Name: Shani Kaplan-Golan

Year: Junior

Major: Neuroscience

Minor: Global Health

CFS Program: Field Studies in Civic Engagement

Employer:  Healthbox

When I first thought about applying to the Chicago Field Studies program, I was completely clueless as to what the process would look like. I was afraid about having to find an internship, nervous about the internship choices I was bound to have to make, and concerned about my daily schedule of commuting to the office and working long hours. However, when the selection process began, I was calmed by the fact that CFS provides a framework for students to explore and get connected with a number of amazing companies. I went through the entire list and circled any and all companies that sounded interesting/relevant to the number of potential careers I am exploring. I did research on them, determined to find something that would be a good fit. But, at the end of the day, I wanted to have options and keep all possibilities open until I learned more. When it finally came time to decide which companies I wanted to send resumes to, I sent in a list of 28 companies. The average number is 15, and I sent in 28!

I interviewed with many of these companies, conducting an inordinate number of phone interviews. In order to keep track of all the information, I kept a running document with notes from each interview about the specifics of each internship and company. By the end, I had narrowed my selection down to three companies, but coming from my starting point that included such a wide breadth of selected companies, I had a really difficult time picking which path I wanted to go down. At the end of the day, I remembered what this was all about: having an interesting, meaningful experience that would hopefully be relevant to a future potential career path. As cliché as it may be, it then became a much easier choice to make. Interestingly, the company that I chose was one of the companies I had spontaneously circled at the beginning J. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time thus far as I have met many interesting people, learned so much about myself, explored the healthcare industry, and developed my skills within the work force. I can now say that I am so glad I did not rule anything out, because a positive experience can come from unexpected places.