Virtual Internship Stories: Rey Francis Gonzales

September 12, 2020
Video interview with Rey Francis Gonzales on his internship experience

Name: Rey Francis Gonzales
School: Teachers College
Major: International Educational Development 
Center:
Nairobi
Internship: Communications Intern at CGC | Nairobi

Tell us a bit about yourself.
Hi, I’m Francis. I am currently an upcoming student at TC pursuing my MA in International Education and Development. I’m originally from the Philippines--Santa Rosa Laguna is my hometown. I moved to the U.S. when I was 11 and I lived in Quincy, Florida for four years, and then I moved to Gallo, New Mexico and then Albuquerque, and recently I moved to New York City.
 
Tell us a bit about your internship. What are your responsibilities?

I’m working with the Columbia Global Centers | Nairobi. I am the one who creates articles from the webinars that they host, and I’ve written a proposal for the Children’s Art Program that they’re planning to do over there.
 
What have you taken away from this internship?

I have never actually written a proposal like that before. It definitely helped me with my creative thinking, how I articulate myself in writing. Also, I was able to listen to the panelists during the webinars and I had to interpret what they were saying in order to write the article. This helped me develop other types of thinking because most of the conversations are COVID-related, so they gave me different perspectives on how they handle the situation. For instance, online learning, how they’re handling the situation, what kinds of resources they have, and future resolutions.
 
How has your experience been so far?

This internship is definitely really flexible on my schedule. They understand the time differences. For instance, even when it comes to our meetings, they schedule a time when we’re all awake. For me, it’s 7am but 7am is manageable. The people there are really considerate of the entire condition of what’s happening.
 
How have you dealt with the transition to a virtual internship?

Take every opportunity that you can. Find a place where you would feel motivated to do your work. I know being at home in one single room or space can be, somehow, mentally disturbing. It doesn’t give you enough motivation or inspiration and also your bed is right there.
 
Tennis is my stress reliever-I feel like you can release the tensions out if you have some. If I want something more subtle, I do love to do some amateur photography. I would find a place where I feel comfortable. When I was in Albuquerque, I would go to a place where I could see the mountains and also downtown because I do love the skyscrapers and also other things that I find interesting at a certain angle.
 
I hope you have a good rest of your day and year.
Thank you and also stay safe.