Never taking the easy route,
I ended up with two J-Term internships. I spent the first half of
each week with a Mount Holyoke College alumna at the law offices of
Keefe and Mercado in Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts, and the latter
portion in Boston's financial district, at Morgan Stanley Dean
Witter. From the legal realm to the financial world, my internship
experiences carried a common theme--the people you work with make all
the difference. Going to work at 7:15 am is
not the ideal way to spend a cold winter morning, but the enthusiasm
emanating from attorney Sandra Rengel '96 made even the snowy days
worth waking up to. Without wasting a minute, she would tell me about
the day's activities and send me on my way to translating documents,
contacting clients and medical centers, and performing many other
tasks that she herself attends to. From day one, I felt like a true
part of their team; the attorneys were receptive to my questions and
equally interested in my personal goals. Seeing the professional
passion of her colleagues, and their rapport, I could understand her
ten- to twelve-hour workdays. At Morgan Stanley Dean Witter
(MSDW), I was once again surrounded by dynamic people who were in my
shoes not long ago. Working with two young members of the firm, I had
the chance to talk about more than surface information. I was able to
ask their opinions about taking a year off after college, about their
personal aspirations, and other topics not usually discussed with the
typical potential employer. They were more than happy to explain
their jobs, discuss my future plans, and give advice on Boston
nightlife, despite their busy schedules. So, I wasn't exactly
directing IPOs (Initial Public Offerings) and, yes, I now consider
myself a master envelope stuffer, but that's all part of an
internship. However, whether I was working on spreadsheets or
photocopying, it was easy to see why MSDW is a successful
corporation. The pride and care that I saw taken with each task
reinforced the notion that every job is important--even in the copy
room. My time in Boston may have
been brief but I consider it invaluable. I got a taste of that "real
world" that seniors generally don't like to talk about and, more
importantly, met people who have been fortunate enough to find their
professional niches. I cannot say that my future is clear-cut now,
but I do know that the job I will be happiest in will be the one in
which I enjoy working with my colleagues. And, having a boss you can
sing Madonna with on the way to the courthouse never hurts either.
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