As my time with TICF comes to an end, I am thankful to have had the opportunity to intern with an organization that values and respects people. My involvement with the TICF Book Club, the trip to the Shoppa’s Dealership, and time spent working in person at the office has taught me lessons that will last a lifetime.

My three big takeaways from this summer are Genchi Genbutsu, the importance of collaboration, and asking for help.

The concept of Genchi Genbutsu taught me that to truly understand a problem I must go and see it for myself. Having the opportunity to work in the office, where I was able to walk over to team member’s workstations to ask for help with our project was extremely beneficial. Those working beside me provided helpful tips and tricks, allowing me to gain deep knowledge and finish my final project on time.

My fellow interns and I worked together and helped each other out throughout the summer. I learned from those around me as they shared what worked and did not work for them. Active communication was key to the success of my internship. The leadership team at TICF remained in constant communication with me to ensure I was constantly learning without the fear of making mistakes.

These are life lessons that I know I will carry with me into my academic and professional career. I will start my junior year of college with the mindset that seeing the source of the problem, collaboration, and asking for help are keys to success. I will implement lessons I learned from my internship experiences into the group projects that I know I will have in the fall. I plan on listening to each member’s opinions to ensure every voice is heard before reaching a consensus.

This summer taught me that there is power in collaboration, and I am looking forward to practicing it in the coming years.