Thank you to Aylinne and Erika, our 2018 ‘B’ BOLD Internship Awardees. It was a blast working and volunteering with you. Good luck on your senior year!
Goodbye and Good Luck – A ‘B’ BOLD Exit Interview
Q: In your own words, explain what this experience meant to you.
Aylinne: My experience here at Clearinghouse CDFI is greatly significant in my personal and professional life. I feel as if this internship has been such a valuable experience as it has helped me develop technological skills and communication techniques.
Erika: My overall experience at Clearinghouse CDFI has been valuable to me because I have gained an insight in how this company has positively impacted the community and its staff members. Through events such as ‘B’ Day, the entire staff dedicate their time to volunteering at nonprofit organizations and many other places. It has truly been an honor to work at a company that values their staff and emphasizes their mission through actions. Furthermore, as an intern for the ‘B’ Bold 2018 Award Program, I am grateful for the freedom I had in every project to show my creativity and the scholarship which I will use for my education in college.
Q: What was the most challenging aspect of your internship and why?
Aylinne: As time progressed and we adapted to our work space, I came to the realization that my technological skills had improved in such a small amount of time. As a fast learner myself, my computer skills have drastically improved over the past month.
Erika: The work and staff at Clearinghouse CDFI were all supportive and flexible. However, transportation was occasionally difficult.
Q: What were the strong points of your internship experience?
Aylinne: Being an intern this summer taught me that I can do anything that I put my mind to and the importance of having good mentors. All the staff was really great with offering assistance any time I needed it.
Erika: This internship has provided me with a platform to exercise my communication and time management skills and build self confidence to tackle any work assigned to me. I loved interacting with the staff at Clearinghouse CDFI and the college interns. Most definitely, a scheduled lunch between staff and interns would be an awesome idea to get to know more about each other. Last but not least, I’ve demonstrated leadership by personally interacting with my mentor to receive feedback on my submitted work and helping Aylinne adjust to the work that she missed out on.
Q: What are your goals for the next year and beyond?
Aylinne: As of right now, my goals for next year are mainly preparing for a four year university and eventually graduating college. Career-wise, I’m still uncertain of what my future holds, but I do plan on pursuing a professional setting that also takes part in creativity.
Erika: I plan to graduate from Godinez Fundamental High School and gain admittance to UC Berkeley by continuing to stay involved in extracurricular activities, volunteering in my community center, and searching for scholarships that may be available to me. After being admitted into the University of my choosing, I plan to live on campus and interact with other young adults to make friends. Ten into the future, I envision myself with a stable career next to my husband and kids, living in a comfortable house.
Q: What would you say to the next group of students applying for this internship?
Aylinne: To the next group of students applying for this internship, I say that you should manage your time wisely and that you should take advantage of the many opportunities that this internship has to offer. Every aspect of the internship has some sort of impact on your growth and understanding of what it takes to help your community. Every little piece of information is crucial to the entire process of making a loan and one can really use this learning in the near future or just for experience.
Erika: In order to be successful for this internship, an intern must not be afraid to reach out for help to their mentors or any other staff member. If necessary, it is okay to ask for an extension in order to complete an assignment. Interns should also take the liberty to ask questions during every meeting with the different departments to clarify any points of confusion. Last but not least, this internship is not intended to stress anybody out; therefore, have fun and interact with everyone around.
Q: Do you have any final words you’d like to share with Clearinghouse CDFI staff?
Aylinne: Thank you to all Clearinghouse CDFI staff. I truly felt welcomed at the internship from the very first day that I started and I appreciate all that I’ve been taught. I will take every little piece of advise to heart and hope that someday I’ll be able to share that advice with future generation. From the bottom of my heart, I am thankful to have met you all and this great experience.
Erika: I would like to thank every Clearinghouse CDFI staff that made me feel welcome by introducing themselves or helping me figure out how to work the print machine. But most of all, I would like to thank Mai and Avery for their patience and valuable lessons to adjust to this position. Thank you to Natasa and Lauren for being mentors and friends. Last but not least, I would like to thank Cesar for giving me a ride to work from the bus stop and to Helen for sharing food.
