It Takes a Village to Raise an Intern

In 1996, then First Lady Hillary Clinton published It Takes a Village: And Other Lessons Children Teach Us. The book highlights how influences outside of the family impact a child. Clinton puts forward her vision of a society, similar to that of a village, which supports the whole person as they grow-up. The title of Clinton’s book comes from the African proverb:“It takes a village to raise a child,” a saying that has also become integrated into Western culture.

To apply this proverb to Frause, it takes a village to raise an intern. I am being raised from an inexperienced student into a developing communications professional through the mentorship and support of the Frause villagers.

Here is a glimpse of the guidance and advice I have received so far.

• Develop workplace skills, like how to assert my knowledge and competence without being too pertinacious. One of the best ways to do this is through
observation.
• Reality check: there is no such thing as a home and work balance, but more of an ebb and flow.
• Provide impromptu status updates on projects because people appreciate it.
• Seek clarity when confused. Asking questions also assists the project lead in defining their needs for requirements and what needs to be done.
• Be on time and always have a notepad to write things down.
• “Work towards finding the no.” The translation: internships are as much about figuring out what your interests are, as discovering what you do not want to do with your career.

At Frause we are a village, a community of colleagues who raise each other up. I am more than happy to be the apprentice of such village chiefs.