The Grand Week 1

Week 1 of internship 3/1/13 and I am a little nervous. The offices are glass and the people are quiet. Recently a whole department was cut from the budget because of shortage of funds. I completed a tour of the place and still feel lost. Every one appears friendly and tried to break the ice. I completed some filing to get familiar with the paperwork. The director of community engagement says she need a lot of help to get organized. I want to learn how to be a director. I want to learn how to run a non-profit so that I can be certified and qualified for high paying positions. Working in the Arts is new for me and it has already changed my mind of Human Services. I now have a broader perspective of this field. I really want to work with the funding development department.

Week 2
Week 2 of internship I feel more acclimated to the environment. I am currently learning the company database and helping with filing and data entry that was backed up. I did learn this week about an exciting project that is scheduled to start in the next 2 weeks. I asked if I could be a part of the implementation process since program management/directing is my ultimate goal. I feel that I will have to make my position here important. If I am quiet I will only receive desk work to do, but if I express interest and engage I will be of more interest to others in the department. I sat down with my internship leader to discuss the plans for my learning contract. I expressed my goals of wanting to shadow her for a day. She is the Director of Community Engagement. She organizes shows and the summer program called Summer Childrens Theater. I also asked to sit with the Director of Fund Development. I am excited to learn how and where the money to support The Grand is maintained. Budgeting and operations is also an interested so I will be engaging in all these subjects this summer. I think this week I am becoming more open to socializing with the other employees. One employee that handles marketing approached me with a joke. It made me feel like I was part of the team because he came over to engage. I think I need to improve on my own thoughts of my position. I came into this thinking Oh Im just another intern. But the employees may view me differently, as their co-worker. I have my own office at my internship so I plan to walk around next week and begin to engage with others to get my name out there. Since I create the experience I want to make sure I get the proper education needed to succeed.

Week 3
This week at my internship all staff was really busy. The organization is preparing for the summer activities and upcoming school year. I learned different ways to limit cost. I help the community engagement associate with cutting brochures. She informed me that it is cost effective to print in house brochures and cut them rather than sending to a printing shop. I cut and separated 300 brochures. Next I learned how to create and process purchase orders. I work directly with the Director of Community Engagement and all orders are processed with her signature of finalization. The Grand will scholarship field trips for schools to attend the opera house for different shows. Each school has a budget. I reviewed each budget and created purchase orders for bus rides. I am learning how budgeting works in a non-profit. In week 3 I am starting to feel more and more like a staff member. Although I am completing odd tasks, each task is essential in the processes for the organization. I scheduled a meeting with the Director of Marketing to shadow his position after the Memorial holiday. At this internship you have to be creative and create your own experience.

Week 4
This is a short week at internship because of the upcoming holiday. I completed 4 hours this week only. I worked collectively with staff including the Director of Community Engagement with stuff envelopes of marketing material. Considering I work my full time job at a for-profit organization, many processes are completed by the head company. At the Grand everything is about being cost effective. Each envelope had to be the exact weigh to avoid extra cost from the post office. We develop an assembly line to develop a rhythm to make the process more efficient. My supervisor has begun to leave work on my desk that she trusts me to complete. That gives me a sense of authority. I can come in, review the tasks complete them and receive feedback. I notified my supervisor I will be developing the learning contract over the weekend and we can review it next week. I completed data entry during down time and made a suggestion that would improve customer records. I have the goal to be a director or program manger, I can see my skills and characteristics at this internship developing into a more directive mindset.

Week 5
This week I have gained more responsibility. I engaged in more marketing processes such as assisting with emailing contacts of schools and businesses to notify each person of the upcoming programs. This list was stored on an excel spreadsheet and a mass email was sent. I was aware of this method from previous marketing skills from a previous employer. I noticed my communication skills have improved when I had issues with my computer. This forced me to make contact with other staff members. I am usually quiet and only communicate with 2 employees but this situation allowed me to come out of my shell. Once IT issues were resolved I learned how to check new ticket sales and update the information spreadsheet to organize sales and money received. This process is important to track how much money is coming into The Grand. I actually enjoyed this process and looking forward to next week to complete the task. I inquired about the time frame of sending thank you letters and confirmation letters once orders were received. The Director of Community Engagement made a face where she appeared reluctant to answer. Her response gave the impression of that there should be a time frame but with the overload of work and limited staff, the task is completed when there is time. I think prompt responses when schools make donations or ticket sales could improve engagement with The Grand. I think people like to feel appreciated more than anything and if a sale is made a letter should be sent immediately to follow up with the order. I plan to ask my supervisor if I could be responsible for that particular process. I turned in my learning contract for review and signature to my site supervisor and currently waiting for her response.

