i.am Angel Intern Shares Past Internship Experience

In the summer of 2018, the i.am Angel Foundation was excited to host 7 students from the STEM Academy of Boyle Heights High School for an internship. Throughout their 4 weeks, students were given with various assignments related to the everyday functions of a non-profit.

Arturo Sanchez, a student at the STEM Academy of Boyle Heights High School, shares his experience interning at the i.am Angel Foundation last summer, what he learned during his time with us, and the advice he would give future interns.

i.am Angel Foundation: What did you do while Interning at I.Am.Angel?

Arturo Sanchez: “I was part of the strategy group. I worked with another student from school and we did various things. We researched grants, made edits to documents the other groups were putting together, and we helped the other groups if they needed anything.”

IAA: How was your experience interning at i.am Angel Foundation?

AS: “The experience was pretty good. They made us talk to different companies, and it gave getting my first experience on how to approach organizations and tell them about myself and our robotics team. It was also great getting to talk to people that work at these companies and see what their daily work experiences are like.”

IAA: What advice would you give other future interns to do well on their internship?

AS: “My advice would be to have good communication skills because you will need to communicate with a lot of people, inside and outside the workspace. Also make sure you have good managing skills, because what they made us do was basically planning out and executing ideas and seeing if they worked.” 

IAA: What did you learn while interning and how can you put that to use?

AS: “I learned how to communicate in a professional environment. The communication that is used in an everyday environment was great to learn, because as you get older the more settings are going to change around me and I’ll be able to adapt. Learning to talk to professionals helps me make a better impression about myself.”

IAA: What problems did you come across while working and how did you get around them?

AS: “One of the issues I faced was my role. Because I was in charge of strategizing and planning with the other groups, it was hard to be put into a leadership position. I found it hard because I’m not that much of a leader, so i just had to force myself to do a good job and make sure everything was doable and figuring out how to plan with my group partner.”

IAA: Do you feel like this internship helped you out for other internships?

AS: “Yes, this internship helped me out with the current one that I am doing with Beaudry. Like I said earlier, communicating and figuring out how to help working in a professional environment was an advantage for me. Without interning at the i.am Angel Foundation, I probably wouldn’t know how to give a good impression in a professional setting for the people that I’m working with.”

IAA: How has the internship impacted you as a person?

AS: “The biggest impact it gave me was adding to my work experiences. It also showed me act professionally when I’m around people and how to work efficiently because we were focused with multiple tasks and time management.”

IAA: Do you wish to intern here again one day?

AS: “I would. If the assignments they gave us were new and not the same as the year I interned, then I would do it again. I would want to try new things so I can be challenged and learn something new.

This interview was written and conducted by Emmanuel Sanchez.