I recall back during my interview for CAUSE in February of this year when they asked me why I ranked having an internship in a non-profit sector as my first choice, the public sector second, and the private sector last and in all honesty I was quite unsure of what the differences were. So yes, I did stumble a bit during this part of my interview but I still made it through the list!
I also recall reading the email that informed us of our host office placements and as I read the words “Your summer internship placement will be at the Office of Governor Newsom, Los Angeles Office,” I felt a whole flurry of emotions. I was nervous, anxious, scared, worried, confused, but more importantly I was absolutely ecstatic. Me? A first-generation, low-income student, interning for THE Governor of California? I couldn’t believe it.
As much as I felt proud of being placed with the governor, the feeling of imposter syndrome was overwhelming. How could I possibly be good enough to intern at his office? What if I make a fool of myself? What if I had no clue of what I was doing? These were the questions that kept repeating in my head, until my first day at the office (virtually). On my first day I met with my supervisor, Vanessa, who is an absolute joy. She is so full of energy and is clearly passionate and proud of the work she does at the governor’s office. Her energy makes me feel comfortable asking for help when I need it, which is something that I struggle with, so I’m incredibly thankful to my supervisor for creating enough room for me to overcome that struggle.
My first day did not involve me doing much work, I simply had to get familiar with the governor’s office by reading through an intern handbook and looking over a chart that listed every position in the governor’s office. The second day I was assigned to do two memos and to attend a meeting and take notes, which seemed simple enough, but before this internship I had absolutely no idea what a memo was. Thankfully, my supervisor had plenty of references for me to follow!
Because my internship placement is within the Governor’s External Affairs team, we meet with lots of different non-profits, local government officials, etc. to hear about the work they are doing and to provide them with any state updates that can be beneficial towards the work they do. In order to be best prepared for the meetings we have with each individual/organization, memos have to be written beforehand to understand the values of the people we are meeting with. I am also responsible for taking notes during the meetings, updating our spreadsheets with the contact information of the people we meet with, and sending follow up emails.
It’s quite an amazing experience hearing some of the important work that other people are out there doing. Many of the organizations we meet with are working to fight against climate change, providing crucial resources to the unhoused, or uplifting a minority population. It’s been quite a rollercoaster of emotions interning at the governor’s office but I couldn’t be more thrilled and thankful for such an amazing opportunity!