UC Intern Reflection: Madison Bizjak
Two and a half months ago, I started my first-ever internship with Union Capital Boston, and it has exceeded my expectations! Working at UCB has been a wonderful experience. The people who work here love their work (it shows), the work I do here is valuable to me, and it has made me love the city of Boston even more.
Something important for my work environment from the start: working with people who love their work. Interning alongside coworkers who enjoy their tasks and the people they serve and work next to is a bright green flag to me! Companies and organizations can preach and brag about how their employees love their work but actually seeing it first-hand from the employees themselves tells a different story. Every time I greet someone in the conference room, they are always happy to be here, even if they’re getting up at 5 am with other life worries. I think that a big part of what makes this such a loving atmosphere is the alignment of morals and ethics.
Everyone here does work that benefits the community and serves them! I have learned that working at a non-profit doesn’t mean that your main priority is making money; these people are really in it with their hearts. This is why everyone can walk into the conference room with happiness and love.
Second to employees loving UC, the work that is done here is exceedingly valuable. I have always loved hearing stories from others and their experiences through life; sonder is a huge feeling for me, so it impacts the work I want to do as well. Furthermore, creating social media posts and being able to use my creativity in my work are important for me! I am glad to be able to work on my storytelling abilities through this internship and improve them for the future. Apart from my internship projects being what I want to do in my future career, I see what Union Capital does for the community and how they respond to it. I’ve heard from Natasha Holmes, a UCB member, that this organization is all about human-centered design; talking to the people in need is a much better approach than just going in unknowingly blind, and hearing feedback from members is always great. Working with people who have the same values as I do makes being an employee much easier, and helping communities is a great value of mine.
Last but not least, Boston has become much more appealing to me through this opportunity. Boston is an interesting city. I went through with this program because I thought Boston was my dream city, but now that I’ve arrived, it seems that I have overestimated the simplicity of living here. The trams aren’t as efficient or as likeable as I thought they’d be, the city isn’t as walkable as it’s advertised as, and the weather is very extreme! With all of this being said, interning at a place that I love has made the difficulties all worth it. The genuine skills I have learned here, and the connections I have made with the members and staff, contribute to making my time here so lovely. Yes, a 20-minute drive takes me double that time on public transportation, but at least I can look forward to what I’m commuting to, and that doesn’t make the tram time so bad. Also, working from home is the best! I love my hybrid situation more than I thought I would, so I am thankful for that opportunity.
Soon, I will wrap up my time at Union Capital Boston, but it will forever be an experience that I won’t forget; from working with people who make working seem like a party, to working on valuable skills and tasks, to then making my Boston experience 2x better, I am very grateful for my time at UCB.