Life after college, starting your internship.
Hi! My name is Amelia Elbendary and I am the current intern at The Music Therapy Center of California. I started my internship here in January, after finishing my undergrad this past May at the State University of New York at Fredonia, in Fredonia, New York. I am originally from Long Island, New York and moved to Western New York for college. My plan was to stay there for my internship, but a mentor of mine convinced me to follow my dreams of being a performer in California. I knew I couldn’t do that without finishing my degree, which is when I found MTCCA, and boy am I glad I did! I feel so welcomed here at The Music Therapy Center and am so grateful to have found it. With that being said, life after college has been an adjustment for me, especially moving across the country all by myself. Starting my internship, I knew I had to hunker down and prepare myself for probably the hardest part of my career and schooling. While I try to give myself grace, I hold myself to a standard where I will succeed as best I can. If you are moving forward into your internship, here are some tips.
- Keep an organized schedule.
Be on top of your stuff, and give yourself deadlines. Your future self will thank you. I try to give myself rewards for the week, like “If I finish my work for the week I can have a free weekend”, so on and so forth.
- Give yourself grace.
As much as work is a number 1 priority, if your mental and physical health are not where they need to be, you won’t be able to perform to the best of your ability. Let yourself rest, talk to your supervisor, and communicate your feelings. You are important.
- Do your best.
If you have the capacity, open yourself up to new opportunities. Reach outside of your comfort zone, prove to yourself that you can do more than you thought possible! Make friends with your co-workers, go to them for advice or help (if they are available) and set new goals for yourself every week.
You are important, you are learning, you are human. Go after it!
