This summer I got the opportunity to participate as a summer intern at APPA–Leadership in Educational Facilities. APPA’s mission is to support facilities management professionals of higher education institutions. If you don’t know what that means, don’t worry– I didn’t either at first. Facilities Management is basically everything that makes our “higher education institution” (that’s the school) run smoothly and look good. That’s our maintenance people, our grounds people, our custodians, the people who clear the walkways when it snows, etc. This internship was definitely one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had. I not only gained valuable work experience, like working in an office, participating in staff meetings, and completing projects, but I also gained an insight into what keeps CNU, and other schools, running so well. That insight was very powerful to me, and I became more grateful for not only my beautiful school, but for the individuals that keep it that way.
In my internship, I helped with the production of new catalogs and books, and proofed and edited the July/August issue of APPA’s Facilities Manager magazine, as well as other brochures and publications. I wrote press releases and created videos and Powerpoints. I also wrote a cover letter for potential subscribers for the magazine, as well as compiling an excel file of potential advertisers for the magazine, and sending out a mailing to those prospective advertisers. I also compiled info from a discussion forum and formatted it to be used in future issues of the magazine. This project was one of my favorites, as well as one of the most insightful for me. It was really interesting to see all of the questions people were asking that I had never even thought of, but as a student at a university, could impact me greatly. I realized all of the things I had taken for granted. I had never thought about all the thought and planning that went into taking care of some things. There was one discussion thread about using carpet squares, and that’s when it all really hit me: There are people at these schools that spend their time thinking about carpet squares versus normal tiles, and which brand of carpet squares are the best to use. I have a much greater understanding now of what goes into all of this planning, and I have a much greater appreciation for the people that do it.
I had a few takeaways from my internship. The first is to be open to new experiences and internships. They’re a really great way to see what you like and don’t like, and really get a feel for what you want to do with your life. Sometimes projects or opportunities that you’re given can seem a little boring at first, or like something you may not be interested in doing, but they could end up being something you really enjoy, so give everything a chance. The other big takeaway I got was to be extra thankful for our facilities people. So make sure you say thank you to the maintenance man that comes to fix your toilet, or any of the other people that work so hard to keep our campus looking good and running smoothly!