This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to be a Development Intern at Mākena Golf & Beach Club on the beautiful island of Maui. Through this stellar experience, I gained major insight into the development process and gained a deeper understanding about the major controversy surrounding the development of such a precious island. It was a daunting experience at first—given that this was my first internship—but the knowledge gained and skills developed improved my professionalism and employability AND peaked my interest in the field of development, all within a ten-week internship.
Stay Eager to Experience and Live to Learn.
Although this was my first internship, my drive to learn and explore the field demonstrated my ambition to grow as an intern within the development realm. I worked on various projects with a variety of implications and details to consider. I worked primarily on community outreach by helping the general public understand the goals of each project and future practices to ensure sustainability and feasibility. Since development on Maui is seen as a community effort, I learned how important it is to remain in the good graces of everyone, not just the target market.
With Proper Time-Management, Summers Can Be Busy and Fun.
On top of my internship, I took Statics, a fundamental engineering class, this summer. While it was a ton of homework and a total of four exams, I still had time to go out with friends weekly and regularly spend time with family. Summer classes are great ways to keep your mind and routine in a semi-school mode, so transitioning back to the fall semester is not as difficult. While Statics was a challenge, I cleared one class from my fall schedule and learned so much this summer.
Take Time for Reflection.
Overall, this summer was full of the “work hard, play hard” mindset. I worked hard during my internship and while completing my class, but surfed and had a blast with buddies on a weekly basis. Keeping up with all of these commitments develops a plethora of essential skills that will benefit me during the school year and in my professional career. As this summer comes to a close, heading back to USC is a bittersweet experience. As much as I love being on summer mode, it’s time to hit the books again. See you all on campus! Fight On!
