As summer began, seniors Katie Lee, Simi Patel, and Micah Swidler swapped backpacks for spreadsheets, lab coats, and scrubs, proving that adulthood does not always wait until graduation. Internships offer students a glimpse of both the excitement and pressure that comes with the job the students plan to pursue, Patel explained.
Patel used the summer as a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in neurosurgery and neurological research in the neurosurgery operating room at University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC). The lack of schoolwork and the stress she felt from it allowed Patel to focus better, she said.
“During the summer, your mind is more clear, and you’re able to better grasp what you’re learning and taking away,” Patel said. “It’s easier to take time to [reflect on] what you learned, saw, and did.”
Patel found her experience to be intense and unpredictable, requiring her to stay alert and adaptable. Her most notable moments came from patient interactions, which allowed her to work closely with others in a high-pressure environment.
“My most memorable experience [was] working with this little girl who was getting a tumor [removed],” Patel said. “Getting to talk and play with her in the recovery center was nice.”
Summer interning gave Lee confidence, professional skills, and a clearer sense of direction. Lee’s role as a seasonal tax accountant for Starr M. Robinson and Associates, P.C., showed her how early workplace experience can build maturity and expand networks. Though the work initially felt daunting, Lee stayed motivated to do her best and get the job done.
“[My internship] taught me to persevere because it was a draining job,” Lee said. “[There were times] where I wanted to quit and dreaded going to work, but because it was a professional job, I had to keep working. [The feeling when I] finished [my] work was my incentive to keep on working.”
For Swidler, being a dental intern at New Age Dental was an eye-opener into the daily realities of dentistry. The effort Swidler put in helped him grow personally, especially in seeing the importance of connecting with potential mentors, he said.
“[The internship showed me] that you need to reach out to someone [and] if you have an interest in something, just go for it,” Swidler said.
