Week 2

Some skills that I have used at my internship is that i'm dedicated and can work with others.  I have been working with setting up IPads, but I work as a team with my boss and worked on a Java program which would automatically open and authenticate confirmation emails from apple.

Applying Work Readiness

The skill I have used most in the past two weeks of my internship is literacy. My "project" is to help the Agricultural Institute of Marin (AIM) get customers to correctly divide their trash. I wrote up a proposal on what I saw at various farmers markets and what I thought should be done about it. I learned that a formal write-up is an impressive and effective way for me to communicate. For me, this was a big success. I was also very diligent. One side project I was assigned was research on grant deadlines for AIM's permanent market. I found every date I could as well as a few new grants AIM could apply for. I know my work was appreciated. I learned that if I do what I'm asked as well as I can, my efforts will be noticed.

I'm not entirely sure which category this falls under, but I believe it is dedication. Two weeks into my internship, I'm still intimidated by an adult workplace. I tend to shirk away from challenges, and don't put myself out there very much. This has limited the amount of important tasks I have been given. My second weakness is probably a lack of professionalism. While the office is pretty darn casual, I have been late a time or two. No one seems to really notice, but it causes me to be a little flustered upon my arrival.

Blog #2

       At my internship at Spiral Water Technologies, a startup company that designs and builds automatic filtration systems, all my tasks are assigned by the Chief Technology Officer (CTO). My assignments are different each day and require application of different skills, some examples: communicating with clients, scanning and organizing files, research, writing research papers, designing parts with engineering software, and getting my hands dirty actually wiring and putting together the machines. It's very exciting, but the CTO is very busy so I need to be proactive and seek out work, asking what I can do and what I should be doing the next day in case he's in a meeting. This internship has really built my communication skills, because I have learned how to, in a professional way, stay in communication with my boss. I respond to emails and texts promptly, and when talking in person I'm direct, polite, and always clarify when I don't understand (engineering is not simple stuff). Another work readiness skill I use is dedication. My willingness to work on any given task with high levels of enthusiasm whether it's scanning or building, is really appreciated by those I work with, and makes me a dedicated intern. This week I was wiring the control box on a filter for an entire day, wire after wire. It may have been tedious, but I was learning and it was important to the success of their products, so I had to put in tremendous effort. When I had finished, I was proud of myself for staying focused, asking questions, and working hard; I felt accomplished and helpful. 

       A work readiness skill that caused me to work harder is honesty. In just two weeks, every time I've interned, I come across something new in the field of engineering that directly applies to my task, and I need to be honest and tell my coworkers "I don't understand." When interning, it's important to understand how much your supervisors think you know, and what their expectations are. In my case, I wasn't sure, but as someone who wants to make a good impression, I wanted them to be impressed with my background and experience, but I had to accept that I didn't know very much about filtration, and my engineering design class was nothing compared to their 20 years of experience and college degrees. It's important that I allow myself to be humbled, because that it means that I'm learning new things and not pretending like I understand. I realize now that they appreciate when I interrupt to ask questions, because it means I'm trying to understand and that I want to do it right.  

Blog #2 - Work Readiness Skills

I am working as a Microbiologist at Marin General Hospital. One of the tasks that I do when I am working in the microbiology lab is to isolate bacteria on blood plates. What this means is that I take a colony of bacteria and spread it onto blood agar that will allow the bacteria to grow. Once, I accidentally tore the blood agar and I immediately told my supervisor. My supervisor wasn't mad at me and told me even other scientists make the same mistake. What I learned from this was that you have to be own up to making a mistake from the get-go in order for your supervisor to keep your trust. Another task that I do is look at bacteria under a microscope. Once, I found bacteria on a low setting on the microscope but couldn't find it on a higher setting. I asked my supervisor to help me find the bacteria and when I did, he taught me a useful trick of how to find bacteria. What I learned from this was that there is no harm in asking for help if it means that you act with diligence. Asking for help can mean that you waste less time working on something if you have a lot to do or it can mean that you can learn new tricks to become more diligent. 


