personal statement
“It’s really hard to actually find one that you like, and once you’re there, the only work they give you is all be busy work”- These are words from one of the seniors about what their internship experience was like. Hearing this made me a bit nervous, to say the least, about what my own internship experience would be like, and it was comments like those that made me doubt myself. I felt like I would not have sufficient experience to handle working at an actual job site or even that the stereotype of teenagers being incapable of being professionals would hinder my success, especially at the place I would be interning. Schwartz Semerdjian Ballard & Caulley is an AV rated law firm, meaning it has received the highest possible rating in regards to career accomplishments. The fact that I was going to be interning with them and representing their company meant that there was precisely no room for error.
In the weeks prior to my internship, I took some time to reflect on my current skill set and take note of everything I needed to work on. Gratitude, optimism, and social-intelligence were the three things that I found myself struggling with the most out of the seven character strengths that successful people must have, according to Susan B. Noyes. I knew it would be hard to get into the habit of practicing some of these character strengths, but I also knew that if I did in fact want to be successful, I would have to find some way to practice these regularly. Now knowing exactly what it was that I had to work on, I dove head first into my internship.
The first day of my internship, all those initial thoughts of not being good enough came rushing into my head as I walked inside the building. I quickly tried to suppress all negative thoughts and think optimistically. “Everything is going to be alright,” I would tell myself. “I can do this” I reminded myself, trying to give myself reassurance that I was still uncertain about. I was twenty minutes early, so I took the time to go to the restroom to calm myself down before I went into the office. I repeated those same phrases in my head about thirty times as I stared at myself in the mirror. I finally got up the courage to go meet my mentor. Angela Landeros is the Administrator or the office, and after she gave me a tour and introduced me to all of the employees, she put me right to work on indexing some files.
It did not take me long to get into the swing of things around the office. Soon enough, the attorneys were taking me to meetings, deposition, and court hearings, which really made me feel like all of my hard work was paying off. For that whole month, I tried so hard to complete every task I was assigned with as much accuracy as possible and always have a smile on my face. I also said thank you about thirty times a day. And it turned out to be much easier that I and thought, mostly because I actually meant it. I liked going to work and going all of that filing, so I naturally had a smile on my face. And I truly was thankful for having been given such a great opportunity.
Looking back at how I felt on the first day of my internship, uncertain about whether I would be successful or not, I can see that it was a completely natural reaction. Now, however, I know that I had nothing to worry about. I can see how I should have trusted that my work ethic would get me through my internship with flying colors. I think that this experience has really helped me grow to become a more confident professional when it comes to having confidence in my newly acquired skills and experience. I am so thankful to have been given the chance to take part in such an amazing opportunity.
In the weeks prior to my internship, I took some time to reflect on my current skill set and take note of everything I needed to work on. Gratitude, optimism, and social-intelligence were the three things that I found myself struggling with the most out of the seven character strengths that successful people must have, according to Susan B. Noyes. I knew it would be hard to get into the habit of practicing some of these character strengths, but I also knew that if I did in fact want to be successful, I would have to find some way to practice these regularly. Now knowing exactly what it was that I had to work on, I dove head first into my internship.
The first day of my internship, all those initial thoughts of not being good enough came rushing into my head as I walked inside the building. I quickly tried to suppress all negative thoughts and think optimistically. “Everything is going to be alright,” I would tell myself. “I can do this” I reminded myself, trying to give myself reassurance that I was still uncertain about. I was twenty minutes early, so I took the time to go to the restroom to calm myself down before I went into the office. I repeated those same phrases in my head about thirty times as I stared at myself in the mirror. I finally got up the courage to go meet my mentor. Angela Landeros is the Administrator or the office, and after she gave me a tour and introduced me to all of the employees, she put me right to work on indexing some files.
It did not take me long to get into the swing of things around the office. Soon enough, the attorneys were taking me to meetings, deposition, and court hearings, which really made me feel like all of my hard work was paying off. For that whole month, I tried so hard to complete every task I was assigned with as much accuracy as possible and always have a smile on my face. I also said thank you about thirty times a day. And it turned out to be much easier that I and thought, mostly because I actually meant it. I liked going to work and going all of that filing, so I naturally had a smile on my face. And I truly was thankful for having been given such a great opportunity.
Looking back at how I felt on the first day of my internship, uncertain about whether I would be successful or not, I can see that it was a completely natural reaction. Now, however, I know that I had nothing to worry about. I can see how I should have trusted that my work ethic would get me through my internship with flying colors. I think that this experience has really helped me grow to become a more confident professional when it comes to having confidence in my newly acquired skills and experience. I am so thankful to have been given the chance to take part in such an amazing opportunity.