A typical week at the internship I am in is never the same. Some weeks can be quite stressful and other weeks come with their fair share of pressure, but nothing that would have me pulling my hair out. Since the day I give the lesson falls on a Monday, my “work week” starts on Tuesdays. On Tuesdays, I typically just do a recap of the previous day’s lesson. As of recently I have been recording voice memos of myself speaking. If I am being honest, this is probably the hardest part since I do not like hearing myself speak. However, hearing the lesson from the previous day has helped me in looking at the areas that need improvement. I listen to the voice recording while looking at my notes to see what I did well in or what I could have dove deeper into. After I take my notes I then begin to prepare for the next lesson. In my internship, I was given a topic from which I must form my own lessons from which makes it easier for me. I start my lesson prep by studying the topic I was given, then breaking it down in the days to follow. I often find myself looking at YouTube videos or even TikTok’s for inspiration for icebreakers and/or games I can use to incorporate them into the lesson. I find that students are much more engaged when they are actively participating in the class. It takes me about 2-3 days to prepare for my lesson. Over the weekend, I do a run through of my lessons. Sometimes I have found myself physically speaking in my room, almost in a way acting out the lesson as if it was in real-time. This is the final phase of how I lesson prep and it helps me in preparing myself mentally since I am still working on my public speaking skills, as well as helping me take notes on certain points in my lesson that I might need to emphasize or spend more time on. Overall the experience has been great and I can definitely notice how these skills will help me for my future development. 

One of my aspirations from this internship is to be able to learn and gain teaching experience. My career goal is to be an educator, specifically a high-school English teacher. Based on the work I have done in this internship for the past few weeks, I can see how many of the skills I am learning can translate over to my career. The internship I am in revolves heavily around studying, lesson planning and giving oral lectures/lessons. Now, since the group I am assigned to are teenagers between the ages of 13-17, I cannot simply just stand and talk since the attention spans are very limited. This experience has forced me to think outside the box and be able to think outside the box when it comes to ensuring that the students are actively engaged during the class. This has involved doing games, illustrations, icebreakers and presentations that must have a direct correlation to the subject matter at hand. This has forced me to tap into my “inner teen spirit” and think of ideas that the students would find engaging and entertaining. This experience has made me reflect on my time in high school and the teacher’s that I had who I can say truly impacted me. One of these teacher’s was my Algebra teacher Mr. Vogel. As a disclaimer, math has NEVER been my strong suit. For as far back as I can remember, I have never been good at it. However, Mr. Vogel was able to make this class very engaging. He would start every class with an icebreaker that would then lead into the lesson for the day. He was a very stern and strict teacher, however, he would always show that he truly cared for the students and that they are actually learning the subject matter. He has also been an inspiration for the way I try and teach my class and someone whose teaching style I aspire to imitate.

One of the most interesting things that I have done in my internship was found in the lessons themselves. Part of my job as an intern is to give weekly lessons based on excerpts from the bible and how it can apply to the daily life of a teenager. This requires me to speak publicly to this group of teens, which has not been the easiest part of the internship. Even though I am speaking to teenagers, I still get really nervous when it comes to public speaking. In the past, whenever I had to speak publicly, I began to sweat, stutter and just get really nervous. I have only given three lessons so far and the first one was not the best. No one told me how well or poorly I did but looking back, I know it wasn’t done well. However, I know that it could’ve been done better. For my next lesson, I decided to record myself speaking and afterwards look back and see where I can improve. I noticed that I tend to get lost in my notes often so an improvement I made was to make my notes clearer. I looked back at some of the notes I wrote from my first semester when I took a public speaking class! I applied them to my next lesson and it turned out better than the first time around. Never would I have thought that they would come in handy but I’m glad they did! Overall, I have really been enjoying this experience and understanding how, aside from the setting I have been placed in, the skills I am learning can translate over to other areas of my life that contribute to my professional development for the future.

One of my key aspirations during this internship is to develop a better versatility in my writing. In the context of this internship, I have to adapt to a certain way of writing when it comes to writing and proofreading company documents, policies, etc that I, in other circumstances, wouldn’t write in that way. Each task I am given for this internship further sharpens that skill, and enables me to understand the versatility of writing essays vs. crafting formal documents. It gives me a better opportunity to write professionally in different areas, which I appreciate.

Writing for a company that strives for professionalism and effective communication pushes me to refine my editing skills and making sure my writing and proofreading is up to standard. While there is a certain pressure to that, I would say it actually helps me strive to think more carefully about word choices because they have a significant impact on how these documents and policies look as well as present itself.

There are times (many) where my drafts are looked over by my team and supervisor and needs to be heavily edited to fit certain requirements, making sure the documents are up to professional standard. This type of writing requires precision, as each word has the potential to be, perhaps, misinterpreted. Going over writings like these bring forth my attention to detail as well as realizing that even the smallest edits have a big impact. Whether it’s restructuring a sentence or even choosing a better word, every small edit contributes to the final draft of the document and is essential to communicate the message in a clear and concise way.

