Reflections On My AALEAD Internship

By Dong Zhou, DC Elementary School Program Intern
Photos Courtesy of April Kim, DC Elementary School Program Teacher

The time passed by so fast. I can’t believe my fall internship is ending! This was my first internship ever, and I received many unique experiences from it.

First of all, I am touched by Asian American LEAD (AALEAD) staff members. They have fully dedicated themselves to the community that we serve, and they treat each other like family. Working with these wonderful people gave me much more knowledge than I could have ever received in class. I am truly thankful for the opportunity to intern at AALEAD.

Everyone at AALEAD is trying to work as hard as possible and solve problems as fast as possible. Micah, my supervisor, is always busy, and I barely saw her take some time to rest. She is occupied all the time, whether working or in a meeting. Also, how knowledgeable she is about so many fields shocked me! She knows Chinese; she can use multiple databases; and she is an expert at Excel. During programs, she has an amazing way of connecting with and teaching students; our youth respect her very much.

Interning at AALEAD also gave me the opportunity to learn more about both the American education system and American society. For the education part, my experience at Thomson Elementary School taught me more about how American elementary schools work and how youth development organizations like AALEAD collaborate with them. I learned that the United States has a society that is supported by multiple entities, such as government, corporations, non profit organizations, etc., and each of these entities is important and contributes to society in different ways.

I had a great experience interning at AALEAD and am very thankful for the opportunity to intern here. I will be sad to go but hope to visit soon. Thank you to AALEAD staff and all of the people that supported me during my time at AALEAD!