I am Rafael (He/Him) and I am a sophomore at The International School of the Americas in the Legacy of Educational Excellency High School campus. I am a program assistant for Javilud.
As a program assistant, I help manage projects, like National Cyber Signing Day and the Javilud Awards. For Cyber Signing Day, a program recognizing the achievements of tech students, I have done outreach to high school technology and cyber security teachers asking them to nominate outstanding students. Some learning opportunities I’ve participated in as a program assistant are “Social Impact Strategy: Tools for Entrepreneurs and Innovators” from Coursera, and “Introduction to IT & Cybersecurity” from Cybrary. We also read articles and discussed their impacts on the cyber field. One of the most interesting things I learned was that SpaceX plans to send a rocket to Mars from Texas, which would bring a lot of tourism and money to our community even after the launch.
The most challenging part of this internship was keeping track of different meetings. Unlike school there is no regularity to meeting schedules, so I’ve learned that I need to check my email and calendar multiple times a day.
Being an intern for Javilud is very enriching. Make sure to take full advantage of the courses you enroll in and apply yourself fully to every task to prove that you are capable of being a good worker, even if you’re young. In general, being an intern is the best possible thing you can do as a teen. If your family is financially stable, internships are a way to gain experience and prepare for college and other jobs.
In the future, I would like to work in commerce, business, or finance. I’m interested in these fields because I would like to learn more about economics and money management. I would also like to learn more about economics, business, and how technology (like crypto and blockchain) will interact with them.