Have you ever wondered what it would be like to move to a big new city for an internship? You know, like really step outside of your comfort zone and just go for it. Well, today’s #myinternhustle feature did just that. Hannah is a current student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who spent this past summer as an intern in Washington D.C. Read on to learn more about her adventure and what she loved most about her policy internship experience in a big new city.
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Name: Hannah Yohnk
Education: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Major: Political Science and Psychology/Minor: Gender and Women’s Studies, 2019
Did you have a dream job or specific career path in mind when you started college? If yes, what was it?
When I started college I wanted to major in genetics and become a physician. After taking some of those intense science classes, I realized that I really didn’t like it. I was left lost and not knowing what to do. After doing some self-reflection, I had realized that my passion lied in politics, so I switched to political science. Now I am on track to graduate on time and with a plan. I intend to have a career working in health policy and eventually run for office.
What internship(s) were a part of your Intern Hustle?
Summer 2018: Policy Intern at Women In Government
How did you get your internship(s)?
I was actually a part of an internship study away program through my school that brought me to Washington, D.C. for the summer. Even though I was accepted into the program, I was still responsible for securing my internship. I did a lot of my searching on LinkedIn and Google–both proved to be extremely useful resources that offered a lot of opportunities. My best advice is to apply early and often. I started applying for summer internships in January and I applied to over 25 different places. I also reached out to my network to see if anyone had leads or connections that could help me in my search.
Name the top three highlights from your Intern Hustle.
- I was able to grow my organizations Twitter following by over 10%.
- I was able to go with my office to the national conference we host every summer–they flew me to San Francisco all expenses paid.
- I got to live in a new city that I had never been to, Washington, D.C., and got to explore in my free time.
What is one of the biggest challenges you faced during an internship and what did you learn from it?
One of the biggest challenges I had during my internship was finding work to do during lulls. After our conference, there was some time where there wasn’t much for me to do. I was able to come up with my own project to keep myself occupied and I was able to help out some of my coworkers by lightening their workload.
What is the most unexpected skill you gained from an internship?
I wasn’t expecting to do so much work with social media, but I as a result of this internship I have gained a lot of social media skills and digital management.
What internship advice do you have for college students?
Make sure to connect with your coworkers and ask if they have any projects you can help on. I did this as soon as I got to my internship and I was able to help each person in my office on a project, which allowed me to leave with a portfolio of tangible work. Make sure to send them a handwritten thank you note at the end of your internship!
Did your desired career path shift at all based on your internship experience(s)? If yes, in what way?
No.
Were you offered a job as a result of your Intern Hustle? Tell us about it!
I wasn’t offered a job, but thanks to my connections I made at my summer internship I was able to get an internship for when I return to school!
And for the final question…What’s your party trick?
I can quote any episode of “Friends” and can even have entire conversations consisting of only “Friends” quotes.
(OMG, yes! This is my favorite scene from a “Friends” episode. Phoebe kills me!)
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If you’re interested in learning more about similar internship opportunities with Women in Government, click here.
Do you have a #myinternhustle story to share? Or do you know someone else who does? Email me and I’ll send you the details on how you can apply to be featured.
