My internship in Boston: A cold, snowy & busy February

Dear readers,

It is on this cold February evening that I am writing this blog entry, and for a change, I want to start this chapter of my journey in Boston with a quote: 'Every day is a new beginning, stay away from what might have been and look at what can be'. I wanted to start this blog with this quote as over the past couple of days I have had to find strength to get up and fight pain every day. So to everyone reading this, tomorrow is a new day, try to start afresh.

Since my last blog entry, a lot has been happening at work and it has been giving me a chance to once again look back at how much everything has changed and evolved since the beginning of my internship 8 months ago.

Over the past couple of weeks, my language skills, international relations and hard work have been put to use. As I mentioned in my previous blog entry for the first time, Career Services was hosting a group of international employers at this Career Fair.

Prior to their arrival, I created a guide/ information packet containing useful information that they would require to have prior to their visit at Northeastern.

I created this document thinking about my arrival in Boston last June, the first few days where I was confused, so I went back thinking about the information I would have liked to have when I first arrived in this new city. I not only looked at this document from a 'tourist' perspective but also from a 'professional' angle. This creation was challenging as I never went on a business trip so I didn't know what the expectations could be. As a result, I investigated possible expectations with my colleagues and through research on this topic.

Following this creation, it was time for the employers to arrive on Campus and make the most of their time at Northeastern! The day prior to the fair, some of the invited employers flew in from Europe and wanted more information prior to the events that were scheduled on campus. It was the occasion for me to use networking skills I have been learning over the past couple of months. The meetings with the various employers we hosted at the fair were a great experience and a great way to connect with professionals from diverse sectors in different regions of the world.

In this particular case, I was able to assist a group of French/Swiss employers by speaking French with them. I believe that this helped them to feel more open with the team and share their needs and feedback.

To welcome the employers to our Fair and to thank them for travelling to Boston, we hosted a reception welcome dinner at the Cheesecake Factory

Hosting Global Employers at Northeastern helped me to achieve some of my learning goals. I have been able to expose myself to a more diverse environment and make the most of the opportunities that were open to me while all of the employers were on Campus. I realized that with this specific type of event I have been able to develop in-person communication skills; more specifically I feel more mature and confident as an individual and as a professional. Throughout this really busy period I have also noticed that I have developed and enhanced self-management and personal skills. I have been able to prove myself with time and task management, prioritize skills and objective setting; as well as improving my self-awareness and self-appraisal. I have further been able to develop my assertiveness and research skills. I believe that over the course of the employers’ visits I have made an effective use of available resources but mostly used my creativity and initiative towards different projects.

After a really busy week with the career fair, we had another day of employers visiting our campus; this was the occasion for me to work with more diverse employers and meet with entrepreneurs from Israel. I attended the workshop they were giving to Northeastern Students and I felt more empowered to pursue my own dreams.

The rest of the week was for me really difficult physically and personally as I had some health issues that kept me away from work so, with that being said, I am going to go get more rest and get ready for a new week.