Being literate has held me back. My supervisor has asked me to read chapters from a college level text book. It was hard for me to understand what was being written because the language was hard for me to understand. The names of the bacteria and the large number of bacteria made the language harder for me to understand. Also, not having taken any biology courses made it harder for me to understand the material being presented.

Week 2 Homework

Because I have not yet started my internship with this program, I am going to write about an internship that I have had in the past. This internship was with the Marin Humane Society. During my internship there, although everyone there was incredibly friendly and respectful, they had me do all of the dirty work because I was not in a particularly high position. This meant that I would clean out the dirty dog kennels and do the laundry(not for the employees, for the dog beds and stuff). Instead of seeing this as a waste of my time, I decided that it was an opportunity for me to show them that I was dedicated and wanted to not only complete my tasks, but that I wanted to do so thoroughly. It also gave me a chance to use my communication skills because when I was finished with a task, I didn't want to be disrespectful by asking if I had to do anything else, so instead I asked if there was anything else that they wanted me to do. Sometimes when the other employees would give me a task that they wanted me to do in a specific way, I wouldn't quite understand them, and knowing that they are very busy, I would try not to ask them a question to clarify because I felt as though it would have been rude, which is something in the area of communication where I could have done better.

Goals, Habits, and Allies

Throughout my high school career, there are a few goals that I would like to accomplish. First, I hope to maintain at least a 4.15 GPA throughout my next two years of high shcool. I would also like to be accepted into a high school summer veterinarian program at a university next summer. I want to become a captain on my high school's varsity tennis team for my senior year of high school, and potentially become a captain on the varsity softball team. I would also like to obtain a leadership role in the STEM club my senior year of high school. By completing these goals during high school, I will be able to accomplish my bigger goal of being accapted into an excellent college, preferably UC Davis, Tufts, or Cornell.

Looking farther into the future, there are more things I hope to accomplish in my life. After college, I hope to get into veterinary school and obtain a degree. While, working on my degree and throughout college, I hope to get a job at an animal hospital as a veterinarian assisitant. Eventually, in the far future, I also hope to become a lead veterarian at an animal hosptial.

Some of my good habits that I have now include my diligence, dedication, and hard work when it comes to my school work. I am also reliable, punctual, agreeable, and honest. Another good quality that I possess is my good time management skills. There are also some habits that I hope to develop. I hope to become more outgoing and assertive when it comes to communicating with others.

Allies are important to completing my goals. Some current allies include my parents, Ms. Buchanan (my chemistry teacher), Ms. Boston (my tennis coach and PE teacher), and Ms. Berry (my physiology teacher). Some potential allies include the employees at VCA Madera Pet Hospital and San Anselmo Animal Hospital because they can teach me about the veterinary field.

Goals and Habits Blog #1

Short Term Goals: 

In this next year I hope to do my best in school and have that reflect positively through my grades.  I hope to become more involved in the community, like joining clubs at school,  doing volunteer work and maybe have another internship.  I hope to make new friends and develop on already existing relationships.  I want to practice in the fields that I currently am interested in such as photography, film and editing, and drawing and painting. 

Long Term Goals: 

Thinking in the long term is difficult since one cannot completely control their future. No matter what career or life style I am living, in the long term I strive to be happy. Hopefully I can achieve happiness while changing the world to work together as a stronger community through film and media. I want to bring awareness to global issues that affect all of us, even if it is indirectly. Bringing awareness to environmental and domestic issues could help the people of the world see the effect that we have on it and that we need to change our actions if the human race hopes to survive as a species. 

Good Habits:

I have a very creative and inventive mind while also having an artistic eye. If needed, I can be very organized and keep track of tasks and responsibilities. I am good at interacting with unknown people and having an open mind to others ideas and thoughts. I love to take in others ideas and expand on them myself or combine ideas into something better. 

Developing Habits:

Some skills that I need to work on include procrastination, communication and centering my focus. I struggle with procrastination because I get distracted with another project and forget about other important tasks. I need to work on my communication skills to people who have authority over me since I get nervous and timid and do not let my voice become heard.