Alternatively, there are times where I am tasked to write or edit for a more creative or less precise form of writing, like flyers, ads, or certain things belonging to internal communications. This type of writing isn’t as structured, and enables me to use another form of writing, where I aim to balance between informative and approachable. Keeping the content engaging while still maintaining professionalism further develops this skill of understanding different styles of writing based on the intended audience.

It’s definitely a learning curve, but this experience has so far enabled me to maintain consistency, which is a great skill to have for a career in writing in the future.

A interesting thing I have done so far is I attended the Trial I mentioned in my last submission, that started at the end of September. It was taking place at the Bronx Supreme Court, the first few days were jury selection and that was just the attorney who attended the first 2 days. After that each day for a week and half we had to be in the court house from 8am till most days 5pm. The whole process felt like a watered down version of “Suites”. However, that doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy it. Something many TV-shows and movies forget to display is the talking and the amount of time that goes on. Most of the time in the court room consists of the lawyers talking and presenting the information to the jury. There are some witness that speak but, that was the doctor who did the neck surgery. They are bought to the stand by the Plaintiff counsel. Going into detail on reason why the plaintiff needed the surgery and what the surgery consisted of. I did learn from the attorney before the trial was how much a doctor gets paid to testify in court. I won’t disclose the amount, but it was pretty surprising. Yet when you put it into context it makes sense since the doctor is in court all day they are losing out on patients, to be in court. Another aspect I enjoyed was actually taking notes on the defendants argument, doctors testimony, and plaintiff testimony. The attorney I was working with asked me to take notes on that and to give my opinion on how I felt about what they said. Basically he wanted to know from the perspective of someone that could be chosen as a juror. Since I don’t have too much knowledge of the proceeding in a court room, I believe the input I was giving was helpful to kind of have another set of eyes from a different view. I did find some aspects a bit difficult just on understand the “why”. I would ask myself why was this said or why something was done a certain way. I couldn’t ask the attorney at the moment but when we would have a recess I was able to ask him the different questions I had and was able to understand the reasoning and logic behind it. Towards the end of the trial and the jurors were deciding the attorney were able to come to discuss a possible agreement which is called “high, lows”. Its basically before the jury announces the verdict the attorney can discuss what is the lowest the plaintiff is willing to take and the highest the defendant is will to give. Fortunately they came to an agreement before the jury announced their verdict. Yet they jury actually decided on about 350,000 more than what they attorneys agreed on. It’s a bit unfortunate that the plaintiff missed out on an extra 350,000 but when it comes to the jury it is sometimes a risky situation and I can understand why they decided to settle, since they can decide “all or nothing”. Possibly out of fear or not wanting to be to cocky. Either way the plaintiff did get a large sum of money in the end and was left happy with what they were able to take home. The whole process from start to finish was really interesting to me especially seeing it first hand and learning the reasoning behind it and experiencing it first hand.

During my second week at Belladonna, we reorganized the office. Filing over a hundred of different chaplets and logging them into a spreadsheet. I took some time to read through some of the amazing poetry that had been published through the company. However, The most exciting thing was running the Belladonna table at the NYC Queer Zine fair at The Gay Center. I was terrified. I would have to run the table by myself and I wouldn’t necessarily categorize our chaplets as zines (they have no pictures!) 

Arriving there was pretty hectic. I had to carry a huge event box filled with 100+ copies of chaplets I’m supposed to sell, 10 tote bags, our table cloth, book stands, and t-shirts. Luckily, they paid for the uber there. When I arrived, it was hectic. All of the zine owners were running around decorating their tables, trying to organize their space in a way that shows off their zines the best. The zines were incredible and very diverse. Some were pure photography, others were directed to younger readers, while some were intended for ***adult readers. 

The Belladonna table was squeezed in between two really good and fast selling zines. The first hour there I sold nothing. I was ready to pack it up and head home. I did not want to embarrass myself for another 5 hours, sitting at a table filled with poetry chaplets. But I couldn’t back out for two reasons: first, I made a commitment, and second,I believe in the work that Belladonna publishes. I knew we could be a competitive seller if people took the time to read some of the poetry. So instead of presenting the chaplets closed on the table, I opened them. I allowed potential buyers to read them. I allowed them to take their time. And we started to sell! 

By the end of the fair we sold a good amount of chaplets and some totes. Even when the cards were stacked against us, the quality of the material pushed through. I learned a great lesson that day: sometimes you have to find unique ways to reach out and bring the reader in, give them time to taste the work, and trust that the material will sell itself.

