“Deciding to intern with the Hydrocephalus Association was, I think, the best decision I could have made. I decided to take a chance. I entered an internship centered on a condition I knew very little about, and I was going to working on things that I had never really been exposed to before. Since starting my internship at the end of May, I have learned so much. One of the most important messages I will take away from my experience is that every person with hydrocephalus is different. Like many other conditions, no two people are the same. Many people have never heard of hydrocephalus, and if they have heard of hydrocephalus they tend to think it is only a problem in the developing world. I have learned though that more than 1 million Americans have Hydrocephalus, making it more prevalent than cystic fibrosis, and yet more people have heard of cystic fibrosis (I was one of those people).
Interning with the Hydrocephalus Association was a wonderful experience and I am thankful for it. Not only did I learn about a condition I knew close to nothing about, but I also learned a lot about being a professional. Having never worked in an office before, I was nervous in the beginning, but the work experience that I had taught me the importance of teamwork and though the work is different in this office, the importance of teamwork is stressed, which transcends to other work environments. The best piece of advice I can give to anyone about to start an internship is this: keep an open mind and look at everything as a learning experience. There may be days that are busier than others and there may be days where you do a lot of clerical work, but everything you do is important in some way to the organization you are working with. If you can remember that, then I truly believe you will have a great time with your internship. ”
— Erica Bradley, Hydrocephalus Association intern and Colby-Sawyer College Student
