Caitlyn is a MPIA student at the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA) with a focus on human security. She is ASA's media intern responsible for the development of blogs for ASA's Voices from the Shadows blog and podcasts for the organization. She is also working to increase the organization's engagement on all social media platforms.
As the summer winds down and my summer internship comes to an end, I offer a reflection on my internship experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.
COVID made its known entrance into the United States when grad school acceptance letters began to arrive. COVID ravaged the United States as decision day crept up on me. After deciding on Pitt’s graduate program, it quickly followed that the decision was made of an entire year of online schooling. I struggled with imposter syndrome combined with the isolation from COVID restrictions. The only connections made were with the small square boxes of my classmates during Zoom calls.
What followed was the dread of my looming internship requirement. As COVID cases continued to rise in the area. I was flooded with feelings of uncertainty and anxiety. The internship applications were one after another. I had cover letters mastered, and rejection became second nature. With the world all online, the competition widened, encompassing anyone with access to the internet. At the end of my spring semester, I discovered ASA, an impressive organization I was surprised I had not yet heard about. After reading ASA’s mission statement as well as some of their work, I felt motivated to be an intern for their organization.
I was welcomed by founders Dr. Louis Picard and Pauline Greenlick with optimism and understanding. I was given the flexibility needed for a graduate student juggling an internship, a part-time job, and the weight of an endless pandemic. My passion for human rights and the security of vulnerable groups made me especially eager to intern for ASA. Not only have I gained skills regarding my writing and use of social media platforms, but I had the pleasure of working with people dedicated to the cause. The stories of those ASA has impacted in Uganda will live with me forever as I pursue my career in nonprofit and human rights work.
At whatever stage in our lives that we are experiencing what seems like this endless pandemic, none of us remain unaffected. At 24, there is a lot I do not know, but what I do know is in the two years I’ve been living through this pandemic I’ve learned the immense importance of compassion for one another.
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