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By Nate Piggush, Community Initiatives Intern, Marketing Department
Nate is a senior at Purdue University, studying communications and marketing. Nate has worked at the museum since February 2015. Nate loves the museum, especially running the carousel. When not working or interning, Nate enjoys NFL football, reading, and spending time with his delightful collection of friends.
Prospective interns are inundated with information and articles on internships that lead them to expect their work to mean nothing, their voices to mean even less, and to leave their position as a high-level barista. However, my experience at The Children's Museum this summer has been quite different and has shown me that the value of any internship lies in accepting opportunity, a willingness to listen, and being forward thinking.
The culture at the museum is one of cooperation and inclusion. The entire Community Initiatives team was extremely accepting and open to questions regarding the importance of the work I was doing and its purpose in the future. Throughout the summer, I researched projects, developed database skills, and participated in outreach events vital to my professional development. Because purpose and meaning were always openly communicated, I was able to see the current and future value in each opportunity.
My primary focus over the summer was researching several health care related topics pertaining to low-income membership options. Connecting and listening to my co-workers made the importance of that research very clear. Even though this work in particular was not directly related to my major, the perspective shared by my team, and my willingness to see everything as an opportunity, put the future value of my work at the forefront of my mind.
By the end of the summer, I found myself marketing and communicating that project to several state officials, including the commissioner of the Family and Social Services Administration.
Understanding purpose, seeing beyond yourself and piecing together “the big picture” is an indispensable tool no matter what you study. Internships should be seen as an opportunity to hone this essential skill. I am glad I embraced it and had such a willing and charismatic team to lead my growth. The positive end result of my projects and experience will build over time, but because I made the effort to listen and appreciate the chances in front of me, I will always value the work I did here.
