intern input
For potential future interns and their families, here is a sample of reflections from some previous interns.
Kenna, high school student, Oregon: "...[As an intern], I mainly conducted research... To me, it was clear that my efforts were genuinely being valued... One of my favorite aspects of the internship was the atmosphere -- the trust [Greg put in me] and a sense of friendship that he brings into the experience! He always showed gratitude towards the work that I did... He always did an amazing job of connecting the 'assignments' to my interests. That made the work that I did not only beneficial [for him] but also extremely fun [for me]!.. This was an amazing opportunity to get the gist of how an [off-site] internship functions while doing cool work.... [It also] was a great way for me to practice learning skills for both work and school settings. Overall, I had a blast spending my summer working on his projects!"
Aastha, Northwestern University (who extended the internship for an additional five weeks): "I had a great time working with Greg on this internship. It's taught me so much about time management and work attitude. I'll keep these lessons with me as I go! It truly has been great being part of this for so long."
Aastha, Northwestern University (who extended the internship for an additional five weeks): "I had a great time working with Greg on this internship. It's taught me so much about time management and work attitude. I'll keep these lessons with me as I go! It truly has been great being part of this for so long."
Marina, Central College, Iowa (who extended the internship for an additional fifteen months): "I have had the amazing opportunity of interning with Greg for the past year and a half. It has been a great experience!... Little did I know that working with him as an intern would give me the opportunity to grow as a student, as a future teacher and as a caring individual in general. Greg has given me interesting and valuable projects and assignments to work on. He has also been a fabulous mentor to me as I navigate my college career; from providing me feedback on my resume to giving me research advice, he has truly helped me grow professionally...The [intern] assignments were always valued and useful - never 'busy work'. ... I have always appreciated how much Greg wanted to give me opportunities to grow in my field of study. He tailored many of my assignments so they would help me develop skills that will be useful as I go into [the field of] education. The internship's flexibility and collaborative nature are incomparable to anywhere else and being Greg's intern has meant being known as a person, not just as an intern. I'm thankful not only for the internship opportunity but also for the friendship that has developed throughout it all....."
Mary, Linn-Benton Community College, Oregon (who extended the internship for over a year): "....Greg worked with me and my crazy schedule 100% to guarantee that I was able to take care of my other obligations while still helping him.... Now, looking back, I would say the internship actually benefited me more than it did him. Greg gave me the opportunity to research places and things I never considered exploring, he persuaded [a major organization in my state] to allow me to give a speech at their convention... and he never fails to do everything imaginably possible to help me despite his own chaotic schedule..."
Xin, Stony Brook University (who extended the internship for an additional month): "My internship with Greg was...awesome. He made the internship feel like a collaboration between the two of us by incorporating my interests into the assignments. He was extremely flexible and respectful of my school schedule and personal life. He trusted me with each deadline I set and that has helped me plan effectively for other events in my life... He made my transition into college a lot less stressful by providing lots of tips and guidance [regarding college and studying]..."
Grace, Northwestern University (who extended the internship for an additional two months): "My experience with Greg was great, he tailored the internship to my interests and to the pandemic so that I was able to have enriching assignments and experiences even though we were completely remote. The best part was the schedule flexibility; thanks to Greg, I was able to manage my schoolwork and my internship work easily. Another highlight were the connections made throughout the process.... Greg was able to put me in contact with a variety of relevant people in my prospective fields. Overall, my time working on this internship was invaluable. I highly recommend it."
Xin, Stony Brook University (who extended the internship for an additional month): "My internship with Greg was...awesome. He made the internship feel like a collaboration between the two of us by incorporating my interests into the assignments. He was extremely flexible and respectful of my school schedule and personal life. He trusted me with each deadline I set and that has helped me plan effectively for other events in my life... He made my transition into college a lot less stressful by providing lots of tips and guidance [regarding college and studying]..."
Grace, Northwestern University (who extended the internship for an additional two months): "My experience with Greg was great, he tailored the internship to my interests and to the pandemic so that I was able to have enriching assignments and experiences even though we were completely remote. The best part was the schedule flexibility; thanks to Greg, I was able to manage my schoolwork and my internship work easily. Another highlight were the connections made throughout the process.... Greg was able to put me in contact with a variety of relevant people in my prospective fields. Overall, my time working on this internship was invaluable. I highly recommend it."
Peyton, University of North Carolina (who extended the internship for an extra semester): "... I have had the opportunity to work on dozens of projects, all leading to tangible results. Often, Greg would send me documents or articles to edit and review, and [then, later on], I would see my changes present in the final copies. Or he would create an event centered around a group I told him about! Not only was my work tangible, but it was also meaningful... I was also learning about a bunch of different organizations around the country each with purpose driven goals intended to help people around them. My experience has been great and I’m delighted I was able to spend over six months interning with Greg...."
Melvyn, University of California - Berkeley: "....the projects I am assigned are interesting...and they are actually put to good use, making me feel like a vital part of a team. Greg places a lot of trust and faith in me and also encourages any and all questions, things for which I am very grateful as they create a wonderful learning experience for me... he [also] understands...my need to spend time with family and friends. His flexibility about hours, continual encouragement, polite manner, eagerness to teach, and excitement about life inspire me to work hard and achieve my goals, inside and outside the internship."
Erin, Northwestern University (who extended the internship an additional semester): "Working with Greg has been just that: -- working with him. The internship was based on mutual cooperation and collaboration, so I never felt like a subordinate. In fact, I gained a friend in the process, and my experience as an intern reflects that. I was able to set my own deadlines for projects, which was really respectful of my personal and school lives, and also helped me with time management and reliability. I could never make an excuse as to why something didn’t get done on time because I was the one that said I would get the project to Greg at that date and time. Setting my own deadlines also helped me put the maximum time and effort into each project because I could choose a time that was best for me to work on each project.....More importantly, I felt like I was helping out a friend with every project, which, despite the internship formalities, was exactly what I was doing..... Projects were not simply the... busywork that many interns do: they had true meaning and impact on multiple levels. Furthermore, I knew that Greg valued my help and that he truly considered my opinions. When I would provide edits on articles [he was writing], Greg would incorporate my feedback or discuss with me why he did not think it was best to incorporate my comments. He would always ask for my genuine criticisms... This gave me reason to provide my full effort on each assignment.... The projects helped me grow, too. I learned genuinely interesting facts about communities, organizations, and people that I wouldn’t have otherwise. I was also given nearly full jurisdiction over the way I approached the projects. I would often receive an assignment and ask Greg, “What exactly are you looking for here?” and he would tell me he wasn’t expecting anything in particular, that the end result was up to me. He wanted to see what I would come up with without limiting me to any preconceived notions of how a project should be done. I was also able to make direct differences in my own community through the internship. Greg incorporated my hometown in several projects and events, and he helped connect me with people in my city that I would not have met otherwise.... Greg also more directly helped me, adding to the mutuality of the internship. He would never hesitate to ask if he could help me with ideas [for papers I was writing for courses in college] or get me in touch with someone who might be better qualified to help me. He would always introduce me to new and old friends of his that share similar interests with me.... All of this added to the sense that I was treated as a friend rather than an intern, an important aspect that made the internship so fulfilling...It’s been a great experience from start to finish and I know that despite the end of the internship, our friendship will continue.".