Name: Nina

Year: Senior

Major(s): Comparative Literature

CFS Program: Field Studies in Civic Engagement

I think one of the most rewarding aspects about participating in Chicago Field Studies has been the ability to share it with other students facing similar experiences. By this point in the quarter, I’ve gotten pretty good at balancing my internship and CFS with my other classes and commitments on campus.
I’m interning with an organization that runs a Finance and STEM camp for youth in under-resourced communities, currently helping develop the Spanish language component of next summer’s camp. To our dismay, last week we discovered that a large part of the curriculum we’d already done had gone missing and would need to be redone. Though I’m already working on other projects, the task of re-writing the missing curriculum was assigned to me. I was initially very stressed, but comforted by the ability to get support from other CFS students. I remembered other conversations that have come up in class about similar situations, and decided to ask my supervisor for extra time to complete the project. Though it was nerve wracking asking this because I didn’t want to seem incapable, my supervisor was very understanding and we were able to resolve the issue. Knowing I can discuss concerns like these within the class setting has made my internship experience feel less intimidating, and much more positive. I would definitely recommend CFS to anyone wanting to explore career options within a supportive environment!