The Hardest Lesson

Intern: Elizabeth Morrison

Major and year: Communications, Junior

Hometown: Hollywood, MD

Status: On campus

Internship details: Leadership Institute, Arlington, VA
Dates: Janurary 18 - April 20, 2012

I am a very driven person, which is inspired by Jeremiah 29:11. My passions revolve around love of country and having every incredible experience possible. I believe you should live life to its fullest and never underestimate what God will do with your life.

I have learned many things during my time at Regent University, such as how to write at a college level, how to research, and what will be expected of me in adulthood. However, one of the most important lessons I learned was not in the classroom but in the office. Internships will teach you many important skills that you will use for a very long time.

I began my internship at Leadership Institute in Arlington, Virginia in January. I decided to leave school for the semester and have some real world experience. My internship was unique because not only did they provide the interns housing (there were 12 of us), but they also gave us a monthly stipend. In addition to this, every Thursday we would have dinner with important leaders from around the country. We also had the privilege to go on field trips to historical landmarks and on a fun weekend away at our president’s mountain home.

Believe it or not, there was work mixed in there as well. We worked Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5:30pm. During those times I learned more than I ever thought I would. One of the first things that an internship will teach you is how much time you will someday have to devote to a full time job. This was hard to learn. I hated sitting at a desk for that long. I quickly learned that this is pretty much how most jobs are.

The second thing I learned that, perhaps, is the most important lesson one can ever learn is how to work hard. Our culture is developing a sense of entitlement, forgetting that if you want something, you will have to work for it.  In my case, I wanted respect from my supervisors and to impress them. It doesn’t come easily. My internship lasted 3 months, and by the end of it I was exhausted. On my last day our office had a party; however, I still had a project to finish. Instead of joining the fun, I stayed at my desk and completed my tasks. When I finally got to the party it was almost over, and my boss asked me where I had been. She was impressed when I told her that I had been finishing work. I then found out that the extra stuff she had asked me to do earlier that day was a test to see if I would actually do it or try to get out of it. I had officially earned her respect, something I had been chasing after my entire internship.

Respect and hard work go hand-in-hand. No one owes you respect; you work for it. This was the most valuable experience I had during my time at Leadership Institute. Internships are a great way to learn how the real world works. They will push you and put you to the test but the results are worth it.