It’s just lunch … with an intern
2016-04-18
Johnson Space Center hosted its second Intern Lunch Box Event for the spring class of interns. The event emphasizes networking within the JSC community. With the help of Employee Resource Group networking enthusiast Dana Altmon-Cary, the internship team recruited 20 mentors from 20 organizations to have lunch—one on one—with an intern. Of the mentors recruited, 19 had not previously been involved with NASA Internships Fellowships and Scholarships (NIFS) through the One Stop Shopping Initiative as mentors. Interns were paired up with mentors outside of their current organization based on their professional-development interests, and the lunches took place between March 28 and April 8.
A major goal of JSC NIFS Internships is for interns to take organizational projects to the next level while they receive a valuable work experience to take back to the classroom. Interns are encouraged to get involved with outreach activities and networking opportunities to make the most of their 16-week internship. The Intern Lunch Box Event was created to build relationships across organizational lines to bridge the gap. For example, an intern in Safety and Mission Assurance may not otherwise connect with and have lunch with a contact in Procurement. Interns are here for a relatively short time and focus on projects aligned with their skill and major, so getting to know someone outside their normal routine is not always easy to do. Intern Steve Zusack in ES211 expressed this idea further after his lunch with mentor Douglas Wong of SF4.
“This experience provided me a chance to branch out into another organization at JSC,” Zusack said. “I met with a person who had a similar career path to the one I have in mind. He provided me valuable tips I had not considered prior on how to best go about my path.”
Big hairy audacious goals
The purpose of the activity was to emphasize that relationships matter on their journey from students to professionals in the science, technology, engineering and math workforce of tomorrow. When asked, 80 percent of interns indicated that they discussed possible job opportunities at JSC with their lunch mentor.
JSC Education is cultivating a program where interns are encouraged to communicate between organizations, when possible, to get a holistic view of JSC. Of the spring interns, 93 percent said they learned something more about another organization at JSC. Moreover, the same percentage of interns plan to keep in communication with their lunch mentor.
Having the bright-minded interns connect with individuals from organizations that do not typically request interns may also open the door and create more mentor opportunities for the upcoming fall 2016 session.
Outcomes
Interns walked away with a sense of new direction and valuable takeaways from the experience. In a survey, 73 percent of interns said their mentor shed light to a new subject they had previously considered and are now considering pursuing in the future.
Communications intern Amelia Hill of NS111 was able to get valuable life pointers from her lunch mentor Rachael Copeland in BA.
“We discussed the NASA culture and work environment, some personal experiences and life goals,” Hill said. “I will definitely keep in touch with her, because she has a lot of good new-hire and potential new-hire tips.”
Intern Arun Aruljothi of NC411 spoke highly of the guidance he received from his lunch mentor Robert Shelton in ER7:
“This was an awesome experience, because I learned so much about using advanced mathematics to simplify problems faced in guidance and control,” Aruljothi said. “This helped me solidify my master’s specializations in Robotics and Control.”
These experiences exemplify, time and time again, that the JSC culture emphasizes relationships matter.
Bigger and hairier
By overwhelming request, 100 percent of the respondents requested to have this networking event again. Summer 2016 session is just around the corner, with 134 interns joining JSC on June 6. Be on the lookout for our next networking event, “Speed Mentoring,” to be held late June. No experience required!
Want to get involved?
To request an intern for your organization, go to https://intern.nasa.gov and click “Mentor Login.” For more information on the program, go to http://ero.jsc.nasa.gov/pages.ashx/13/Internships.
To get involved with more intern networking opportunities, please contact JSC Internships Coordinator Melissa Corning or NIFS Internships Lead Veronica Seyl.
Spring intern Amelia Hill with lunch mentor Rachael Copeland. Image Credit: NASA
Melissa Corning
NASA Johnson Space Center
A major goal of JSC NIFS Internships is for interns to take organizational projects to the next level while they receive a valuable work experience to take back to the classroom. Interns are encouraged to get involved with outreach activities and networking opportunities to make the most of their 16-week internship. The Intern Lunch Box Event was created to build relationships across organizational lines to bridge the gap. For example, an intern in Safety and Mission Assurance may not otherwise connect with and have lunch with a contact in Procurement. Interns are here for a relatively short time and focus on projects aligned with their skill and major, so getting to know someone outside their normal routine is not always easy to do. Intern Steve Zusack in ES211 expressed this idea further after his lunch with mentor Douglas Wong of SF4.
“This experience provided me a chance to branch out into another organization at JSC,” Zusack said. “I met with a person who had a similar career path to the one I have in mind. He provided me valuable tips I had not considered prior on how to best go about my path.”
Big hairy audacious goals
The purpose of the activity was to emphasize that relationships matter on their journey from students to professionals in the science, technology, engineering and math workforce of tomorrow. When asked, 80 percent of interns indicated that they discussed possible job opportunities at JSC with their lunch mentor.
JSC Education is cultivating a program where interns are encouraged to communicate between organizations, when possible, to get a holistic view of JSC. Of the spring interns, 93 percent said they learned something more about another organization at JSC. Moreover, the same percentage of interns plan to keep in communication with their lunch mentor.
Having the bright-minded interns connect with individuals from organizations that do not typically request interns may also open the door and create more mentor opportunities for the upcoming fall 2016 session.
Outcomes
Interns walked away with a sense of new direction and valuable takeaways from the experience. In a survey, 73 percent of interns said their mentor shed light to a new subject they had previously considered and are now considering pursuing in the future.
Communications intern Amelia Hill of NS111 was able to get valuable life pointers from her lunch mentor Rachael Copeland in BA.
“We discussed the NASA culture and work environment, some personal experiences and life goals,” Hill said. “I will definitely keep in touch with her, because she has a lot of good new-hire and potential new-hire tips.”
Intern Arun Aruljothi of NC411 spoke highly of the guidance he received from his lunch mentor Robert Shelton in ER7:
“This was an awesome experience, because I learned so much about using advanced mathematics to simplify problems faced in guidance and control,” Aruljothi said. “This helped me solidify my master’s specializations in Robotics and Control.”
These experiences exemplify, time and time again, that the JSC culture emphasizes relationships matter.
Bigger and hairier
By overwhelming request, 100 percent of the respondents requested to have this networking event again. Summer 2016 session is just around the corner, with 134 interns joining JSC on June 6. Be on the lookout for our next networking event, “Speed Mentoring,” to be held late June. No experience required!
Want to get involved?
To request an intern for your organization, go to https://intern.nasa.gov and click “Mentor Login.” For more information on the program, go to http://ero.jsc.nasa.gov/pages.ashx/13/Internships.
To get involved with more intern networking opportunities, please contact JSC Internships Coordinator Melissa Corning or NIFS Internships Lead Veronica Seyl.
Spring intern Amelia Hill with lunch mentor Rachael Copeland. Image Credit: NASA
Melissa Corning
NASA Johnson Space Center