In my professional career, I’ve bounced around from being a clinical intern in a hospital to doing marketing in a healthcare start-up. Throughout my time at UC Berkeley especially, I’ve been prompted to really reflect on all my different experiences and how they've impacted me in both my personal and professional journey. Most recently, I had the amazing opportunity to participate in the UC Global Internships Program and intern for SPRIM at Singapore- where I was really able to get a glimpse into international start-up culture in the health field.
I can definitely say that working in Singapore last Summer was one of the most challenging professional experiences I've had so far. I was really prompted to understand client needs through a consulting perspective and trained to deliver quality results within a competitive time frame. At SPRIM, the health consultancy I worked at, I especially appreciated how my team really valued my feedback and would be flexible in letting me engage in any project I was interested in. From working on a marketing campaign for an AI service to creating presentation materials and reports for major international companies- my time at SPRIM had given me valuable skills and experiences that I will always be incredibly grateful for.
However, it's important to note that my time here wasn't perfect---- and there were many times during this internship when I really questioned if I made the right choice or if this was really the career field for me.
With this in mind, for anyone stressed about getting that internship that's "just right": internships are about exploration, and if you don't end up liking it as much as you thought you would- that's okay! If I had to give advice to anyone stuck in their career choice or worried about being indecisive, I’d just say that “any experience is good experience” and that internships are a privilege- so make the best of it!
All in all- I've grown a lot from my time working in Singapore and I'm excited to continue applying myself in creating positive change in community health and wellness as I complete the rest of my Public Health undergraduate education.