Lessons Learned: My Internship with Lake Erie Ink
By Won Hee Kim
Won Hee Kim is an intern at Lake Erie Ink and a third-year English major at Case Western Reserve University. Won Hee is the president of Writers Writing Words, the campus’s creative writing club.
Thirty minutes into my summer internship with Lake Erie Ink, my boss asked if I could help with a printing issue. I hardly knew what to do, being an English major and economics minor. But we needed attendance sheets for that week’s camp. I learned my first important lesson about nonprofits while fiddling with the computer controls: people in nonprofits do whatever they can, wherever they can. Nonprofit staffers wear many hats, and I was eager to start wearing some of my own.
My collection of hats grew steadily over the course of the summer. In a single week, I might be a techie, a janitor, an office assistant and a data entry clerk. The next week, I might be a teaching assistant, a guest speaker, an artist or an editor. From my co-workers I learned new and unexpected skills: how to operate a commercial printer, unlock push bars, and set up a projector and speaker.
I learned that I already knew how to do things I did not believe I was capable of, such as writing press releases and making connections with the literary sector of Cleveland. I researched the skills I did not yet have, but which were within my capabilities, such as editing grant proposals and creating infographics. I helped with summer programs, taking on more responsibilities. I inspired youth to write and was, in turn, inspired by them. I learned how to be the cool older cousin that I had always wanted, and who I always wanted to be—a positive semi-adult figure for the kids.
I initially applied for my internship at Lake Erie Ink to learn about the administrative and technical sides of nonprofits, but I learned a lot more than that. Through my internship I learned to fake confidence and competency until I actually became confident and competent. I learned to be adaptable, to constantly challenge my perceived limits. I learned to be a good role model by leading with both examples and words. I learned about why nonprofit work called to me in the first place—for the people we help and the changes we make.