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One Step Forward, Miles Ahead: Four Lessons from My Summer Job
August 27, 2014
This post is part of a series inspired by Pathways to Progress, a Citi Foundation initiative that works with community partners, city officials and Citi employee volunteers to help low-income urban youth develop the leadership experience, professional skills and the workplace know-how they will need on their path towards college and careers. Follow the conversation on social media using the hashtag #Pathways2Progress
I took one step forward - and then another, and then another - and before I knew it, I was standing in front of the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner's building in Manhattan. I spent six weeks of my summer break as an intern at this building, where my experiences would translate into lasting lessons that I took with me back to school and beyond.
My paid internship at the ME's office was my first real experience in a professional environment, with duties that spanned from administrative work to preparing charts for attorneys used for testimonies and drafting case files processed in court. Looking back on my experience, four key lessons stand out:
My colleagues trusted me to finish my projects thoroughly and with utmost concentration before forging ahead to the next task. I learned to shake the temptation of trying to juggle too many things at once - which I chalk up to the fast-paced bustling of society - and commit to producing the best possible products for my team.
I learned to hold a conversation with professionals, including learning how to show confidence through body language.