Before Alyssa Watson (Centre College class of 2015) completed her summer internship at the end of August, we asked her: Did you get anything out of it??
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I really didn’t know what to expect going into this internship. From my friends that have had internships before, I thought I might just be doing busy work, or not really doing anything helpful. However, that is not at all how I feel after this summer! I went in with an open mind, willing to do anything that the Community Arts Center needed me to do, and I learned a lot more form this internship than I ever expected. I really had a fantastic summer with some amazing people.
I got so many unique experiences. I got to help with the Wagons and Wheels parade, which was part of the Great American Brass Band Festival. I had a ton fun seeing all the floats that parents and kids had made and getting to help make sure everything came together. I also worked with kids at the Arts Exploration Camp, a week long, fun packed, art adventure. Watching the kids draw, paint, dance, among so many other things was a blast!Even on the day-to-day, without the parades and camps, I loved what I was doing. I really saw the truth of “you get out of it what you put in to it.†Every day was something new and exciting. I have to credit this to the fantastic people that I worked with. Everyone at the Community Arts Center, whether it be staff or volunteers, was friendly and welcoming. There wasn’t a day that I dreaded going into work. I feel at home here, and hope to come back after I spend the next three months in France (I haven’t even thought about packing and I leave in two weeks)!
I have to give a shout-out to my school, Centre College, for really helping me get through this. They not only allowed me to stay on campus all summer for free, but I applied for internship funding through the college and got it! I was able to not worry about how I was going to pay for food, and I got some budgeting skills, about which my parents are not-so secretly thrilled. They truly made this an amazing experience.
This was one of the most fun and educational summers that I have ever had. I gained so much life experience (hello, buying and cooking all your own food), and I wouldn’t have changed a thing!
