The Power of an Internship
- Sep 9, 2015
- 2 min read
Written by Olivia Throssell
Nowadays, internships possess a great deal of power. A 21 year-old Psychology major on track to graduate this fall, Ashlee Burbano knew and subsequently decided to make herself standout from the crowd. And what better way to do so than with an internship?
This summer, Burbano participated in an internship at a local company wherein she learned how to manage a retail store. As a senior, the 21 year-old understands that internships hold power and that such power can be beneficial. “Internships provide ... opportunities to gain valuable work experience,” she stated. “[E]specially the opportunity to gain hands-on work experience that you just can’t get in the classroom.”
Burbano continued, “There’s a big difference between learning about strategies and tactics and actually applying them. [An internship] also helps you assess, develop, and build upon skills. Learning new skills in an internship can greatly help you in the future.”
Even though the senior is a Psychology major, she found her internship to be quite advantageous. Managing a store employing over 100 individuals was not an easy task; yet, Burbano eventually learned to communicate with employees, train them where necessary, and give them recognition good work. Moreover, her internship provided her an inside look at retail management functions. She worked closely with the store manager to gain insight into the priorities and responsibilities of her job.
Psychology major and upcoming graduate Ashlee Burbano. Photo courtesy of Ashley Burbano.
Burbano’s hands-on experience strengthened her future career decisions. “I am very interested in Industrial-Organizational Psychology,” she explained, “and in the future … would like to get into Human Resources (HR). As an HR manager, you need to understand your business as well as the managers … to successfully understand their needs for staffing, connecting with employees, and adding value to the organization. This internship gave me … knowledge to grow in this area of work and strengthened my interest into helping improve companies.”
The internship also helped the 21 year-old assess her strengths and weaknesses while instructing her on how to improve on both. She acquired more self-confidence, and felt her professionalism mature as she amassed more and more of an understanding of the professional world. Nowadays, the about-to-be graduate knows what will and what is expected of her.
Students interested in embarking on their own internship may visit University of Hawaii at Hilo's Office of Applied Learning webpage.
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