How did you measure the success of the work you did while you were an intern? What did you learn from this? How I measure my success as an intern was just how much I get done. My mentor told me it very clear to me that she don’t wanna put too much stress on me because I was just an intern. I still have many important tasks but you didn’t want me to feel like it was all on my shoulders to get done. Even with that I want to do is much as I can. At the beginning of every day I would make a mental list of everything I need to get done. The end of the day I would reflect back on what I needed to get done and if that list was completed that’s how I would feel success. If not everything was done by the end of the day or try not to be myself about it. This experience really taught me how to make small goals that are possible to get done by the end of the day. Setting unrealistic goals is not a healthy system. I found the most success with the small goals everyday. How did you make a meaningful contribution to your workplace? Most of my tasks like most intern work very tedious and the annoying small things that take up time but are necessary. For example alphabetizing cast list, cutting up tickets, and creating quick change cue cards. All of these things are time consuming very important. I do feel like these were meaningful jobs I had and were purposeful. Even though internship is coming to an end my biggest job has not even come yet. On the last few days of internship is when we have our shows and that’s where my role becomes a lot more vital. I’m going to be helping with quick changes, lighting, props soundboard, etc. What new appreciations did you develop while working as an intern? Why? Being able to directly shadow the owner, director, and only staff member really opened my eyes and created a extreme appreciation for all small business. I always knew it was a ton of work and their whole life is this business, but getting to see that every day of what that looks like is shocking. My mentor worked hard day and night to keep her business running and thriving. It is no easy job running your our own business. It's an amazing thing to see is not only how well she runs her business but that she has such a great community of people in her theater. Everyone contributes and wants to give her ever on her own. This might be a special case I don’t think every business owner gets people like this to help her with whatever she needs. I also feel lucky to be an intern with her because it’s a great way to dip my feet in the world of being an intern and what that looks like. She didn’t just give me a pile of paperwork and leave me be, she actually mentored me. How did your view of life beyond high school change or develop during your time as an intern? A lot of things my mentor and I talked about were all the crazy job she’s had over the years. She mentioned that she never thought she’d run her own theater company. I’ve always known that life is open with many opportunities and different pathways, but though this internship it has reminded me that I don’t have to settle. There are hundreds of jobs that I’ve never even heard of yet. I might not even come across it until I’m in my 30s and that’s okay. It also should be that just because you have a job but it’s not in the field you want to be in, you’re not stuck there forever. Another thing that being an intern has shown me is that being an intern can be enjoyable experience. I feel like I’ve always heard horror stories about being an intern but I’ve had a great experience. What new questions has your internship inspired you to ask about our world? What has it made you wonder about? What are you moved to go out and do or learn about on your own time? A big question my internship has sprung in my head is do I want to own my own business? For a month now I’ve been spending every day with a business owner. I’ve seen how difficult it is in the pros and cons of it. I never saw myself as a business owner because I always thought I would feel too overwhelmed and pressured. Now to see what I would look like it’s kind of change my mind. I’m not saying for sure that’s what I want with my life but I’m not so turned off by the idea anymore. I like the idea of being able to control my own schedule I’m just business. It has also not turned me away for profession that I have been planning on pursuing. This internship is not exactly what I want to do in life but is giving me a glimpse of what it might look like.
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Image 1: Creating and fixing costumes.
Image 2: Two out of the many costume racks in the studio. Image 3: Putting together snap on pieces for a quick change. Image 4: That would be me organizing props and making sure we have all the ones we need. Image 5: In the middle of constructing a set piece and painting them. Image 6: My mentor took me to a Netflix event, if was a for your consideration screening. One way I’ve advocated for myself is asking for help and clarification on tasks. So far most of my jobs have been pretty simple and not too complex to understand. But some like budgeting or putting together a late package I’ve needed a little bit of assistance in. My mentor again is the most understanding and helpful one I could ever ask for and every time I have a question she’s always there to answer it or help me through something. Another way I advocated for myself was just expressing my needs for this project. This is a very unique project and has a lot of requirements, not just for me but my mentor too. I had to really make sure that there was an understanding between us. This was also very easy to do because my mentor is very flexible and wants to work with me.
