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Meaningful Internship

Summer at Hillel International yields
a new sense of direction for the future.

Nate Strauss } jewish@edu writer

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received an offer to spend my summer in

Washington, D.C., working on a team of Hillel

ing about in September 2014. It
was a process I just couldn't wait to begin.

professionals tasked with showing the world
what Hillel does. It just so happened that I

Aside from being a degree requirement, I
really looked at an internship experience as

was sitting at a table at MSU Hillel, where I
have been very involved over my three years

important. I'm at a point in my life where I'm
not 100 percent sure what I want to do in the

on campus, when I got the offer, so it made
perfect sense to accept.

future, so I viewed this opportunity as a way
to help guide me in a direction.

My time at Hillel International in the
Schusterman International Center in the

So I updated my resume, cleaned up my

()

14.4. , 10111 P.

inding a good summer internship

was an endeavor I started think-

heart of Chinatown was absolutely amazing.

Linkedln profile and started to teach myself
how to write a cover letter. With those

Coming to work every day was just plain fun,
and I was surrounded by creative and excited

initiatives and after meeting with my field
experience adviser, I started to feel more

people. I got to design graphics, write press
releases and monitor news and social media. I

comfortable. Fast-forward to February, when
applications and postings started to go up. As

found everything I was looking for.
However, one thing I didn't know I was

I began searching for openings, I kept feeling I

looking for, also the best thing I got to do

wasn't finding the right internship for me.
I decided to establish some qualities that,
in an ideal internship, would be applicable. I
was looking for a unique geographical loca-

this summer, was being a part of a cohort of
interns from different departments around
the building. We gathered twice a week for
Jewish learning and professional develop-

tion. Whether that was close to home or
across the country, I knew I wanted to experi-
ence something other than a college town
or the suburbs. I also wanted a fun, laid-back
work atmosphere. Whenever a startup is fea-
tured in a magazine or online, there always
seems to be brightly colored walls, funky
furniture and interesting people. I definitely
wanted that.
My third quality was being able to do
actual work. I wanted to be held accountable
for my work and to have the opportunity to
be creative. I was and still am strongly against
the "coffee-fetching" idea that is associ-
ated with interns, so that just wasn't what I
searched for.
I had sent applications to a few places
that matched most of my criteria, but it
wasn't until I read the description for Hillel
International's communications internship
that I truly found what I was looking for.
Through an application and interview, I

ment, but the time we spent eating lunch
together in the National Portrait Gallery and
thinking about how we can make a difference
on our campuses is what I'll remember most
fondly. Not only did I learn from my supervi-
sor and other professionals, but I learned a
ton from my peers, both professionally and
personally.
The experience I've gained through my
internship and the exposure I've received
has helped me to secure the path I want to
take after I graduate in the spring. It's also
taught me much about myself, other cam-
puses around the world and how I can be a
better Jewish student leader. I found abso-
lutely everything I was looking for from Hillel
International, and I could not have imagined
experiencing the brutal D.C. heat and humid-
ity anywhere else. @

Nate Strauss of Farmington Hills is a senior

at Michigan State University.

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September 10 • 2015

MSU student Nate Strauss, left, with other Hillel
International summer interns. Lots of great ideas
for campus leadership were shared together.

