Summer Intern Corner 2019

My name is Diana and I am a recent graduate of Stamford High School interning at the DSSD through the Mayor's Youth Employment Program. 
I am an incoming freshman at the University of Connecticut at Storrs in the School of Business. Being a business student, this internship was a great experience as I got to see first-hand everything (big and small) that goes into creating, planning, and promoting an event or product. I had the opportunity to do projects with multiple people in the office that all play different roles and have different responsibilities at the DSSD. So, I got a better understanding of how important communication is in an environment like this where all the smaller pieces have to fit together perfectly in order for the greater goal to be achieved. I had to make lots of phone calls which definitely improved my communication skills and I became more confident with every call. I also improved my written communication skills as I had to record survey data from events like ArtWalk and the Movie Nights at the park; and email with not only my co-workers, but with business managers all over downtown. Working people are very busy, so I had to make sure I gave information as clearly and as efficiently as possible. 
Finally, with a summer whose weather has not been very forgiving, I got to see the troubleshooting process while making difficult decisions about the summer concert series Wednesday Night Live and Alive @ Five. 
The DSSD office is a very welcoming and exciting place to be and I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work here this summer before I enter the next chapter of my life as a college student. #stamforddowntown

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Summer Intern Corner : Last blog entry this summer - reflection on thesummer gone by...

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Reflections of a DSSD Summer Intern

By Melanie


Growing up is hard, everyone knows that. But it’s even more difficult when you don’t know what to expect. The majority of kids my age have never stepped foot in an office, they’ve never known the real responsibilities of having a “real” job. Most kids, thus far, have worked for themselves only. They’ve gone through all of their schooling getting grades only to reflect their own capability, their own work. But they don’t know how to work to please a boss. They don’t know the feeling of being relied on. I was certainly this way before I started working for Stamford Downtown. I’d never had a job before this internship. I’d never had a boss before. I worked hard in school for my gain, my personal benefit.

But by working at DSSD, I’ve gotten to witness a kind of foreign environment I’d never known. I’ve experienced first-hand how important it is to stay organized. If you lose a paper, or misplace a check, it’s more than just yourself that you’re disappointing. I’ve seen how essential collaboration is when representing a district, when choosing a piece of art to display, or putting on a show for people to enjoy. I’ve seen the DSSD staff come together to execute a concert series as well as debate over text size for an advertisement poster. But, when it really comes down to it, there is a common goal. There is a sense of teamwork, a sense of family here, a knowledge that everyone is working together on a single mission: to make Stamford better. Better to work, better to play, and better to live. As I reflect on my time at DSSD, I see that more than making my own boss proud, I have been made proud by the hardworking, diligent, opinionated, detail-oriented, caring people that work every day, not for their personal gain, but for the betterment of our city, our community.

So I thank every person working at DSSD for the opportunity they’ve given to me. I thank them for the knowledge they have bestowed, and their service to our lively downtown – a place where I meet with friends, where I enjoy a meal with my family, a place I call home.
Editors Note: Thank you Melanie!!! and to the Mayors Youth Employment Program for sending us two terrific summer interns -- they will be missed at our office, but we know they will go on to do great things. 

 #stamforddowntown

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