From Cautious to Confident: How My EESI Internship Set Me up for My Career | Article

Coming into the EESI Communications/Policy internship, I didn’t really know what to expect. The few things I did know were:

I was passionate about climate change solutions
I was excited to learn more about communications within a nonprofit
I was interested in learning more about environmental policy.

Over the course of my internship, I learned so much about the environmental policy space, but I also learned so much about the career path I wanted to pursue post-graduation. As most people at EESI can attest, I was nervous about my future and what I wanted to do when I could no longer wear the title of ‘University of Maryland Student.’ Luckily, I had the privilege of navigating through this uncertainty with some of the most caring and genuine people I’ve met—the EESI staff.

This internship experience was truly like none other. The obvious difference is that it was all remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The less obvious difference is the amount of professional development work we did. As interns, we were met with a full 16-week itinerary of guest speakers and professional development informational sessions. Every week, I added another tool to my tool kit and built a sense of confidence that I will surely carry with me after the internship. We covered topics such as learning how to stand out in an interview, better our LinkedIn profiles, create our own personal websites, and other important professional skills. We also had the opportunity to learn from weekly guest speakers who had a wide variety of careers in the climate, policy, sustainability, and natural resources spaces, all of whom were more than willing to share their career paths and give us valuable advice on how to navigate post-grad life.

In addition to growing as a professional, I came out of every meeting with a new personal connection to someone who would be happy to chat with me if I ever needed advice. Learning from amazing guest speakers, in addition to the already incredible EESI staff, was an experience I am so lucky to have had.

I can’t understate how grateful I am to have had the opportunity to intern at EESI. Not only are they some of the kindest and most helpful people I’ve met, but it is evident that every person at EESI wants to help their interns succeed both during and after the internship. Although I am sad to be leaving such an incredible organization, I know that this isn’t the end of the connections I’ve formed. I will be applying the skills I learned here to every aspect of my life and I am excited to be able to update the EESI staff as I continue in my career.

From a worried senior to a confident professional, I can honestly say I have grown so much throughout my internship. This intrapersonal growth wouldn’t have been possible without the support, encouragement, and guidance from the EESI staff.

Author: Kimmie Skinner