The most interesting thing I’ve done so far at my internship was sit in on meetings to discuss projects and other things to be done with the team I am working in. These meetings, while it may seem boring, really enhanced my skills in speaking and bringing forth new and interesting ideas to share without hesitating. i was encouraged to share my thoughts and input in these meetings and was given good feedback when I had good ideas to share. It gave me a newfound confidence in a work setting to really not be afraid to speak up and be supportive of others’ ideas. At first, I was hesitant to share my thoughts because I’m new to the workplace and haven’t really had an opportunity like this before, but I was encouraged by my employer and the team I’m working with to be confident and it really set me up for future meetings as well as other places in the workforce. While the discussions of the meeting were serious and focused, the meetings felt easy and interesting. It was a lighthearted vibe and I felt comfortable. I definitely learned a lot from this and can’t wait to see what I can learn next. I haven’t been able to attend my internship last week, but otherwise I am having a great time learning new things and being surrounded by a great team of people who love what they do. Yes, sometimes the work is tedious and boring, but having the right people working beside you and with you make a difference, especially when one feels comfortable.

Abraham Hernandez 

Professor Lee Norton

15 September 2024

ENG 299

Internship at COGOP Freeport 

This semester, I will be interning at Church of God of Prophecy Word of Life as a Youth Bible Study Teacher. This internship opportunity was one that was offered to me by the church’s bishop when the opportunity opened. I gladly accepted. My career goal is to one day be a high school English teacher and I feel that adding this experience to my resume will be beneficial for me and my professional development. 

The first week was one that was filled with study, research and lesson planning as I began to prepare myself for my first lesson. The class itself is made up of around 20 students ranging from ages 13-17. For the next 4 months, the class will focus on the books Letters to the Church by Francis Chan, Relationship Goals by Michael Todd and Jesus Is___. by Judah Smith. For the first couple of weeks, the first book we will be dissecting is Smith’s Jesus Is___. It felt a lot like my courses in college where I had to read a story or work of literature, annotate and prepare for a discussion. However, this time instead of a professor leading the conversation, I had to be the one to ask questions and create an environment and space where the students felt free to express their opinions, ask questions, make comments and/or state their concerns. The first lesson went great in my opinion. The students were able to express their thoughts and feelings on what they are expecting at the end of the year. I gave them an overview of what we will be discussing and what to expect out of the book. We briefly dove into the first few pages of the book and they seemed to really enjoy it. 

I am excited for the next four months during my time at COGOP Freeport and I hope that in the end, the experience will have developed me in my professional skills and abilities. 

I’m I am excited to share some of the highlights of my internship at LaPenna Law Firm The experience was very interesting and informative. Something that was a bit intimidating was being in an office setting and just nervous overall about making a good impression, but so far I’ve had come to love and enjoy the paralegals that work in the office with all the help and advice they give me. One of the aspects of my role has been diving into the world of legal document drafting. I’ve been busy learning how to draft motions, responses, and demands, each with its own set of rules and different . It’s been fascinating to understand how each document plays a crucial role in the legal process. Drafting summons and complaints has also been something, I’ve been learning to draft however it’s still something I’m Still working on it and learning to draft as it requires some pre-production work. Another part of my internship was helping with client reception. Observing these sessions has given me insight into how attorneys assess cases and make crucial decisions. I’ve also had the chance to assist with translating for clients, which has been both a rewarding and eye-opening in the way that most people who work in construction and have accidents tend to be Spanish speaking. When they explain their stories and accidents, it kind of shows how the lack of the bosses and foreman care can cause or play a part in the reason for these accidents. Helping communication gaps has shown me the importance of clear and effective interaction in the legal field. I’m incredibly excited about an upcoming opportunity that’s just around the corner. At the end of this month, I’ll be joining one of the attorneys for a trial in Brooklyn. We’ve been preparing our client, and it’s enthralling to be a part of this process. During the trial, I’ll be in the courtroom, taking notes on the proceedings and testimonies. This trial is going to be an amazing experience, offering me a front-row seat to the legal process in action. This internship has only deepened my passion for the law and my aspiration to attend law school. Every day at LaPenna Law Office has brought new learning experiences and has brought me closer to my career goals. I’m immensely grateful for the support and guidance I’ve received from everyone here.

I started interning at the W Group’s corporate headquarters in August and I’ve been loving it so far! I was really nervous when I started and didn’t really know what to expect. However, when I began my internship, I was relieved to see that this company, although a prestigious home care agency, was accepting and welcoming of me. The company’s headquarter offices has such a nice and warm environment and I was put at ease from the beginning. I was introduced to everyone on the team who I would be working with and was taken through the various tasks and systems of what the team does. My supervisor made sure that I understood everything and made me feel so comfortable! I do a lot of writing and proofreading company policies and professional documents for The W Group. It is important that these corporate documents uphold company standard and there are no small mistakes or errors. While this internship does not leave much room for creativity, I think it is essential for me to be doing this in order to understand the writing process at a professional/corporate level, which is an important goal of mine. There are times when I proofread some more creative documents, like advertisements and flyers for the company, and I feel like I can use my skills for the best of both worlds! I work with an amazing team who are always willing to help me and answer any of my questions and I am grateful to have this opportunity to grow and strengthen my writing skills in different areas! I am excited to continue growing and strengthening my skills at this internship and gaining valuable knowledge in a professional setting! Right now, I do not have any concerns, as I feel comfortable and willing ym contribute my talents to the company!