Week 6
This week at The Grand I had multiple task to complete. I completed data entry; purchase orders and assisted a community engagement associate with setting up for the Latin Dance social. The Director of Community Engagement (DOCE) and I reviewed my learning contract. The DOCE revised the contract and allowed me to complete a final copy during intern hours. It appears that my work ethic has been noticed since I have gain the trust of DOCE to handle updating the department budget and drafting letters to each individuals and schools to follow up with ticket orders. This task is important because donations are how The Grand generates money. The ticket orders do not require payment but making a donation reserves the seat. I am becoming more independent with the ability to come into work and begin a task without being assigned. Since my goal is to become a director of my current workplace or another non/for-profit organization I have been observing the different characteristics of my site supervisor. I have noticed that she always appears to be thinking. In other words her schedule is very busy and she is constantly in meetings, on the phone or on the computer. One characteristic I noticed is discipline. She prioritizes her tasks and remains focus. To sit in an office alone doing paperwork or sending emails and having phone calls and meetings need discipline. When I think of my level of discipline I think of improvement. In my current workplace I also sit in an office with a list of tasks to complete but I also know that I can put things off until the last minute. I have the idea of I work good under pressure. That is not a good concept. A Director position can be stressful and its important to remain organized and to prioritize. In the coming weeks of internship I will be observing more behaviors and characteristics of a Director.

Week 7
This week in my internship my site supervisor was out for vacation. I was left with tasks to complete. I felt confident to work independently. I viewed this challenge as an opportunity to apply the skills I have learned over the past 6 weeks. I was responsible for updating orders and the budget worksheet. The Grand uses Microsoft tools heavily. This has increased my knowledge of Microsoft Excel. I updated the budget and added some figures. In other words I reconciled some files. I sent and responded to correspondents via email or phone. I also made contact with the Box office. The process of orders I think could be more efficient. Orders appear to come in from everywhere, the box office, email, paper mail and phone. The different channels of communication make it difficult to keep up with all the orders. It is also important to ensure customer or constituents receive confirmation of the orders or receipts for their donation for tax purposes. I was responsible for ensuring this process was completed. In week 7 half way through my internship my character has strengthen within the workplace. Although some are still ignoring me since I am just an intern. I have built co-worker relationship with the immediate staff. My role at internship has turned into a Community Engagement associate. This department includes my site supervisor and one other employee, now plus me. Im excited for July when the performances began for the Summer Childrens Theater. I am interested in shadowing show day.

Week 8
My site supervisor was busy catching up on business from her week off. This week I completed the usual letters and updated the department spreadsheet with new orders. I responded to a few emails and called a few customers. My role has become routine. I am halfway through my internship and although I am learning and reaching a portion of my goals, I beginning to get tired. Lately I noticed myself dreading the days I have to work and intern. Since I have become proficient in my role I have been working alone most of time, which can be boring. I guess I expected the internship to have excitement each day but that is not the reality. I now understand why 120 hours are assigned to the class; time is needed to experience all aspects of the field, the exciting days and the down time. Hopefully next week will be better.

Week 9
I attended a department meeting today and learned some interesting facts. I sat in with my site supervisor and the one other community engagement associate. The meeting is headed the Managing Director. He controls the overall budget for The Grand, he is one step below the Executive Director so this meeting with a big deal. When he began discussing the Summer Childrens Theater I was shocked when he asked me about the budget goal. In my mine I was thinking, Ok, Kim you know this you work on it all the time. I answered the question properly and he appeared please. He then asked me to write a letter discussing my internship for The Grand newsletter. The meeting was about 20-30 minutes long. The purpose of the meeting was to update the Managing Director with the progress of various projects. Once the meeting was completed I resumed back to business as usual. The weeks of interning are coming to an end soon and I need to make up a few hours. I plan to do this by attending one of the shows in Summer Childrens Theater. It would only make sense that I see what I have been working on. I will also work on my letter to The Grand. I did notice one comment the Managing Director said that is sticking with me Let people know youre here. I do understand what he means; I stay to my department and myself. I do not wonder around talking and getting to know others. I could improve on being seen more by others. I am not a shy person, but it takes time to warm up. One characteristic I will need to work on is being more outgoing; this will also help with entering the role of being a Director.

