Because of my internship, I am more confident in my digital skills, professional development, and ability to collaborate as a part of a team. Throughout my internship I have had to ability to continue using my skills in blog publishing through Smithsonian Voices Office of Academic Appointments and Internships blog page, helping publish over 15 blog post. At the end I have even had opportunity to collaborate on one with my mentor, Chris Wu. Back in December we had to opportunity to visit the National Zoo and meet with Craig Saffoe (Big Cats director). Based on this meeting and tour, we decided to write a blog post based on the story of Craig first starting out as a Smithsonian Intern turned Director. That blog post goes live May 8th.
This spring semester, we decided to focus on creating an ArcGIS StoryMap that would center around interns and fellows at the Smithsonian. After several weeks of work and collaboration between Chris and I, our StoryMap went live May 5th. Smithsonian Internships and Fellowships StoryMap combines the work I have accomplished on Smithsonian Voices along with new ones that have incorporated learning StoryMaps. We created three maps: Interns & Fellows, D.C. Museums, Cultural centers, and Research centers, and then units outside of D.C.
I feel very lucky I have had the opportunity to be a part of the OAAI team and be a part of the projects these past two semesters. My hope is that the projects I had the pleasure of working on, leaving a lasting effect and offer up the opportunity for expansion in the future, so that OAAI can continue sharing the wonderful research and projects interns and fellows have been a part of.
In return, OAAI has left a lasting impact on me and my future. I have expanded my skills on digital storytelling, blog publishing, and profession development. Everything I have had the pleasure of attending or setting in on, whether it be the staff meeting, training, meeting with Craig Saffoe, or my daily meetings with my mentor, has left me with better communication skills and an understanding of what it means to be a part of a team in the professional world. I am glad and grateful to have my name be a part of the projects I was involved in at OAAI but even more grateful that my time there was filled with many wonderful people who welcomed and supported me with connections and opportunities to learn new things. Because of my internship, I am ready to tackle moving into the professional world with everything OAAI taught me and I have learned along the way.
