How Hands-On Experience Empowers Women’s Futures
Every summer, countless college students trade their vacation time for an opportunity to step into the real world of their future professions, or they do both, as George Mason University students go around the world to grow their experience. Beyond boosting rèsumès, these internships and jobs offer something even more valuable. They offer growth, confidence, and clarity about the paths they wish to follow. For women in particular, these opportunities hold deep significance as they open the doors in fields where representation is still growing and help bridge the gap between academic learning and professional empowerment.
Four George Mason University students, Kay, Angelina, Meagan, and Julia shared their unique experiences from this past summer and current semester as these opportunities not only transformed their skills and perspectives, but they also strengthened their sense of purpose as women enter into the competitive career space.
Kay: An Inside Look at Anesthesia in Germany
For six weeks in Germany, Kay immersed herself in the world of anesthesiology through an intensive internship that offered a rare level of hands-on experience. Shadowing doctors across operating rooms, intensive care units, and pain management clinics, she learned not only the technical aspects of the field, but also the emotional intelligence required to care for patients in vulnerable moments.
Kay assisted in administering anesthesia, inserting IV catheters, and even scrubbing into a diabetic cardiac catheterization surgery, which few students are ever given the chance to experience, especially so early in their careers. “From the mind-blowing surgeries to the daily paperwork, I learned so much,” she shared. Beyond the medical insights, the internship also strengthened her German-speaking skills and deepened her appreciation for international collaboration in medicine.
For Kay, this experience carried extra meaning as a woman in a male-dominated field. Her success in such a high-pressure surgical environment not only strengthened her confidence, but it also demonstrated how women can thrive in critical medical roles. “This experience solidified my want and need to work in a field such as this one,” she said. This is proof that opportunities like these prepare women to lead, innovate, and inspire the next generation in healthcare.
Tips For Surviving Your First Internship
Angelina: Opportunity to Build Compassion in the Hospital
While Kay’s experience took her across the Atlantic, Angelina’s impactful journey is happening closer to home, at the University of Virginia Hospital. As a safety attendant, she works with high-risk patients who may be in danger of harming themselves. This role requires constant presence, empathy, and attentiveness.
“Some conversations with patients have really stuck with me on a deeper level,” Angelina reflected. In just three months, she discovered the profound emotional side of medicine, the part that can’t be taught in textbooks. By learning to communicate with patients during their most challenging moments, Angelina has grown both professionally and personally.
For many women entering healthcare, these early professional roles help cultivate the emotional intelligence and resilience needed to handle the demanding nature of patient care. Angelina believes this job has strengthened her empathy and leadership. These are two qualities that make women indispensable in both caregiving and clinical decision-making roles.
With this experience and opportunity in the medical field, she decided to bring it to George Mason University and founded the United Against Cancer Association, or UACA, to bring awareness to all cancer types. This club means so much to her and she has a close relation to this club because her mother has cancer. She, as well as all the members, are fighting against cancer by spreading knowledge and informing all students, staff, and all individuals who come across their story to know the effects of cancer, the symptoms, and the various types you can obtain. The slogan is “Turning Awareness into Action” as the UACA fights for solutions.
Meagan: Conducting Cross-Cultural Research in Italy
Across the Mediterranean, Meagan’s psychology internship in Florence, Italy, opened the doors to international research and cross-cultural understanding. Partnering with an independent community research company, she designed and conducted her own study with guidance from her supervisor and a local university professor.
The experience not only deepened her understanding of research methods, but it strengthened her ability to collaborate across languages and cultures. “My research allowed me to engage with the local community,” Meagan explained. For her, the internship wasn’t just an academic milestone, it was proof of her ability to adapt and contribute to the meaningful global setting.
For women in research, opportunities like this are crucial. They help close gender gaps in academic and scientific spaces by providing mentorship, collaboration, and confidence in leading original projects. Meagan’s ability to work independently abroad represents just how such internships empower women to see themselves as innovators and thought leaders in their disciplines.
Julia: Unearthing History at Monticello
Back in Virgina, Julia spent her summer uncovering pieces of the past at an archaeological field school at Monticello through the University of Virginia. Though she was initially nervous about the physical demands of archaeology, she quickly discovered her passion for the field.
Working on a site slated for an ADA-accessible pathway, Julia helped excavate areas filled with centuries-old debris, learning about historical lifestyles through the artifacts left behind. She also honed in on her public speaking skills by explaining excavation processes to visitors and built professional connections with archaeologists and field technicians.
“I really loved actively contributing to history and portraying the stories of those who aren’t here to do it themselves,” she said. The experience solidified her goal to pursue archaeology after graduation. For Julia, being a part of a team of other women uncovering history added a powerful dimension to the work and reminds her that women are not just preserving the past but shaping how it is understood in the present.
Struggling With Your Internship Search?
Why Internships Matter—Especially for Women
Each of these students’ experiences highlights a larger truth: internships empower women to take up space in professional environments that have historically underrepresented them. By engaging directly in their fields, whether in operating rooms, hospitals, labs, or dig sites, these women are building confidence, credibility, and leadership skills that will carry them into their future careers.
Such opportunities also create ripple effects: when women see other women excelling in challenging or male-dominated fields, it normalizes their presence and encourages others to follow. Internships are not just stepping stones; they are platforms for women to prove their capabilities, advocate for equality, and transform their passions into professions.
Tips On Applying For Internships
Beyond the Rèsumè
Though their paths differed, spanning medicine, psychology, and archaeology, each student’s experience shares a common thread: growth through immersion. These opportunities aren’t just for rèsumè building, they are transformative experiences that deepen the purpose, expand cultural and emotional understanding, and strengthen the commitment to their chosen fields.
From Kay mastering patient care and medical precision in Germany, to Angelina discovering compassion in crisis, to Meagan conducting international research, and Julia bringing history to life, each story reminds us that the most meaningful learning happens beyond the classroom.
For women, internships like these don’t shape careers, they shape futures.