This past week, we had our first Wall Street Journal assignment for our Corporate Social Responsibility course. This assignment took longer than I expected due to the in-depth analysis I gave my article. I began reading the Wall Street Journal recently in preparation for this course, but I have not analyzed the readings as deeply as I did this one. It was both difficult and interesting to read and talk about AI, which my article was about. I related it to daily life and how it affects both jobs and the environment, which I did not know had an effect until a few days ago. The most interesting part of this assignment was getting to read other people’s articles and reacting to them to form a conversation and the ability to ask questions.
This week the internship seminar focused on very basic parts of our internship like coffee breaks, how to speak to our coworkers, and learning how to be flexible. Throughout my first week, I picked up on things that are not as prevalent in America as they are here like a more easy-going, but last-minute schedule, the importance of communication, and coffee breaks, of course. In the seminar, I learned how to say no to coffee in a nice way, while also being open to taking a break and accompanying my co-workers. I have been trying to wean off of coffee after finals week, so having to reject coffee has been very difficult for me! In this class, we discussed our first week together and it seemed like we all had similar experiences and culture shocks. Another thing that was emphasized was the communication. It is very normal for our bosses to tell us at the last minute to come in or not, and for us to say we would rather go remote that day instead of in person, but if you do not communicate there is an issue. My boss specifically told me that I could do whatever I wanted, I just had to let her know in advance, which Dr. Swain emphasized. This course has enriched my understanding of how to communicate and act in the workplace.
My actual internship enriches me both culturally and academically. In the office, I communicate with coworkers who speak primarily Italian, so I learn their greetings, watch their interactions, and pick up on patterns they do like coffee breaks at 11 am sharp and lunch at 1 pm. On the academic side, I am learning how to speak to clients, operate their devices, and analyze results. My internship is focused on bioengineering, so I have spent the past few days testing out their devices and giving input on improvements that could be made to enhance their technologies. The company itself creates devices that analyze both the motor and cognitive movements of people, print reports, and send them to doctors or therapists who take the next step depending on what the results are. I work both independently and with my boss, Marta, who walks me through how to analyze results from the devices and explains to whom their target market includes. I have already gained a lot of knowledge from this internship and I am excited to continue working this summer!
Last weekend the group visited Lake Maggiore, which was beautiful. The hour-and-a-half bus ride was a little bit long, but once we arrived, there were no complaints from anyone. The boat rides from island to island were my favorite part because you could see the islands from a different perspective. We stopped for lunch on one of the islands and ate at a fish restaurant, which was amazing considering how close we were to the water. Something I noticed here was that the waiters and people on the island are very friendly to the animals. At lunch a giant duck was walking around between the tables and the restaurant staff had a name for it! Every experience at a restaurant is helpful as well because we get to practice our Italian, even though it is just basic greetings and manners.
Me and Evelyn on Lake Maggiore.
Mahan walking through an exhibit on the island at Lake Maggiore.
A peacock outside of the castle at Lake Maggiore.
My walk to work on Monday!