At My internship it’s pretty much just me and my mentor which is great because I really get someone on one time with her and really to discuss a lot. I think this makes me memorable because I’m always there. Another way I kind of stand out and make myself memorable is doing things without being asked. Nothing out of line or out of the ordinary but simple tasks like cleaning up, giving assistance, etc. Since I am working at a new theater a lot of the kids have really gotten to know me and I’ve gotten to know them and I feel like when you’re working with kids you can make your experience more exciting and also your presence to them more memorable. I was talking with my mentor the other day and she expressed how much she appreciated this program, how amazing it is that kids at my age really get to test that waters of what we want for our careers. This really mean a lot to me and reminded me how much I am to be able to be doing things like this. The goal of our projects is to help or benefit the company we are working with. For my mentor I am budgeting and searching for a new performance space. She already has a permanent rehearsal space and storage but the current performance space cost is high and you don’t get much for what you pay for. By the end of internship I will present my new budget for the company and performance space to her Board of Directors. A skill that I already have been able to use while in this project is being able to cold call different places. A big part of this is just calling random places up hoping that they have a space available. It’s pretty scary but I have a good amount of experience to where I actually feel comfortable being able to do it. One skill that I don’t really have that is helpful for this process is budgeting. In freshman year my internsession class was about budgeting but that’s the only experience I really have with it. Luckily my mentor is there to help me throughout the whole process but I’m definitely learning on the job. Another school but I do you arty have is presenting. For the last six years I’ve done dozens and dozens of presentations I feel confident in that area. I don’t just read fax off the board I actually give it a little more life so I’m hoping that will make the whole thing a little more interesting and exciting. I’m very lucky to have such a flexible and helpful mentor she’s been there for every single thing that I need but I’m not codependent. She lets me go off on my own and she trust me. I have a question she doesn’t hesitate helping me. Like I previously said I’m probably gonna need the most assistance with making a budget and making sure that it’s actually feasible. I’m actually really excited about this project I really do feel it’ll be helpful towards her business. I will be commenting on Mariela and Angelines Blogs. I already had a pretty good background from my mentor. She was my last year's career day and I really got to know her back then. On Thursday, we drove up to LA together to go to an event, and I had the opportunity to get to know her even more. We talked about her education job backgrounds and just general life advice she has for me and my future career. First, we talked about her education how she applied for USC three times and wasn’t until the third time she applied. She spoke about how perseverance is a huge deal with in our field of television and theatre. She really emphasize how education is important for me not just for the career path I want for anything else I want to do. right outside of college she worked on Paramount Studios she fell and really helped her expand her connections in the industry and really get to know them better. From then she went on to be a production assistant for about 10 years, and then she was a personal assistant. All the relationships she made at these past jobs she still benefits from today. Her connections help her new business thrive, even though they don't exactly correlate with each other she still gets all the help she needs. On the drive up to L.A., we met up with a bunch of her old friends along the way and it really showed me what that would look like. The reason for going to L.A. is because she's a voter for the Emmies, and we were going to a consideration viewing for "Queer Eye." My mentor told me a story about a girl who graduated the same year and same major as her and worked as a tour guide for Paramount. My mentor took the leap with no safety net and wound up in many different areas of television and film. Because of her leap of faith, she now owns her own successful business. Her peer decided not to follow the same path and now just works at a movie theater in L.A. She reminds me that taking that leap of faith is really important and if you don't you'll be stuck in the same place forever. I will be commenting on Mariela and Nadine's blogs.
One thing that really strikes me about my workspace is that it’s always changing. Most days we are in the studio space making sets and putting costumes together. Other days we’re out and about finding the costumes at thrift stores or visiting sites or performance spaces. Every single day is always different I really never know what’s going to be happening. Another thing about my workspace is that it’s so relaxed and exciting at the same time. Most of the time it’s just me and my mentor which I don’t mind at all we get along great. She is so accommodating, flexible and easy to talk to. Just like how my workspace is always changing so is my jobs and tasks. I’m sort of a jack of all trades at this internship if she needs me to paint since I paint sets if I need to make costumes I make costumes. My main project right now is to budget and find her a new performance space but in between that I have a bunch of little random jobs which is keeping me busy and keeping it exciting. I’m really excited to help her business grow and to make a plan for her future. I can see her vision for what she wants and I am thrilled that I get to be a part of this whole experience. My only worry is that I’m not gonna do it justice, I want to give her my best and I’m gonna work hard. In this first week I've been just getting my footing. On Monday we were out finding costumes and we have rehearsals for the rest the day. Tuesday was the day you called calling I called about 10 different locations about renting out their auditoriums and checking out pricing. So far that is been the least exciting at my job but it’s not boring work. I get a little bit of adrenaline rush from randomly calling people but luckily I have experience of doing that so it’s not too nerve-racking. Wednesday was another running around doing small little errands another day rehearsals. I feel very fortunate to have such a creative space and a internship where I really get to learn the ropes of something that I’m actually interested in. I will be commenting on Nia and Mariela's blogs. First Impressions of Jojo Productions:
Jojo Productions is in a very small, yet very functional space in a business park in Solana Beach. My mentor Jolene Bogard was very excited and ready for me. We discussed what she had planned for me and what my project looked like for the up coming four weeks that I'm with her. We decided that my main project for her is finding a new performance space. I have to budget and determine what is best for her. In the end I will pitch my ideas to her and her board. After talking legislates and getting the final contract squared away, we when on some errands she needed to run, the first one was viewing a few new performance spaces. At the visits she was pointing out things to keep in mind while I'm on the hunt for her. There was also costume fittings that day that she was handling. Jolene had me start to paint some of the sets. One of my take away's from this "first day" was that I will have a lot of different jobs in the duration of my internship. Which has made me even more excited, I won't be stuck doing the same tasks over and over. I feel truly lucky to have gotten this amazing mentor. Mrs. Bogard is increditably flexible |