2024 interns reflect on their summer with ATD

This summer, five interns joined Team ATD across the organization. Coming from five different states and higher education institutions, these students supported the daily ins and outs of ATD’s operations, conducted independent research projects to benefit the field, and advanced their career skills. Four of ATD’s 2024 summer interns reflected on their summers and shared their thoughts on higher education equity.

Milena Campos is a student at Boston University. She supported both the Marketing and Communications team and the Services Management team over the summer.

Anastasia Legouté, who recently earned her bachelor’s in psychology and political science from Florida International University, is now embarking on a Ph.D. in teaching and learning. Over the summer, she worked with the Teaching and Learning team.

Jennifer Pham is local to the D.C. Metro Area, where ATD is headquartered, and is studying information technology at George Mason University. She worked with the IT team over the summer to gain hands-on experience in data management and analysis.

Kay Trent-Pierce supported the Network Engagement team, conducting extensive research throughout the summer to support ATD’s cohort recruitment. They are dually enrolled at West Texas A&M University and Austin Community College and plan to start law school in 2025.

Here’s what these young professionals had to say about their experience with ATD:

Q: What drew you to the ATD internship?

Milena: I was interested in working with ATD because of my background as a tutor at my university and my previous experience with nonprofits as an intern and volunteer. ATD’s mission for long-term change and the transformation of communities drew me to apply.

Kay: While serving as [Austin Community College Student Government Association] president two years ago, I had the pleasure of giving a tour to someone from ATD. From that moment, we kept bumping into each other at different events. When I saw the network engagement internship position posted on LinkedIn, I took that as a sign that I had to apply. Although I am planning to get my J.D., after practicing law for a while, I’d like to become a community college president/chancellor.

Anastasia: As I was preparing to pursue a Ph.D. in teaching and learning, I wanted to gain more experience in the education field, as my background is in psychology and political science. I was very well received by Ray Keith, my supervisor on the Teaching and Learning team, and I had the opportunity to assist meetings regarding K–12 grants and coaching sessions.

—

Q: What’s something you learned about community colleges or higher education equity this summer that you’ll take with you?

Jennifer: I learned how community colleges play a vital role in providing accessible education and bridging gaps in higher education, emphasizing the importance of equitable opportunities for all students.

Anastasia: I learned that community colleges are essential in promoting higher education and giving people the flexibility to pursue their education. As I am an international student and attended a four-year college, I didn’t know a lot about community colleges, but I was happy to see how much work there is toward equity and accessibility in education. There is a new trend now where community colleges are offering bachelor’s degrees, which I thought is a significant development that will help bridge the gap for students who might not have the opportunity to attend a four-year institution … I deeply admire ATD’s commitment to promoting equity in community college education and their efforts to create more inclusive opportunities for all students.

—

Q: Was there a project or task you worked on that you felt particularly excited/proud to be part of?

Anastasia: I am particularly excited about the work we did with [a Network college], where we brainstormed ideas and solutions to enhance their nursing and early childhood education program. I look forward to seeing how these ideas can be implemented in the future.

Milena: One of my tasks was to create a report presentation about AI possibilities for the team. I felt I learned so much from the project and was excited to share my knowledge with the team.

Jennifer: I felt particularly proud working on streamlining the process for adding [standard operating procedures] into Freshdesk, which significantly improved the efficiency of our support system!

Kay: I spent the summer gathering data, analyzing it, and using scientific research methods to help build up a complete database of the community colleges in the United States while cross-referencing them with those that are already in our Network … It was nice being able to help out my colleagues for a few months and I will absolutely miss them.

—

Q: What’s something you learned about yourself as a result of this internship?

Milena: My favorite part of this internship was getting to listen in on team meetings. I loved listening to everyone work together and come up with ideas and solutions, and it made me realize how I hope to work in a dynamic team in the future.

Jennifer: I discovered that I thrive in dynamic environments and enjoy solving complex data problems, which has solidified my interest in pursuing a career in IT data analysis.

Kay: From this internship, I had the realization that I wanted to become a community college president/chancellor, potentially at [Austin Community College] someday. It would make sense to give back to a community and a place that poured so much into me and my journey while I completed my first ACC degree in psychology. I had the most amazing time this summer.