I can’t believe this is it. We have finally reached week 9 which is INSANE because I honestly feel like the first week when I joined my first staff meeting at SDEV, nervously introducing myself and becoming acclimated to the work environment was only yesterday. I have not fixed my sleep schedule haha. In fact, I think it’s worse but besides that, the feeling of hecticness during my first week at SDEV has become almost a norm for me now!
I reflected on the Black Lives Movement in my first blog post of George Floyd’s death. While the riots and media have been much quieted since those beginning days when everyone was posting black squares for #blackouttuesday, the community is still not silenced as places such as Portland. I think my site actually helped me to widen my social justice lens as I attended community meetings weekly in southwest Detroit, hearing the voices of community members, mostly people of color, speaking up and voicing injustices against them. I’ve even learned of further disparities faced by the Black community from COVID-19 thanks to my learning group. Looking back, I really was so naive in my understanding of how vast and long these issues of systematic racism has existed and persisted in our country. But I end my internship determined to learn more and voice my opinions more to those who don’t know as I used to be.
As for my site, as I entered SDEV with smiles and eagerly enthusiastic, I leave as well with smiles and eager enthusiasm! Well one reason is that this really isn’t the end with my time at SDEV hehe as my supervisor and department and I have decieded to continue interning with them a little longer into August and potentially into the school year! So in a way, I’m not really bittersweet yet knowing that I still have longer days with my site. But the connections I have made so far with my co-workers, superviros, other departmetns have become bonds that I would never have expected coming from someone who is super shy and introverted. The meetings that I found to be exhausting in the beginning are still exhausting sitting in front of a computer for 4 hours at a time sometimes, but it is welcoming, knowing that the input that I provide at these meetings are well appreciated and supported by my site. I felt that my time and value has been greatly appreciaited for the projects I have contribute to SDEV, a feeling that is unfortunatley uncommon to other entry-level interns.
While it truly is unfortunate for my experience this summer with DCERP and SDEV to be online, I think in light of these sucky times, this has been the highlight since the beginning of the lockdown. And so, while I hope one-day mankind has defeated COVID-19 and we can go back to our normal lives, I hope that the rest of the fellows and I can meet one day in person as well and not behind a screen for once lol! I’m going to miss DCERP, but I know it won’t be a complete goodbye 🙂
Until we meet again,
Sarah