By: Clara, BSc Geography and Digital Marketing Intern 2022

For the first two weeks of my internship, I completed most of my work via the computer. Either in the office at Grant Institute, or from my own kitchen table. However, these past two weeks I have had to move around in my job increasingly more. I have been helping out at events, attending graduations on the quest for video material, and more. This has meant a lot of speaking to people, and a very varied group of people at that. It has included academics, staff members, and other students: prospective, current, and past. Compared to the office, working with people has been a more challenging task for me. I would consider myself a naturally quite shy person, so taking the initiative to speak to people I don’t know, can be quite daunting. But what I have reminded myself of over these past two weeks is that it can also be much more rewarding.

As an international student I never really had the chance to come to any sort of university open day. Before applying, it seemed pointless to waste loads of money on a trip to Edinburgh to attend an open day at a university I might not even get accepted to. And after I got in, well, the offer was too good of an opportunity not to accept, so why visit if I knew I was going to come here eventually, anyway? On top of this, since I started my degree in 2019, the pandemic has effectively hindered my partaking in any kind of in-person university event so far. These past two weeks have therefore been a sort of introduction to the event experience at the university. I have helped out on Enhanced Visits, which were a bit like mini-open days, directed towards specific degrees. I have also attended graduations, to talk to graduates afterwards on the quest for good video material. For me, this all meant two things. I got to speak to both future and newly-graduated students, and I had to step out of my comfort zone for a bit. Looking back, I found both things rewarding, although in different ways.

In part, speaking to both prospective and graduating students has helped me reflect on my role at this university. Both as a student, and this summer, as an employee. As a student, I think it is sometimes easy to forget both the progress I have made and the goal I am working towards. All that I focus on is finishing the next assignment, and managing the next exam. I forget all the assignments I have already completed, and also the greater goal I am working towards, my degree. Seeing the graduating students had me thinking a lot about how I will be there in a year’s time. It seems strange, unreal. But also very exciting. However, it also made me realise that although I will be happy to graduate, I am very thankful that I still have time left in my undergraduate degree. Time to spend in Edinburgh, at the university, and with my friends.

On the other end of this spectrum, speaking to the prospective students during the Enhanced Visits reminded me of how far I’ve come. The fact that only three years ago, I was one of those young, shy, and stressed people, seems almost impossible to believe. It made me realise that although I feel like the same person I was when I graduated high school, I have come a long way. I have grown a lot more than I might think, a realisation that was very uplifting.

Not only have these past few weeks been good for my personal growth, but they have also led to great results in my internship. I found the Enhanced Visits really successful. I hope that the people attending walked away feeling welcomed and wanted at the university, and hopefully excited to apply. As for the graduations, it initially seemed daunting speaking to all these newly-graduated students. Yet, after overcoming this fear, we ended up creating what in my opinion might be one of the nicest GeoSciences TikToks so far!