{"id":16246,"date":"2025-07-25T16:19:15","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T15:19:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/?p=16246"},"modified":"2025-07-25T16:19:17","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T15:19:17","slug":"internship-reflection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/internship-reflection\/","title":{"rendered":"Internship Reflection: Finding Purpose Beyond the Pay | CATE\u2019s internship scheme"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"> <em>By Nicolle Hanselmann<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I was lucky to be accepted into the School of Engineering&#8217;s summer internship programme. While everyone knows students are often broke (yes, money <em>does<\/em> help), my motivation came from somewhere deeper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A little background before I dive into my experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019m a mature student studying Mechatronics, about to begin my third year on an Integrated Master\u2019s degree. Excited, and maybe a bit scared, I chose this path to save time, which meant skipping the usual placement year that helps students stand out after graduation. Placements can often be the golden ticket during interviews, but for me, internships became the bridge, the opportunity to gain experience, build confidence, and see where I might belong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, what was the experience like?<br>And would I recommend it to other students?<br>The answer is: <strong>Absolutely, yes, without a doubt.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What I Did<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The variety of things I got involved in was incredible, and to be honest, <strong>fun<\/strong>. And how many people can say that about work?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">My very first task was helping at the <strong>Cheltenham Science Festival<\/strong>, where we welcomed families, schools, and curious minds from all walks of life. It was my first real taste of making science <em>accessible and enjoyable<\/em>. I found myself explaining technical ideas in simple, playful ways, testing not just my knowledge, but my ability to <em>connect<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We had children (and enthusiastic adults!) building wind turbines out of cardboard. Some people had never done anything like it before, and that meant a lot to me, because <em>I am \u201csome people.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other events I supported included:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Festival of Nature, Bristol<\/strong>: I greeted passersby, encouraged them to join in, and helped run our <strong>\u201cFind the Sustainable Job Posters\u201d<\/strong> activity (which came with well-earned stickers!)<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>UWE Family Fun Day<\/strong>: Welcoming families, helping with activities, and watching kids light up as they explored the engineering building<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women Like Me Mentoring Scheme<\/strong>: A mentor\u2013mentee programme where I had the chance to share thoughts and be part of conversations that matter.<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Leaders Awards Day<\/strong>: A celebration of creativity and potential young minds, and I got to be part of the team behind it<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Unlock Cyber Taster Day<\/strong><br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And, of course, the behind-the-scenes stuff, setting up, packing down, and tidying. Because every job, big or small, matters.<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>New Skills and Unexpected Growth<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the highlights for me was <strong>blogging for the School of Engineering<\/strong>, with my reflection featured on the official UWE Engineering Blog:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/engineering-family-fun-day-a-celebration-of-curiosity-creativity-and-community\/\">Engineering Family Fun Day \u2013 A Celebration of Curiosity, Creativity, and Community | Engineering Our Future<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I also found myself developing <strong>science communication<\/strong> skills in ways I never expected. No, I wasn\u2019t giving formal speeches, but I was constantly talking to people, answering questions, guiding activities, and breaking things down in real time. That kind of spontaneous, human-centred interaction <em>is<\/em> public speaking, just more personal, more alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I learned how to tailor conversations depending on who I was talking to. A five-year-old? A retired engineer? A curious parent? Every moment taught me something.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These are the skills I\u2019ll carry forward, not just in my studies, but in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>A Heartfelt Thank You<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This internship showed me a new side of engineering, not just circuits and code, but <strong>people, purpose, and passion<\/strong>. I got to work with some of the most down-to-earth, inspiring science communicators I\u2019ve ever met. They believed in me, supported me, and gave me the space to show up as myself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To brag a little (because sometimes it\u2019s important!), here\u2019s what <a href=\"https:\/\/people.uwe.ac.uk\/Person\/Elaine3Brown\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/people.uwe.ac.uk\/Person\/Elaine3Brown\">Elaine Brown MBE<\/a>, one of the staff I worked with, wrote to my supervisor <a href=\"https:\/\/people.uwe.ac.uk\/Person\/SarahBehenna\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/people.uwe.ac.uk\/Person\/SarahBehenna\">Sarah Behenna<\/a>, after the <strong>Unlock Cyber Taster Day<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u201cJust wanted to say thank you for introducing Nicolle, who was an absolute superstar. She was my go-to meet and greet person, welcoming all the schools as they entered the building. I don\u2019t know how many steps she took during the day, but she made sure everything ran smoothly.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A reminder that it\u2019s not just about <em>what<\/em> you do, it\u2019s about how you show up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I now proudly include this on my CV:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Outreach and Engagement Intern \u2013 UWE School of Engineering<\/strong><strong><br><\/strong> <em>May\u2013July 2025<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Delivered interactive STEM activities at public events and festivals<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Contributed a published blog to the UWE Engineering site<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supported event planning, coordination, and inclusive engagement<br><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Gained hands-on skills in science communication and team collaboration<br><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you ever have such an opportunity, take it. It might just be the thing that connects the dots in your journey, shows you what you\u2019re capable of, and reminds you why you chose this path in the first place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Nicolle Hanselmann I was lucky to be accepted into the School of Engineering&#8217;s summer internship programme. While everyone knows students are often broke (yes, money does help), my motivation came from somewhere deeper. A little background before I dive into my experience. I\u2019m a mature student studying Mechatronics, about to begin my third year &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/internship-reflection\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Internship Reflection: Finding Purpose Beyond the Pay | CATE\u2019s internship scheme&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":16247,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":24,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23,151,150,119,15,24,1,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curiosity-connections","category-diversity-and-inclusion","category-engineering-and-society","category-engineering-in-the-community","category-events","category-outreach","category-uncategorised","category-women-like-me"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16246"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16251,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16246\/revisions\/16251"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16247"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/engineering\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}