Mey’s Magical Summer
Summer 2022 is a whole new adventure for my U.S. education journey. In early March, I got selected as an operation intern at BlueHub Capital, a mission-driven community development financial institution (CDFI) working to build healthy communities where low-income people live and work, based in Boston, M.A. Even though it is a remote job, BlueHub offered me the opportunity to visit the company and explore Boston for a week.
As an operation intern, I work closely with the impact team providing support for the Loan Fund project, including infographic design, project research, and other database projects. Remote working gives me a lot of flexibility regarding my working schedule and workplace; however, I do believe that I miss the day-to-day interaction and relationship building with other interns and senior colleagues aspects of in-person working.
One week in Boston was a blast! My first impression of Boston is the beautiful red brick buildings, the best lobster roll, and the spacious pavement. Boston is such a historical and touristy city. I met Megan, one of my mentor’s younger sisters, who goes to Berklee College of Music there, and she gave me a tour around her music school and the surrounding neighborhood. Berklee’s campus buildings are spread out around the Back Bay neighborhood, which is so different from the University of Portland, whose campus buildings integrate into one location.
Back in the office, my supervisor and the team welcomed me warmly to the organization. On the first day at the office, I joined the monthly staff meeting to get a sense of the organizational working culture. More importantly, I am honored to meet BlueHub’s CEO and CFO and learn about their vision for the company’s new initiative that helps remove financial barriers to U.S citizenship called One Percent for America (OPA).
My summer internship will end in mid-August; however, I have one key takeaway to share. I found it helpful to set internship goals and share them with my supervisor. It helps me and my supervisor know which projects best fit my interests. I spent some time reflecting on those goals after my first few weeks and let my supervisor know what I have learned.
Time went by so fast when we were having a good time. Before leaving this beautiful city, I managed to visit the most prestigious university, Harvard University, which I have always wanted to see for so long. It was absolutely gorgeous, especially the business school. Writing this blog reminds me of so many good memories in Boston, and I want to go back if possible because there are things on my bucket list that I haven’t done yet. I am so grateful for this opportunity, and thank you so much, BlueHub Capital, for making this happen.
