My Farewell Presentation

BY: SHANIKA SCOTT

Why I Joined Pencil o My school administration was talking about the program and it caught my attention.

o I realized that this program will give me the opportunity to work in a professional setting, and

it will help me decide what career I want to take part in.

o If lucky, I knew I can land in an internship that I was interested in and get a better knowledge

of my possible career path.

o My summer wouldn’t be a total waste!

o I get to earn my own money.

The Process o It was a very intense process. We had to complete a lengthy online application. After that, we had to

participate in a group interview and I was extremely nervous.

o After being accepted as a fellow, we had to attend a series of seminars about resume writing,

business, and interviewing. They also gave us online lessons on how to use computer programs like

Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Outlook.

o This prepared us for the actual interview and the internship.

The Interview o I was so nervous for my interview but I knew Pencil prepared me for this day.

o My interviewer (Alyssa Afuang) made me feel so comfortable and the anxiety I had prior to

the interview went away!

o During the interview, Alyssa conveyed to me that she would be my supervisor if I get

accepted to the internship and I was so relieved because her persona is so joyful and I knew

that I was going to enjoy working with her.

First Day of Worko When I walked into the office on July 6th , I had butterflies in my stomach. Alyssa

told me in the interview that her coworkers are really nice but I was skeptical about

it.

o However, when I came in the HR department , everyone greeted me with a smile

and I was flabbergasted!

o I was also astounded that I got my own desk!

o The amount of typing I did was pretty overwhelming, but over time, I got accustom

to it.

o I was very shy , soft spoken, and sick.

My Experience at SOM o At first, the environment was so overwhelming because everyone was on the move and so

engaged to their work. However, it caused me to blend in and do the same.

o Some of my assignments were very simple and I completed them quickly, while some were not

so simple and time consuming.

o It took me a little while to warm up to everyone else besides Alyssa because I’m naturally shy.

She constantly encouraged me to talk to them and assist them with anything they needed help

with.

My Experience at SOMo While working in the HR department , I realized how vital this department is to SOM.

o With over 350 employees in the NY office and approximately 50-75 employees in the

Washington DC office, this HR department has to make sure that every employee’s

paperwork is updated and their that experience in this firm is as comfortable as possible.

o I also realized how down to earth my coworkers are!

o Alyssa gave me the opportunity to converse with two employees (a structural engineer

and an architect) to see what their career entails on the daily basis and learn about their

journey to this point in their career. This experience gave me a better understanding of

both fields and later on I will be able to choose which one I would like to study in college.

My Experience at SOM

o I am overly grateful to have the opportunity to visit some sites that SOM helped created.

o The first tour I went to was Mount Sinai Hess Center. I felt like an outcast because I was the only high school intern there, but that didn’t stop me from wanting to grasp information about this site.

o Attending this tour made me realize how challenging architecture was because there are so many aspects of medical center they had to figure out. I was so amazed of how the architects as well as the engineers and contractors built it from the bottom to the top.

o What caught my attention was their determination to be as “green” as possible. For examples, they painted all of the walls white to make the rooms brighter and to use less light.

o There are so many centers in this facility and SOM helped bring all of the equipment to the center for each department. They continue to make sure that this building is a safe environment for the patients, as well as the staff.

My Experience at SOM

o The second tour I went to was the construction site of Cornell Tech Campus on Roosevelt Island.

oWe had to wear big boots and hard hats in order to go on the tour .

oI went on a Tran for the first time and it was very stable .

oI learned about the different aspects of building this campus and how challenging it is.

oOur building will be the first one to finish. (2016)

Final Thoughts