This summer has absolutely flown by! I’m going to do my very best to summarize everything I’ve been up to for the past two months, so here it goes!
I started my summer with ten days of backpacking with the First-Year Outdoor Program, leading a training trip for this spring’s class of trainees. I had gone on a training trip myself last year, but leading one this year turned out to be a completely different experience, and I loved it. As a leader, we were responsible for guiding the trainees through the trip and making sure they learned all of the social, technical, and medical skills they need for the orientation trips this fall. The weather was also awful on the trip – probably upwards of four feet of snow at the top of some of the mountains!
Our training trip at the Zealand Falls Hut in NH!
After I got back from my backpacking trip, I started an internship working in the Superintendent’s Office at Boston Public Schools downtown. I got the placement through Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government – the Institute of Politics is an undergraduate organization focused on politics, and they run the “Director’s Internship” program for undergrads over the summer. I applied to the program back in February, when the IOP was accepting applications for its 60 placements all over the country. I have friends who got placed at organizations such as CNN, the MacArthur Foundation, Google, and the Department of Education in DC. It’s a really amazing program!
My internship’s turned out to be super interesting, and I’ve been really impressed with all of the people I’ve gotten to know in my office. I’m in a really lucky position, because despite being the only undergrad in the building, I get to sit in on meetings with executives from the district’s Central Office and research new initiatives for the Superintendent. I don’t really have a set schedule or assignment, and mostly work on whatever comes across my desk and sit in on meetings as they happen, but the spontaneity makes the work exciting.
As far as the rest of my summer goes, I’ve spent most of my weekends taking day trips and spending time with my family. I’m living in a big house at Tufts with some of my friends from high school, which has been a ton of fun. Harvard spoils us with the guaranteed on-campus housing, though – the house I’m staying in this summer is off-campus, so the girls we’re subletting from all have to deal with rent, utilities, and grocery shopping during the school year. Glad I don’t have to think about that while I’m studying or writing a paper!
Celebrating a birthday with friends at Tufts
I’m sort of shocked that the summer has flown by so quickly – I’ll be done with my internship next week! Once I’m done at Boston Public Schools, I’m moving right back to Harvard to start planning for the FOP trips that will be leaving at the end of August. I’m also looking forward to getting an email from the Advising Programs Office in the next few days, because I get to find out about my freshman advisees soon! Can’t believe school is only a month away!
From one of my weekend trips: dancing at my cousin's wedding!
Tags: Institute of Politics, internship