My name is Sharon Simba and I have been an intern at the Corporate Affairs Office for the past 7 months. I didn’t know what to expect from my first internship at an academic institution, the University of Nairobi, but the experience has been nothing but delightful. Every single day I am presented with an opportunity to learn something different.
I have gained so many skills valuable to my career in the public relations field. My skills in regards to effective communication, flexibility and adaptability, teamwork, dependability, creativity and a willingness to learn have drastically improved.
The leadership of the Director, Mr. John Orindi and the guidance of my colleagues has gone a long way in helping grow as an individual. I have learnt from them how to manage a corporate website, basic photography skills, how to plan and execute an event, how to write compelling articles, effective media monitoring, how to interview different types of people and how to stay proactive in terms of what is happening in the academic world and the world in general.
I have also had the opportunity to interact with local and foreign government officials, academicians and titans of industry. These interactions were very insightful and I was able to learn more about what it takes to succeed.
Going forward, I will keep learning and networking because these experiences are invaluable. My colleagues are very talented and they are always happy to lend a helping hand so I can get to learn as much as possible and interact with various stakeholders in order to learn from their experiences.
Interning at an academic institution has changed my life; I have acquired hands-on experiences that I would not have been able to gain at a non-academic entity. I expanded my knowledge when it comes to a variety of regional and global issues such women’s economic empowerment, energy regulation and sustainability, gender statistics for evidence-based policies, food sustainability, epidemiological modeling and analysis and many more.
I look forward to big and better opportunities and for the chance to grow in my field.
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