Internship Overview

 

 

Internship Role: Administrative Intern at Think 360 Arts for Learning 

 

My top 3 Goals in this internship include:

1. Understand the process and implementation of large scale work within a small team

2. Gain feedback of my own room for improvement

3. Develop a realization of working for a small art based non-profit, in order to shape my future plans

 

Internship duties included;

1. assisting with teacher professional development days

2. attending and assisting with the organization events and community programming  

3. processing grant applications

4. representing the organization within my school and Denver Public Schools 

 

In the process of this internship I learned three key lessons to move forward through life and career;

 

1. Think on your feet.

   1. The Think 360 team is tight knit, and calculated. In the events where I was needed to set up artists, or shift the space for designated workshops, it was imperative for me to work on my own, and make decisions on my feet. Everyone has a crucial role, and part of that role is not holding eachother’s hands for direction. In this time I learned how to honor my position, evaluate the situation, and make the best choice with the vision of the rest of the team in mind.

2. Do one thing, in order to accomplish many.

   1. My mind wanders and my action follows. I often find myself piling my plate, and not being able to fully enjoy anything because I am too busy barely tasting everything. Think 360 engages with schools, the government, and the creative industries within the growing state of Colorado. This approach to the work opened the doors for me to dive into the policy making, networking, and leadership opportunities in each one of these areas. I realized that by committing to one role as an intern, I still had the opportunity to taste each little piece of the world around me, while also really enjoying my one stable position at Think 360.

3. It’s okay to not know everything.

   1. A common misconception going into the professional world, is that the intern that already knows everything, and excels at everything will be the only one to move forward with a paid position. In my experience, I learned that the vibrance of learning, and exploring new techniques is the most valuable piece of being an intern. I learned that pretending to know everything, will not give me the opportunity to learn, and bond with the team. By admiting when I am wrong I am able to fail, and allow myself to fall into learning something new with the gudiance of professionals.  

 

My biggest challenge was balancing the role of an intern with other commitments in my life, and being intentional about the usage of my time. In overcoming this difficulty I learned how to resign respectfully from a position, while maintaining a good relationship with the organization. I did this by, talking with the internship sponsor and my school advocates. From this challenge I learned that I am not able to excel as an employee, and as an important asset, if I do not take care of my own mental and physical health first.

 

My favorite part of the intern experience was the Practices in Arts integration workshop. This was my favorite part because I was able to be fully immersed in the mission and vision of Think 360, by both participating in, and putting together the entire day. I loved interacting with the artists, and listening to teachers express their love for sharing arts with their students.

 

Throughout my internship I came in contact with Dr.Don Phelps, whom is a professor of social work at Aurora University. I was impressed by Dr.Don because of the passion he had for the work he does, and the ability he had to inspire a room full of educators about the power of arts integration. Dr.Don is mobilizing work that will revolutionize the way our classrooms look, and all students learn. I admire the drive he has to move this incredible work forward all around the globe. I will take with me the love he has for his work, as a way to check my own happiness for what I invest myself into, and make sure that it’s always something I love and believe in.

 

 

The management of a small non-profit is hard, important work. In my experience as an intern, I am aware of this position, and will be able to apply it to other work I do as a cultural worker. Think 360 allows all artists in our community to share art. I have benefited from this arts immersion in my own education, and as I move forward onto a career, I will definitely pursue a position that is able to make this great of a societal impact.