Expose yourself to opportunities, careers

By Dario Bravo

I have been at the EXPO Internship and Study Abroad Services
Office of the UCLA Career Center for some 15 years. During my time
here I have seen a number of students take advantage of internship
and other experiential educational opportunities. I have, however,
also encountered students who have decided to take part in these
programs much too late or who have ignored them.

Albert Schweitzer once said, “I don’t know what your
destiny will be, but one thing I know: the only ones among you who
will be really happy are those who will have sought and found how
to serve.” I believe that it is essential that every student
put to practical use their academic training received at UCLA. As a
form of experiential learning, internships allow students an
opportunity that classroom instruction cannot give them.

Students can employ their classroom knowledge as a probe to
explore a challenging set of new experiences.

Gaining significant work experience, as well as the opportunity
for self-evaluation, are some of the benefits of participating in
internships. Opportunity stands out as the compelling force behind
our baby steps and our giant leaps forward. Whether you choose to
view your internship as a baby step or a giant leap is a personal
matter. But few can deny the personal growth and opportunities that
have arisen from the internship experience.

The internship experience at the very least provides insight
into the working world. In some cases it provides the opportunity
to work in a large city or it can even lead to a full-time
position. A well-designed internship nurtures a lifelong habit of
turning experience into learning through reflection.

Not too long ago, I spoke with Dr. Fujimoto, Director of the
Office of Public Affairs at the Department of Education. He spoke
about a group of 12 UCLA interns who worked in his office during
the summer of 1999 in Washington, D.C. One of their assignments was
to produce a video for the Department of Education.

The video, titled “D.C. Reads,” was about a reading
program within the inner-city schools of the District of Columbia.
The UCLA interns wrote the script, picked the actors, video taped,
selected the music, and edited the video.

The video has received rave reviews from the Department of
Education staff and is now being shown throughout various school
districts and boards of education across the country. The 12 UCLA
students not only profited tremendously from their internship but
also made a significant contribution to the Department of Education
and to the schoolchildren of the District of Columbia.

When students get back from their internships, they tend to be
much more focused and willing to become involved. I have seen
students gain a tremendous sense of confidence as their personal
skills flourish in a setting that allows them to be challenged.

A successful internship enables a student to develop skills for
organizing information and solving problems that are standard tools
for a practicing professional.

I recently spoke with a student who is interning at the White
House through our spring quarter program. She mentioned that when
she first arrived there, she was somewhat insecure about her
qualifications for her assigned position. She was determined,
however, to prove herself able. She took on the attitude of
don’t look now, but opportunity is knocking. She completed
every task quickly and thoroughly.

As a result of her desire to succeed, she has been offered a
full-time staff position through the end of the Clinton
administration. She will return to UCLA in the winter quarter of
2001 to complete her degree.

Passion is the key word to describe former interns. They see the
world in a different light and lose inhibitions about themselves. I
believe that former interns are more focused and more willing to
become active participants in both the public and private sectors.
The internship system traditionally does not produce clueless or
disgruntled workers but instead prepares extremely qualified and
focused careerists.

Make the most of all of your experiences, whether they were from
internships, community service, extracurricular activities or study
abroad programs. There are many opportunities to become viable
candidates for jobs or graduate and professional schools.

Internships and fellowships can be prerequisites to landing good
jobs. I urge you to take advantage of them. Try new things and in
turn learn much more about the working world. Do not expect
opportunities to land in your lap. Take up the challenge and move
ahead toward your goal in life.

In conclusion I quote one my heroes, Don Quixote, to wish you
success on your quest. “The past is present in us because we
are the bearers of culture we ourselves have made. Many things are
changing in the world; many others are surviving. By taking on the
new challenge that is particularly yours; accept the diversity and
mutation of the world, while retaining the mind of power for
analogy and unity, so that this changing world does not become
meaningless. It is not a question of sacrificing the past before
you, maintaining, comparing, and remembering the values you have
created.”