Sharon Roy shares her experience as an international development student who interned with CARE Canada’s Marketing and Communications team from September-December, 2019.
On the first day of my internship at CARE Canada, I felt my heart thumping vigorously and my toes twitching constantly.
I was clearly nervous.
As an international development major, it has been my dream to work for a nonprofit and learn more about the internal framework of a women’s empowerment organization. I was fortunate enough to be able to do my internship with CARE Canada through the fall and early winter of 2019. This meant that I would take the long journey all the way from Vancouver into the cold winter embrace of Ottawa.
Despite the nervousness I felt that first day, I was warmly enveloped by a wave of welcomes and many new smiling faces. The warmest welcome was definitely from my supervisor Laura and the marketing and communications team I was to be working with, who had prepared a heartwarming CARE Package for me on my first day.
Since that day, I’ve been able to achieve growth in graphic design, marketing, communications, research, and public speaking. The fact that I acquired these skills as a marketing intern is not unusual. However, what was unusual, or rather unique, was the indescribable hidden warmth that was present within CARE.
As a woman born and raised in a developing country for 17 years, I know the inequalities that exist both here and around the world. My time at CARE has helped me not only start thinking more—and thinking differently—about how I can make difference in the world but also how I can take action.
Sharon Roy
CARE Canada internI felt this warmth in the little things like Andrea making sure I got some of the free chocolates from her department, or Heather being so open to share her research with me, or Samara bringing her amazing homemade cupcakes, and Kelly making sure I had a winter coat so I didn’t freeze. I’ve only had a chance to be here for 4 months, and yet that did not deter people from making a genuine connection with me, the intern.
This feeling of genuine warmth helped me realize that my time at CARE was beyond the hours I punched in and out or the seemingly menial work because my efforts were towards something bigger than myself. They were in some indirect way, helping further CARE’s mission to help women and girls in developing countries lift themselves and their families out of poverty and out of crisis.
Being able to have this opportunity with CARE also had a very personal meaning for me. As a woman born and raised in a developing country for 17 years, I know the inequalities that exist both here and around the world. My time at CARE has helped me not only start thinking more—and thinking differently—about how I can make difference in the world but also how I can take action.
I am very thankful for my time with CARE and I wish everyone who works there the very best.