Final Thoughts

As my summer internship is coming to an end, I cannot help but think back to my very first day as an intern. I think about my expectations and realize exactly how little I knew about Labor and Employee Relations (LER). In the beginning I had to ask many questions about what the lingo they used meant, ask where to find certain resources, and how to create certain documents. As the internship progressed, I could tell I was growing when I could completely follow a conversation where they used LER lingo, and I could produce documents that were useful to the group. This made me even more eager to continue learning and growing as an intern. Even though I have so much more to learn, this experience has shown me I can do more than I imagined. Heather was the best supervisor I could ever ask for. She was so supportive and built my confidence up so much professionally and personally.

Some of my favorite experiences this summer were participating in different meetings. Some meetings I attended were pre-disciplinary meetings, contract negotiations, meetings with UIPD regarding employee investigations, meetings procedure during inclement weather, section meetings, and many more. The most memorable times for me were working in the office with Heather and the rest of the LER group. They were so welcoming and happy to teach me about what they were working on. I so enjoyed getting to know the group, having lunch with them, and sharing many laughs.

I do not have to be sad about the internship ending just yet, because I will be staying on this fall! I will be assisting with contract negotiations by creating documents, doing research and analysis, and taking detailed notes which will be revised and posted on the LER website. This summer was the best experience of my life and I am so thankful to Heather and the Labor and Employee Relations team.