essay. The purpose of the photo essay was to convey a story or theme related to our internship experience.
The California Center for Sustainable Energy, or CCSE, is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a sustainable future for the world we live in. They aim to advance public policies and provide programs, services, information and forums that make clean, reliable, renewable, and a sustainable environment a feasible mission. When I first started as an intern, I thought I knew about clean and efficient energy. I was under the impression that I knew all there was to know and that I was as “Green” as I could be because I felt I knew enough. However, after watching videos, researching and writing, spending time in the facility with “Average Joe” (pictured), looking at solar panels and light bulbs, being taught by others, and teaching my new knowledge to others, I learned so much more than I ever thought I could. I wrote papers about alternative energy, found the carbon footprints of packaged foods and water bottles, and used biodegradable spoons and forks for the first time. Looking back on it now, I can see, almost in slow motion, the steps that I took and the constant progress and growth that I made in a few months’ time.
Some people wouldn’t enjoy it simply because it seems boring and tiresome, but volunteer coordinating was one of my favorite responsibilities as an intern. It amazed me as I read applications and saw how passionate people were about volunteering their time. Coordinating the meetings was new to me and I overcame my fear of making business phone calls. As I was jotting down notes at the first volunteer meeting, a woman asked me for my e-mail address so she could send her résumé. She wanted to “be sure that it got to me directly”. Such a small thing has never made me feel so important. I felt noticed and not overlooked as a high school student. After this, I saw that internship is a catalyst in the process of preparing for college. Small experiences like the volunteer meetings gave me a larger sense of maturity and made me feel much more self-reliant. But of course, a seventeen year old can’t always act like an adult.
For two weeks, I spent my time with Leo and Chandler working in the small “closet”, or Intern Workroom. At one point, the office got so crowded, messy, and packed with all of our stuff that we couldn’t even move. With stacks of boxes filled with our project supplies, three chairs, two bookcases, two desks and computers, all of our clothes, and an endless supply of food, the office started to look less like a workspace and more like our rooms at home. Employees would walk by and joke that they’ve never seen the room so messy. My mentor, Kimberly, walked and joked, “At least you have the excuse of being teenagers.” Though it was a funny, on-going joke, a day of epiphany finally came and we cleaned the room until it was habitable again.
On my very first day of internship, my mentor told me that I could always go into the Break Room and take whatever I wanted to eat. I didn’t go for the first couple of weeks; for some reason, I felt like I was stealing! It was awkward for me to walk in and talk to the employees. By the end of immersion, I was walking in there, eating the food, and I would almost always end up in a conversation with someone. Everyone always seemed to be so interested in what we had been working on and how we enjoyed internship. One afternoon in the Break Room, I was talking with Anna, the Marketing Assistant, “It sounds like you guys are doing an awesome job.” She said, “We’re all really proud of you guys. We’re so happy you’re here!” Small conversations like that help days go by smoothly and made me feel appreciated and like I had proven myself. Completing many HR projects and volunteering to help with the Climate Change Program shows me that I’m capable of anything and I’ve become more self-reliant.
Around 12 o’clock, every day during immersion, we would leave our cluttered desks and walk to get our lunch. In n’ Out, Taco Bell, and Quizno’s were our favorite places. Walking down Balboa Avenue turned into a joke when Leo and Chandler would try to cross the street when I wasn’t looking and leave me stranded on the corner (they succeeded most times, and I’d have to run to catch up). Everyone at the office joked because we would say we were going out to exercise, just to eat our fast food. Leo and Chandler tried every day to get me to run with them, but I turned them down constantly. They finally convinced me to run with them once and I was so proud that I kept up with them. But I should’ve known they would steal my glory and tell me that they were jogging as slow as they could to stay with me.
The High Tech Fair was completely about science and technology; the three of us interns represented CCSE at our booth. The fair was filled with different organizations and companies, with exhibitors ranging from experts on aerospace, agriculture, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, computers, electronics, environmental science, and green energy technology. I taught and high school students about carbon footprints, energy efficiency, and renewable resources. The lessons were interactive and interesting and run solely by the interns. The success of the fair and the feeling of accomplishment that followed made the perfect ending to immersion. It was the culmination of the efforts we put into learning and presenting the topics. I couldn’t have asked for it to have gone any better. We were even in the newspaper!
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