LINK Internship
At Animas High School, Juniors have a special opportunity call LINK. LINK stands for Leading Internships for New Knowledge, where juniors spend three week at an internships in the field of their choice. Juniors spend 30-40 hours a week with mentors in the workplace, learning how to apply their skills outside the classroom. For more information, visit ahsinternships.weebly.com.
My LINK Intership
CiMiAtch: Cindy Miller Atchison Design
My internship was at Cindy Miller Atchison Design, a graphic design company with an emphasis on identity. I chose this internship because I love art and I have an interest in graphic design. https://www.cindyatchison.com/ |
My Project: Ohana Kuleana Community Garden Website
Preparation and Anticipation
Fall update (10/10/19):
I am excited to go on LINK internship but I am also nervous and stressed out that I won't find an internship in time. I am currently interested in STEM fields, more specifically math and engineering. I think biomedical engineering is pretty cool. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to get to explore my interests before college. I am concerned that I won't like my internship, but I still think it will be a great learning experience. I have reached out to several facilities to gain a deeper understanding of what interning at their business would be like. Next I am working towards touring those places and setting up a concrete idea of what I want to do.
I am excited to go on LINK internship but I am also nervous and stressed out that I won't find an internship in time. I am currently interested in STEM fields, more specifically math and engineering. I think biomedical engineering is pretty cool. I am really looking forward to the opportunity to get to explore my interests before college. I am concerned that I won't like my internship, but I still think it will be a great learning experience. I have reached out to several facilities to gain a deeper understanding of what interning at their business would be like. Next I am working towards touring those places and setting up a concrete idea of what I want to do.
Winter update (1/13/20):
I have set up an internship with Ryan Finnegan but my engineering teacher Kurt Pattison thinks I need a more challenging internship and to explore other options. I am going to look for a more challenging internship and explore my options.
I have set up an internship with Ryan Finnegan but my engineering teacher Kurt Pattison thinks I need a more challenging internship and to explore other options. I am going to look for a more challenging internship and explore my options.
Spring update (4/30/20):
Due to the growing COVID-19 pandemic my internship has drastically changed. I originally had taken an internship at the MakerLab in Durango, Colorado with Ryan Finnegan but I went to visit my dad, who live in Hawaii, for spring break and am now stuck on the island. I will not be able to take an internship with Ryan. I am interested in graphic design and marketing so instead I will be taking a remote internship with Cindy Atchison from Cindy Miller Atchison Design. I am excited to explore design with Cindy. I hope to learn graphic design skills and to explore this passion.
Due to the growing COVID-19 pandemic my internship has drastically changed. I originally had taken an internship at the MakerLab in Durango, Colorado with Ryan Finnegan but I went to visit my dad, who live in Hawaii, for spring break and am now stuck on the island. I will not be able to take an internship with Ryan. I am interested in graphic design and marketing so instead I will be taking a remote internship with Cindy Atchison from Cindy Miller Atchison Design. I am excited to explore design with Cindy. I hope to learn graphic design skills and to explore this passion.
LINK Reflection
For my LINK Internship, I worked with Cindy Miller Atchison Design to develop my skills of graphic design and marketing. My prior ability to think critically and creatively while working towards a goal assisted me in designing a website for the Ohana Kuleana Community Garden. I developed many new skill from my LINK Internship. My ability to communicate with clients, especially those from a different generation, grew immensely during my internship. I participated in several meetings in which I had to present my work and apply critiques to build the clients vision for their website. This also allowed me to present new applications to the clients to make it simpler for them to update and make it easier for viewer to contact them.
My biggest challenge was learning to work with new technology. For this project I had to quickly learn how to operate Wix, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. I had to adapt quickly towards the new technology to create a product that I was proud of and would please the clients. I was able to ask Cindy for clarification when I needed it but I relied on trial and error a majority of the time. Thankfully I picked up on all three applications quickly and was able to produce my vision.
I was very thankful for Cindy's mentorship and it opened new doors and opportunities for me. After my internship I applied the knowledge I grew from LINK and was able to update a local urgent care's website in Hawaii. Working in a professional setting with Cindy allowed me to take a glimpse at the future, it also allowed me to see the flexibility within the job of graphic designer. I was considering mostly STEM related jobs prior towards LINK but after my internship with Cindy I would love to look more into graphic design. My internship helped me explore a career I wasn't necessarily interested in and opened my eyes to something new.
Makana North Shore Urgent Care
My biggest challenge was learning to work with new technology. For this project I had to quickly learn how to operate Wix, Adobe Illustrator, and Adobe Photoshop. I had to adapt quickly towards the new technology to create a product that I was proud of and would please the clients. I was able to ask Cindy for clarification when I needed it but I relied on trial and error a majority of the time. Thankfully I picked up on all three applications quickly and was able to produce my vision.
I was very thankful for Cindy's mentorship and it opened new doors and opportunities for me. After my internship I applied the knowledge I grew from LINK and was able to update a local urgent care's website in Hawaii. Working in a professional setting with Cindy allowed me to take a glimpse at the future, it also allowed me to see the flexibility within the job of graphic designer. I was considering mostly STEM related jobs prior towards LINK but after my internship with Cindy I would love to look more into graphic design. My internship helped me explore a career I wasn't necessarily interested in and opened my eyes to something new.
Makana North Shore Urgent Care