Little is Much

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me...I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Philippians 3:12,14

in-tern 2 an apprentice teacher, journalist, etc. - *vi. To serve as an intern.

Webster’s New World Dictionary, found amidst back issues of the Presbyterian Outlook, empty boxes and the UPS machine in my newly commandeered office, defines my position as such. Webster, however, fails to mention exactly what the expectations of an intern is, and does an even worse job of informing an intern what his/her precise duties are.

Being a Media Arts & Design major, I have heard dozens of horror stories of internships gone wild. My peers relish in the ability to one-up each other with anecdotes of the most frivolous tasks they have had to perform eight hours a day, five days a week. They served as their employer’s one-(wo)man chauffeur, coffee-maker, copier, secretary, toilet-cleaner, shoe-shiner, silver-polisher. And they knew better than to expect to be paid for all of their running around…after all, what prepares an aspiring journalist for the crazy media jungle better than an acquired expertise in coffee brewing? These lessons are truly invaluable.

I came into this office on Monday expecting something similar to what my peers had experienced with their internships. Within my first three days I was given my own cup of coffee (which I did not even have to brew), strawberry shortcake, an office, my own two story assignments, introductions to the entire staff, my own e-mail address and lunch at a local restaurant.

Woah. Needless to say, I will never let my peers influence my expectations ever again.

This summer I am really looking forward to serving with the folks at the PO*. This internship was definitely God-breathed, and I really do feel as though, after working with the PO team, I will be better prepared to enter the industry after graduation.


*The Presbyterian Outlook, will be abbreviated “PO” for this blog’s purposes.