8/12/2013 6:41:00 PM

Week 11
This week I worked 16 hours. I have 36 hours left and 3 weeks to complete the hours. This week was the beginning of what I have been working on all summer, Summer Children's Theater week 1. I was dreading working an 8 hour day at The Grand but it was exciting. I shadowed my site supervisor manage and prep the ushers for seating. Prior to the show I was responsible for reviewing the excel spreadsheets and making sure every seat was entered properly. As guest begin to arrive things became messy. The ushers were getting confused and some guest were stating they paid for seats and they were not listed. I instantly felt like it was my fault. The Director was looking at me for answers. Once everything was sorted out it was proven the guest did not make a reservation after all. This week showed me how important my role was as an intern. Another employee who works as needed in the Community Engagement department assisted with the show. I was also made aware she too has been working on the Summer Children's Theater. She and I get along great but we work completely different. Our different routines cause disorganization. When I think about the whole week and how things could have been I decided to make a plan of correction to present to the Director. I plan to make a short Powerpoint or Word document on how to prepare for Summer Children's Theater for smoother transitions.

Week 12

8/12/2013 6:41:00 PM

This week I worked 8 hours. I have about 28 hours left to complete for the next 2 weeks. This week the Director was out of the office on vacation. I reviewed ticket sales and organized the spreadsheet as usual. There was another show this week but the schedule conflicted with work. There was another community engagement associate that managed this week show but she still had trouble. I am starting to realize that the free shows are not managed as strictly as the paid shows. The Director says these shows are "casual" but I think presentation is everything. As time winds down for the end of my internship I have collecting information from other staff. I completed a short interview with the Director of Design and one other community engagement associate. I am just starting to meet and socialize with the Box office manager who also provided his point of view of The Grand. I kept my site supervisor updated with my tasks while she was away. I heard from some employees that The Grand is experiencing some financial trouble and losing funding. The biggest issue I can see is lack of organization. I know I am just an intern but I feel like I should be helping to fix the place.

Week 13

8/12/2013 6:41:00 PM

This week at my internship I completed 8 more hours. I discussed my exit transition with my site supervisor. I emailed her my evaluation and request for a recommendation. She said I have been great and she would love to write a recommendation. It ironic that now the internship is coming to a close, I have been more engaged. I re-created some aspects of the program I have been working on all summer long. I also learned a new process that will help the program be more consistent. I have definitely grown throughout this process. I think I am more assertive and outgoing. I am now initiating conversation with other employees and exploring different departments on my own. I feel I am trusted my site supervisor to handle certain situations without her direct guidance. I have reach 2 of my goals which I feel I have achieved the core objectives of the internship. Now I am focused on the last week of internship and completing the cultural immersion paper.

Week 14
Last week of internship. My site supervisor and I reviewed my progress and goals. She stated "I don't know what I was going to do with you". My site supervisor says I was an excellent addition to the department for the summer. Following that comment I told her to keep in touch with me for future opportunities. I completed some last day tasks and went to the surrounding offices to say goodbye to everyone. It was a bitter sweet ending. As much as I was ready to end the internship, a part of me does not want to leave. Experiencing a death in the family this week did not make this transition any easier but I had to complete the last day. My site supervisor says she will email my letter of recommendation and she is interested in viewing my final project. I was able to make progress on two of the three goals on my learning contract. I have grown throughout this experience and have gained insight to the arts and education. It was amazing to be part of an experience that made an impact on children lives. I wrote a goodbye letter for the organization's newsletter. I have a good feeling this internship will be calling me in the near future for more opportunities. I will be looking forward to the call.