During high school, I went through many different experiences. As a freshman I was given the opportunity to assist with the Mayor’s Intern Program. So many things got in my way that I wasn’t able to apply to the program my junior year. After that year, Education Opens Doors (EOD) came around and, as ironic as it might sound, this internship actually opened a door for me.
At my high school, Hillcrest High School, I am in a four year program called the Academy of Engineering. This program requires students to have at least one internship in order to be NAF Certified (NAF is an organization that provides different programs for students in high school in order to be future ready). NAF solves some of the biggest challenges facing education and the economy by bringing education, business and community leaders together to transform the high school experience.
Many internships were offered to me, either with for-profit or nonprofit organizations. I decided to explore a nonprofit internship and Education Opens Doors (EOD) was the one I chose. Knowing nothing but the fact that it was about education and helping others, EOD caught my attention. I went to the website and found out more. I learned that EOD was more than just an internship for me this summer, it was an opportunity for me to learn about different obstacles that might stand in my way through high school and college and about things I can do to avoid facing these obstacles.
After many applications and revisions I became a member of the Education Opens Doors team. I really appreciate the EOD team and this opportunity. I have the good fortune of not only updating my résumé but also experiencing a real work-life routine.
At EOD I am working on a photo shoot with local Dallas youth in order to update the pictures that EOD uses in the book and powerpoints. I am working with a mentor-photographer for advice on how to perform this task successfully. I am also reviewing the book to double check what will improve it and what can we change and replace. I’ve learned many different ways to stay up to date with the different projects I was working on. At first it was a huge challenge for me to keep organized, but my team, especially Celestino, helped me and taught me to use different apps and ways to keep organized. I will not lie–I am still learning and trying to keep up with my plans. Google Queues was one of the main systems that helped me be more organized and on task.
Through this program, I really wanted to obtain new skills such as time management, project planning and organizational skills. I have been able to develop these skills as I have done most of the planning for big projects such as the photo-shoot and book editing. These skills are the best ones I have adapted professionally for school use and for the future. These skills do not just help me professionally, but they saved me tons of time.
Overall I really appreciate everything. I hope that Education Opens Doors goes really far with such a great cause in helping out students!
