By, Bridget Turro
Going into my senior year of college, I knew I needed an internship. Especially as a political science major, I needed the experience that an internship would give me and also help figuring out what I was interested in. Like a lot of other people, I applied to dozens of internships all around the city and didn’t hear back from anyone except for the New York Mayor’s Office. I was offered to work in their Office for People with Disabilities where I would be a digital accessibility intern and I would be helping and assisting my co-workers with Disability Etiquette and Inclusion classes, while also running the office’s social media.
After starting in mid-June and ending in mid-August, I can say for the two months I worked there that I learned more than I have ever in my entire life. I got to see New York City through a completely different lens, and not just from a government perspective. I got to see and experience firsthand what it is like to walk around and live in New York City with a life-altering disability. I never realized how inaccessible the city is for folks in wheelchairs and how one step into a restaurant or a pothole in the ground can completely change someone’s plans.
The people I worked with in the office also made my time there more enjoyable and worthwhile. I met so many incredible people and got to hear their inspiring stories about how they ended up working in city government. I can also say that a lot of the things I have learned through HerCampus helped me in my internship, especially when doing PR and Social Media.
For the first time in my life, I was working a full-time 9-5, which scared me at first because after the pandemic my attention span has definitely gone down. From the first day, I never felt like it was a chore to go to work. I really enjoyed the positive atmosphere that my office created. Even though I was just an intern, everyone in the office made me feel included and welcomed. It was something that I found special and treasured throughout the entire summer.
I was lucky enough to be offered to keep working there throughout the fall and winter so I will hopefully be able to share more about my experience as I work.