Personal Narrative: My Internship With The Science Research Mentoring Program

I have been working as a STEM Ambassador for my college for over two years and have had many opportunities to make a difference within the community and be a role model. I believe it is vital to expose science to children early on, so they can grow up being interested in science and postulate about how they came make a difference in the world. Growing up, I never had exposure to enough science coming from a house with no college experience, therefore it wasn’t until after I graduated high school that I realized what I wanted to study. I wish I could go back to high school and take advantage of opportunities to learn more about science, which has made me want to give back to the community by hosting opportunities for students. No one had ever

When I entered high school, I knew I wanted to get involved. I was not sure what groups or clubs I wanted to join, I just knew I wanted to be involved with my community. I didn’t make much of an effort in the beginning years to truly engage myself in the various groups and clubs offered at my high school. I am not sure if I was intimidated, nervous about trying new things, or maybe even a little scared. I was upset with myself because I know I am not the person who sits back and lets things come to me. I realized I had to take the first step to figure out how and who I wanted to help. I was determined to get myself involved in my school, so I forced myself to go outside my comfort zone and be the leader I wanted to be.

An internship can also heighten the awareness of community issues, motivates to create opportunities, embrace new ideas, and give direction to positive change. A successful internship can provide valuable information in making decisions about the direction of future studies or employment. An internship is an opportunity to not only use and develop industry-related knowledge and skills, but also to enhance some of the skills that are transferable to any professional work setting. For some people, the internship is the first introduction to the world of work. No matter where the skills and understanding of professionalism lie, internship is a chance to develop them even further.

In 9th grade, I began tutoring every Tuesday after school and this continued through 10th grade. During that time, I discovered that my students had a negative disposition towards science. Many saw science as "boring." I wanted to change that idea, to help them realize the wonders of science, to prove that science is fascinating and entertaining. The following summer, I prepared my proposal and pitched my ideas to Mr. Terrence Davis, Director of the Boys and Girls Club of Hopkinsville.

The Jersey City Summer Internship Program has given me a chance to experience my first job. They graciously enough placed us in Brown Brothers Harriman Bank. Let me tell you, I would not be anywhere else. This place is candy land for me, to learn and understand how systems/technology works. But, not only am I grateful for this knowledge and experience, I appreciate the way it was organized. Jason, the way you organized this event was spectacular and it incorporated some hands on experience, not just listening to specific instructions. Besides the work life, you’ve given me advice for college and how to balance your private life with work, so you don’t stress yourself out. You put a spin on every task I do, which makes me confident and takes

I have had the opportunity to be in constant contact with many great Texas A&M mentors (current and former students) since my Junior year at high school. My mentors definitely have made an impact and set the ground work that influenced me in becoming involved in leadership activities at Texas A&M University. During my high school junior and senior years they assured me that becoming involved in leadership activities and student life would set a great foundation and empower me with the Aggie pride.

Learning is by far the most valuable tool today. Knowledge is the stepping stone that allows people to excel beyond their previous circumstances and aim for greatness. As President of my school’s Science National Honor Society, I helped start a local outreach to an elementary school called Innovation Charter two years ago; this year, we received a grant from the American Chemical Society to fund our project, allowing us to impact the school even more than last year. Innovation Charter is full of students with low socioeconomic statuses, so our goal is to bring quality education to children who aren’t afforded those benefits. While at the school, we perform a myriad of fun and interactive science experiments and explain the scientific principle

For the past several months, my internship has been at a standstill. Although, recently things have started to move along. Connection with my mentor was not the best, but now it has been re-established. I know now which days are best for my mentor, which days have the most customers who seek naturopathic advice, and my mentor is giving me access to reading materials. These materials and time spent with my mentor will give me much needed knowledge about naturopathic and holistic solutions to ailments.

2. My mission as a high school science teacher is to inspire a passion for learning by making education relevant and fun. In order to accomplish this, I want to motivate and encourage students to discover and explore scientific concepts that shape and define the world around them. My goal is to create a safe, positive, and open environment that promotes life-long learning by providing students with the resources and knowledge neccessary to help them question the world around them through scientific inquiry. In addition to creating a fun and engaging environment that encourages students to explore the the

When I think of science, I reflect back to the day after having lunch in the cafeteria, sitting in my Science class looking in a microscopes thinking to myself, “how will I touch this frog in the pan,’ waiting for me to dissect. This is when I envision myself as a mad scientist working on my experiment like Albert Einstein proving my theory on frogs as correct but yet at the same time showing the world how talented and smart I was identifying frog organs. Years ago, my science class participated in a project to find out about each student blood type. We each pricked our thumb and swabbed it on a piece of paper and placed a chemical solution on our blood to determine our blood type. This was exciting because we each wanted to know our blood typed and how would it match my parent blood type. This not only made me exciting about learning science, it made me interesting about learning about physical science

I had no Idea what to expect whenever I first joined the scholars program, it honestly made me feel nervous and intimidated by many of the professors. Throughout the months though, I have grown comfortable with my classmates and the area of the college. Joining the scholars program was probably one of the best things I could have done as a freshman in college.

I am the president of UW’s “Adult Role Models in Science” club, whose goal is to encourage Wisconsin’s youth to explore topics in the STEM field. From my participation in youth outreach, I realized that the curiosity and excitement that the elementary and middle school students have when learning about these STEM topics also makes me more passionate about scientific research.

At the end of my first semester at Ramapo College, my eldest sister turned to me and asked about my winter plans. Of course, I hadn’t thought much about my plans for the break until she emphasized the value of gaining experience through different internships that would help me secure a job after graduation. I spent most of the month working on resumes, evaluating my activities on campus, and crafting basic cover letters.

Science has fascinated me from when I was just beginning to learn about and process the world around me. I have early memories of doing chores with my mother and having her talk to me about botany or anatomy. Of course, it was simply the basics, but nonetheless, I was always asking “why” or “how.” In 2011, my elementary school took part in a National Science League competition, and I won first place in my grade. The pride I felt when I was called up was incomparable to any other previous achievements. As I stood in front of my school, a small fourth grader with her first medal around her neck, I realized that I wanted to keep feeling this, and the only way I could do that was if I kept pursuing science. The following year, I heard about the Illinois Mathematics and Science

I believe an internship experience and an on-going relationship with an industry mentor would foster my passion for teaching. This would have a positive impact on student learning, enhance my leadership and instructional skills and contribute in the development of new resources. The internship experience would be a critical component to learning facilitation, as it would enable me to bring my career knowledge into the classroom, which would increase student exposure to “real world” learning.