Kelli Alexander showed off her adaptability, problem solving, and communication as a transportation intern with Pacific Trellis Fruit.
How did you get your internship?
I secured my transportation internship by applying the feedback and advice provided to me by my PAH 383: Pre-Internship: Building Career Readiness professors (Stephanie Springer and Brittney Crawford) to apply for a position online for a course assignment. The PAH 383 course set me up to feel truly confident in applying for an internship. I had never had internship experience before and I honestly did not feel ready until I completed PAH 383. Taking the knowledge and skills I gained from PAH 383, I used keywords on Handshake such as “Summer 2024, Internship, Tucson, AZ, Remote/Hybrid, On-site, Business, Technology, Paid Internship” in order to narrow my search down to find results that were a good fit for me. I came across Pacific Trellis’s posting for a summer transportation intern, read the desired roles and responsibilities, and applied.
Why did you choose this internship?
I chose this internship with Pacific Trellis Fruit based on the details of the job description, the benefits, and the potential for my professional growth. I wanted to make sure that I felt a connection with the role and my professional values. They wanted someone who wanted a challenge and who could learn quickly and manage their time. This internship was the first and only opportunity that felt like it was meant for me. I knew that I would satisfy the needs of this company and fulfill my own professional goals. As someone who has never experienced an internship before, and was ready to take on a challenge this was definitely an opportunity that I felt I could succeed in. I knew I would be spending the summer taking Gen Ed Spanish courses to fulfill my language requirement so actively practicing my bilingual skills over the phone and via email and Teams was another thing that motivated me to choose this opportunity. Also, technology and computer science has always been an industry I was curious and interested in, so going the extra mile to actually put myself into a position where I get to test and grow on those skills while expanding my professional experience was a plus for me.
What is unique about your situation that influenced your internship selection or experience?
One thing unique about my situation that influenced my internship selection is that before this I had never had an internship before, so this was the first time I ever put myself out to see if I had what it takes to succeed in an industry I had zero prior experience in. I definitely took a risk by choosing this internship, but the most important part to me was feeling confident and ready to take on the challenge. I was ready to build upon my transferable skills and grow my resume from this internship. I’ll be a senior this upcoming year, so I had times where I felt like I was a little behind in terms of internship experience, but everyone has their own journey and I truly believe that this opportunity came into my life at the exact moment I needed it.
How did your Applied Humanities major coursework help prepare you or give you unique insight for the internship experience?
My Applied Humanities coursework helped me prepare tremendously for this internship experience. Without the PAH 383 course that I took in the Spring, I honestly can say that I might not have been where I am today. I developed teamwork skills, public speaking skills, transferable skills, networking skills, and also gained a list of amazing resources to read and review when I felt stuck navigating my internship experience. The coursework completely set me up for success and made me feel ready to take on any opportunity I could get. I appreciate Stephanie and Brittney for making every single one of their students feel heard, validated, and confident to take on their careers in the most positive impactful ways possible!
What was your favorite or most satisfying part of your internship?
My most favorite part of my internship was whenever I received feedback from my team. My team treated me like I had been working with them for years. Hearing their feedback that I was the best intern the company has ever hired, on top of working the busiest shift, made me feel so reassured about the amount of effort I was putting into the experience. Being recognized for your hard work and dedication is truly special in the professional world, so having a full team recognize your hard work over the course of just one summer meant the world to me.
What did you find most challenging about your internship?
The most challenging part of my entire internship was adapting to the speed and level of productivity that this job required. I always love a challenge, so whenever it took me longer than I anticipated to catch on to one of the daily tasks, I felt disappointed in myself. I felt like I was slowing my team members down because they would have to catch me up to speed and I hated that feeling. I can confidently say that one of my biggest skills is adaptability even after this experience because, although it took longer than expected to feel comfortable, I got the hang of things and became really good at my job. I was exceeding my expectations and taking on tasks that were not even asked of me to do. I knew that I would be able to get to the confident and comfortable feeling over time, but since the process ended up being longer than I expected I learned many things about myself that helped me become a better person. I learned to practice patience, have a positive mindset, and improve my interpersonal communication with my team. It was important to remember that I am just an intern and I am not required to perfect at every task right away and to not put too much pressure on myself.
What was the most significant contribution you made?
The most significant contribution I made in being a transportation intern at the UA Tech Park with Pacific Trellis Fruit was becoming a successful, productive team player. I enjoyed being there for my team when they were busy taking on multiple tasks at once in order to relieve their stress by being someone they could depend on without thinking twice about it. I really loved getting the opportunity to bring out the personalities of my teammates over Microsoft Teams; most of us worked remotely, so finding creativity and fun can be harder when you’re not face-to-face. It’s a great feeling to go from only knowing my colleagues for a limited amount of time to feeling like they could be my top references to list for future opportunities to come!