For my practicum I was a digital ambassador for Israel21c. I was part of the team campaign track which means I was assigned a group to create a project from the beginning to the end. We are a group of five with one team leader who works together virtually throughout the year to execute our campaign, distribute Israel21c content via social media, and plan an event on campus. We are to participate in a weekly 30 minute team call to discuss our next steps and progress on our campaign. We also attend a monthly 60 minute social media training session with the entire Israel21c team and guest experts in the field. Our group campaign is called Diverse Voices. We are creating a project based on jews of color and diversity in Israel. We have highlighted many black owned businesses in Israel, important activists, and celebrities of color in Israel.

 

I learned how to work virtually with a team, researched information about diversity and race in Israel, and created a group project published on their website. I learned how to respect my bosses and group leaders, but also feel comfortable asking questions when I was unclear about tasks given to me. I learned more about the professional field of social media and marketing. I learned all about elevator pitches, how to keep the attention of an audience, and how to read business analytics on social media. I learned how to time manage, balancing school, extracurriculars, and this internship. 

 

I have grown as a leader because I have learned to step up and do even more than what my team leader or director asks of me. I am always there if they need someone to take on an extra role which is something I think comes naturally to me, but I became aware of it during this internship. I also have grown as a leader with my communication skills. Sometimes I am scared to speak up or ask questions when I am confused, but I realized that doesn’t help anyone with the job. It is better to clarify and ask questions than do the work wrong. I think I have grown as a student because I know how to work with professionals while also maintaining my schoolwork. I think it is really important to try new experiences and this internship allowed me to meet so many incredible people. Having this virtual experience even before corona began also helped the transition to all online classes for school. I was able to have a head start in learning how to make a virtual community for myself. The artifact I would like to upload is a quiz that me and my team created which is called “Which women-led business should you support?” I would like to showcase this artifact because I was the member who had the honor to research all about women led business and black owned businesses in Israel. I loved this project because it was a positive way to highlight these hardworking individuals and what’s a more fun way to do that than a quiz! I love taking quizzes like this. We worked really hard on picking just a few businesses to highlight, but there are so many more that I wish we could include. Our goal is to send this quiz out to different organizations, clubs, and families to spread the knowledge we now know and to create a more positive way to learn about diversity in Israel.

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I can definitely use all of the skills I have learned from this internship in all of my future classes, jobs, internships, and relationships. I learned how to work with a team for an entire year, virtually. I learned how to respect and form relationships through an online platform. I have learned how to promote Israel’s culture in a positive, non-political manner. I have learned a lot about how to target an audience and get our message across which is a lesson that can be taken with me in any career I go into. I think it is so important to learn how to best get your point across and communicate well with your audience, no matter who it is.

 

My plans for the rest of my time at UMD is to continue my criminology and criminal justice major. Just this semester, I got accepted into the Law and Society minor which I am really excited about. I plan to find an amazing internship for the spring or summer of my junior year. I am a part of three extra-curricular clubs on campus and hope to continue to be a member and possibly even hold a position in them. I hope to do research with a professor at some point before I graduate and maybe even be a TA (teaching assistant). I want to be as involved as I can during my time here because I know it is already going by so fast. My plans for post-graduation and my prospective career field would be to attend law school either right after I graduate or take a year off in between and travel and work before going straight in. I want a career in criminal justice reform to help make the system a more equitable, fair, and just system. I think that law school will help me with these career goals because there is a lot of policy involved in this work. I don’t know exactly what I want to do, I have thought about being a judge for the courts one day, but I am just excited to see where my path takes me. I know that my passion for this field will allow me to find a job that makes me happy to do. I want the opportunity to help people in the most tragic, desperate times and hope to justly help the criminal justice system become a better place.

 

I will definitely incorporate a lot of what I learned in Public Leadership and my internship into my job search. I have learned a lot about the different hats people hold in a group, so it is important for me to find a place where I really fit in and can work well with others. I think it is important to know my own strengths and weaknesses in leadership so I am able to put myself in an environment where I can succeed and work on my weaknesses. I will incorporate the lessons that I have learned about what makes a good and bad leader and what to look for in a boss. I know what kind of structure I need to thrive and succeed, so I will definitely incorporate that in my job search.