DLE INTERNS REVEAL THE DIVIDENDS OF REMOTE WORK IN THEIR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL GROWTH

OLIVIA MOEN, DLE Copywriter/ Content Creator Intern, Junior at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

I always had very high expectations for my first internship. I expected to commute to work, have an office space and bond with the other interns. I never anticipated that my first interning experience would entail the work I am doing here. 

I applied to the DLE knowing that I would work completely remote. I knew that I would never meet my team or attend in-person events with my colleagues. I will admit that this was disheartening at first. I was nervous that I wasn’t going to gain sufficient work experience with a virtual internship.  

After interning for the DLE for six months, my expectations have been exceeded. My internship being completely remote has not affected my role as an intern in the ways I feared.

I feel extremely valued by my fellow interns and colleagues. We have set meeting times and assigned tasks in order to incorporate some structure to our unique circumstances.  

Although I never anticipated my first internship looking like this, I have been able to find these amazing benefits:

1. I have been able to easily widen my connections with individuals across different countries. My location does not limit me from building relationships with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds.  
2. My communication skills have improved significantly. The absence of in-person contact only increases the importance of regular communication. I have learned how to properly converse and be social solely through video calls and emails.  
3. The flexible hours work well with my unpredictable schedule. As a college student, my availability shifts frequently, which was a huge concern of mine when committing to an internship. My virtual internship disregarded the traditional work hours and allowed me to complete work at my convenience. 

RONAK PARIDA, DLE Marketing/Content Creator Intern, Junior at Syracuse University, Syracuse, NY

When I started my internship as a Marketing Intern/Content Creator for the DLE back in March, I had no idea what to expect. This is my first real internship, and when I found out it was completely remote, I felt the circumstances could pose some communication challenges. 

Although it was a little challenging at first, especially with my other priority of balancing my schoolwork, I settled into my position after getting past the first one to two weeks. I found a very helpful community to support me, and my fellow interns who got back to me quickly if I needed anything. And of course, I cannot begin to express how much I have grown with the coaching of Operations Assistant Nicole Laureyns and President Linda Dulye. They were instrumental in helping me grow my skills by pushing me outside my comfort zone to create promotional emails and manage a professional social media account.

Even though the internship is completely remote, I cannot say that this has been a detriment to my personal development. It has forced me to adapt to the new work environment. To me, people feel more open to chat about anything in the remote workplace. 

Over the past four months, I have learned to write copy for a target audience, build a network and communicate with a team–all virtually. My creative writing skills especially have grown tremendously through creating content for the HUB newsletter and drafting promotional emails.

Even though our team only sees each other over a screen, I feel as if all the interns as well as Nicole and Linda have genuine camaraderie with each other and are available to help each other. During weekly meetings, we share details of weekend plans or movies and shows we’ve streamed. It’s the little things like these that help to make us a cohesive team and understand each other better.

I feel as if I have found my passion to be in the marketing field. When I started my internship I was a sophomore, and was not 100% sure what I wanted to get into after graduating. But now, with actual experience in posting to social media and developing a marketing plan for the 2022 Leadership Immersion, I know that this is what I want to do in my professional career. 

I look forward to continuing my internship for the foreseeable future, and I am truly grateful to have had this opportunity come my way! 

JACK BRANDANO, DLE Event Coordinator Intern, Junior at Smith College, Northampton, MA

Ever since the start of the pandemic, it has been a difficult learning experience when it comes to balancing work and school. This new hybrid environment has completely changed the expectations I once had about doing an internship. There are good and bad aspects of remote work that have made my remote summer intern experience interesting. 

In some ways, my remote work has been beneficial for my summer internship. The flexibility of a remote internship is helpful in that I am able to work around my classes and other jobs. It opens up all sorts of opportunities to work for companies around the nation, whereas I previously would have only had access to the companies in my area. 

This is beneficial especially as a college student working for the DLE since my college is an hour drive from Pittsfield and my hometown is even further away. Additionally, working from home alleviates the stress of having to actually travel for work. 

On the other hand, working from home can be a very isolating experience. While the DLE has done a great job of connecting me with other people through consistent communication and Zoom meetings, it is not the same as actually being able to see my colleagues in person. However, I have been able to apply the work ethic I have developed through being a remote student into my work as a remote intern. 

My experience as a DLE intern has been full of growth and learning, and I look forward to continuing my internship through the summer.