Fagan: Post 3

For my third meeting, I met with my dad to talk about internships. At the time, I was trying to decide what to do for my internship. I was discouraged, as things were not going the way that I had hoped. During our time in discussion, my dad encouraged me to spread the net wide. He told me to apply for many internships, even if it was not my top choice. He reminded me that you will not always instantly get the internship you want, so you need other options. Further, he encouraged me to go big. It is not often that you get to participate in an internship, you might as well go big. Before that conversation, I was just looking to get my internship out of the way. I did not really care where or what my internship was, as long as I checked a box.

After our discussion, I spread my net wider and went for more interesting internships. I applied for some congressional internships, a human rights organization in Switzerland, and a campaign in New Zealand. It was difficult finding an internship, as I did not have a lot of time. My problem was that I had a tough schedule for the summer. I am participating in the Iron Sharpens Iron program here at Wheaton this summer and I play football, so I was searching for an internship in a very specific time frame. I got turned down from several internships because of this and it was disheartening. I felt like it was hopeless. My dad encouraged me to continue to apply and persist. He said that I had a good resume and skills, someone is bound to want me even if I only have a limited amount of time.

Finally, I had a breakthrough and I was accepted to an internship. It was the campaign that I had applied for in New Zealand. It is going to be a great experience for me and a lot of fun, as my family has friends in New Zealand. Without my dad’s encouragement, I probably would have given up on an internship this summer and worried about it later. Instead, I got a great internship and I am looking forward to working this summer. I am glad that I have someone in my life to encourage me to keep going even if something is not working out, to press on. Thankfully, I got an internship as a result.