After her junior year in college, our CEO, Amanda Keammerer, participated in the Smith College Praxis internship program. This program provided a one-time stipend to any student engaged in an unpaid internship or fellowship during the summer. Amanda used her stipend to intern at the LULAC National Office in Washington, D.C. This internship took place in 2008, which is when the LULAC National Conference was held in Washington, D.C. Amanda met members of Congress, heard presidential candidates Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton, and Senator John McCain speak, and advocated for progressive policies on behalf of Hispanic U.S. residents. That summer internship led to a job offer with LULAC after Amanda’s senior year, and the rest is history.
The Praxis summer internship program continues today. Javilud was honored to host two Smith College students as Praxis interns, Amanda M. and Emily E. Below is a quick introduction to Amanda M, who just completed her first year at Smith College. Amanda M. is based in Newark, New Jersey, and plans to be a Government / Anthropology double major. Amanda M. completed more than 120 hours of work during her summer internship with Javilud.
Amanda brought energy and light to our team. As a rising sophomore, Amanda’s interpersonal and communication skills were superb. Amanda mentored our high school student interns, Carlos and Samuel. Amanda engaged with tech professionals from all types of backgrounds, and managed projects, produced social media content, analyzed social media engagement, led team
meetings, and improved her communication skills. Amanda consistently exceeded expectations, and sought opportunities to stretch beyond her comfort zone. Get to know Amanda in her own words below – enjoy!
Tell us a little bit about yourself – where did you grow up? How did you decide to attend Smith? What are some things you do for fun or things that you like to learn about?
I grew up in Brooklyn NY, in the neighborhood of Bushwick, and moved to Newark NJ right before attending a boarding school in CT by the age of 13. Being in the city my whole life then essentially moving out of my parents house for school has shaped me into the independent, driven and determined person I am today. Also, I am the child of two Brazilian immigrants who sacrificed a lot in their lives so that I could have many opportunities by being born and raised in the United States. To them, I am forever grateful. I decided to attend Smith College because I saw a community of like-minded folks who were outspoken about their beliefs and focused on a better future for themselves. I enjoy taking bike rides around Smith campus, visiting the downtown area, watching Netflix shows with friends, and reading in my spare time. My intended majors are Government and Anthropology. I am very interested in social justice and I would like my career path to be in international relations, and creating direct change in policies which have systematically oppressed many ethnic and racial groups in the United States. I knew a place like Smith would allow me to explore my academic interests in an environment where I know my voice will be heard.
What have you learned so far during your internship?
So far, I have learned to be much more organized about the many tasks and projects at Javilud, especially in the area of outreach. Amanda Keammerer does an amazing job of creating many different templates and spreadsheets which pertain to the projects which we’ve been working on. As I’ve been developing my skills in writing outreach letters to several organizations for partnerships, I have understood aspects of business that I would not have learned outside of this internship. With my intended majors in the political science field, I have found it extremely beneficial to have learned so much about how multi-faceted small companies work in the kind of political climate we are in today. Being able to effectively communicate with other organizations for events and consulting is something that I’ve learned so far in this internship. Also, I’ve learned to build on important communication skills between my fellow interns and Amanda Keammerer herself. In my previous work experiences, I worked with people I was already familiar with; therefore, building solid work relationships with people virtually was an obstacle like no other. Amanda’s continuous openness, patience and transparency has created a fantastic working environment where I feel comfortable asking questions, checking in even about the smallest details, and presenting what I’ve been working on with confidence.
What is something that you’re looking forward to?
I’m looking forward to the What in the World?! event series (WITW), which us interns are helping to revive this year. Hopefully, the event will be held either by the end of August or early September. This event is one which highlights women in the international affairs field, an underrepresented population in a career path which is extremely important to countries’ interactions with each other. Not only is International Affairs a historically white-male dominated field, it is my intended career path; this project has a personal significance to me. WITW was what drew me the most to this internship. Amanda Keammerer ticks so many of the career boxes I envision for my own future; I admire her path so much and fully stand behind the importance of creating a space for women in international affairs. Events like these show that more diverse perspectives are needed in such a crucial field and opens doors, by influencing other young women like me, to positions that are waiting to be filled by people. So far, the interns and I have been working on a potential speakers list and defining a specific theme for this year’s event. Due to our country’s current pandemic situation, the event will be fully virtual, which is more positive than negative I believe. This year’s WITW series event will not be restricted to those who can physically attend, but anyone who is interested can access through a virtual meeting website which will be established soon. I am so excited to continue working on this project!
Are there certain things you had to learn/un-learn during this internship?
I have had to learn and unlearn countless things during this remote internship. First of all, creating my own schedule gave me autonomy from the start that I had to keep myself accountable for. Since the beginning of quarantine, I’ve been working at a computer for hours during the day while taking necessary breaks. This has not changed during this internship. I have learned to be more patient with myself by not overworking. Along with this, I have had to learn a new kind of time management. Being at home presents a particular balancing act, such as family who have gotten to a new normal of everyone being at home and the eliminated commute. After my work hours end, I am usually still working on things from earlier in the day and preparing for the next. I can either fully stop or never cease my work if I let myself. Both are counterproductive to contributing results to the Javilud team. Especially as more places open, I am tempted to get back into summer activities with my family, but I must take into consideration my unique position as a virtual intern in a company with many amazing projects I have become passionate about. Working at Javilud has opened my eyes to what it’s like to work at a tech-forward company which focuses on the field I intend to pursue. I have been receptive to all things I’ve had to learn or un-learn in the progression of this internship, as well as being adaptable to the nature of a work-from-home environment.