Marissa Shupe interned with the University of Arizona's COVID-19 Contact Tracing team and helped protect the public's health during the pandemic.
What was the focus of your internship?
The focus of my internship was conducting investigations through interview surveys on positive COVID-19 cases through the state of Arizona. I chose this internship because I really wanted to participate in an internship program that was related to my emphasis area, which is Public Health. While working with SAFER, I was able to gain firsthand skills and knowledge about the field, while being able to conduct actual work to help slow the spread of COVID-19.
What was the most satisfying part of your internship?
The most satisfying part of my internship experience is being able to work within the field of Public Health during a global pandemic. This was meaningful for me because not everyone can say that helped with contact tracing during a pandemic and I was also conducing important work to help with slowing the spread of COVID-19 within the State of Arizona. The internship also lead to a job as I was offered a paid supervisor position with UA SAFER to continue my contact tracing journey.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for their internship?
The one piece of advice I have for students searching for an internship is do not settle on just any program. If you are looking for an internship relating to your emphasis area, go for it. It took me awhile to find a program within the field of Public Health and I am so glad I did not just pick any program just to fulfill the requirement.