Interns make up a large part of Cal Rotaract’s internal functions. This semester, Cal Rotaract has recruited twelve interns, each working under one of our Internal Board officers (Historian, Design Chair, Human Relations Chair, and Treasurer). They have worked countless hours to bring you promotional and marketing materials for club events and help increase efficiency of club operations. Whether it be the photos you get tagged in, the banners on Facebook, the financial processes, or even parts of the newsletter, interns offer so much to our club, and we want to recognize them as part of this special edition of Humans of Cal Rotaract. These are some of their experiences.
A short directory:
Historian Interns
…to be continued!
Historian Interns
Joseph Simbre | Video Intern | Freshman
“How would you describe your overall experience as an intern this semester? Any difficulties/challenges, or anything new you learned?”
“My experience as an intern is one that I’ll never forget. I had so many experiences, met so many great people, and had the time of my life capturing the great and inspiring works that Cal Rotaract does.”
“What was your favorite memory/funniest moment during your internship experience?”
“When Austin learned a dance from a Squash Drive kid at the Senior home. :D”
“Anything you would like to say to Austin?”
“Austin!! Words really cannot describe how much everything you have done means to me. Quite honestly, GM1 was the first time I ever held a DSLR. Since then, I’ve truly felt that I have learned so much from you. Film is no longer a hobby but a burning passion for me, and photography is now an unexpected passion as well. Everything you have taught me truly ignited this, and I’m still sad that my internship ends sooner than I expected. But just know that even though it does, I’ll always remember all of our sessions going hours on end, and the spicy curry and chicken that you so kindly gave me, but most of all, how you always went above and beyond, always “pulling an Austin” for me to make sure that you were giving your rookie intern the best experience that you could ever possibly give, and it truly was!”
Stephen Fong | Photography Intern | Freshman
“How would you describe your overall experience as an intern this semester? Any difficulties/challenges, or anything new you learned?”
“I loved being an intern during this semester as I was able to meet new members through my internship as I had the luxury of walking around and snapping shots of everyone. Also, I felt like it challenged me enough to do more than what I would be doing as a general member.”
“What was your favorite memory/funniest moment during your internship experience?”
“I loved going ice skating and taking photos of everyone. It was dangerous yet exciting!”
“What is something you would like to say about Austin?”
“Austin did a great job in preparing us before any event took place and did an extremely good job in informing us when events took place.”
Taylor Rimell | Photography Intern | Freshman
“How would you describe your overall experience as an intern this semester? Any difficulties/challenges, or anything new you learned?”
“My experience as an photo intern I think has made me grow as a person with the camera as well as without. Beforehand, I honestly did not know much at all about the settings on my camera, I would just play around with it and see what works best. Being a photo intern definitely improved my eye for photos and improved my photo editing skills. It also made me get out of my comfort zone quite a bit. Getting up close with strangers and snapping shots of them is not something I am used to, but it made me appreciate photography on a whole new level. I learned to be okay with being out of my comfort zone and to appreciate being with the other members while I can.”
“What was your favorite memory/funniest moment during your internship experience?”
“My favorite memory was by far the member retreat to Santa Cruz. I went into this retreat knowing no members besides two people and I’d never been to Santa Cruz before. The hiking, rides, and endless hours of beach volleyball ended up making the trip an insanely fun weekend. Going on this retreat made me feel much more deeply connected with my fellow members of Rotaract. This was really the starting point that made Cal Rotaract a family to me. I ended up making some good friends after this retreat that I now look forward to seeing every meeting!”
“Anything you would like to say about Austin?”
“Austin- Thank you for being so supportive to all of your interns! You not only helped us excel as historians but always made sure that we were not too stressed and emphasized self-care while taking on this intern role. You are amazing with a camera and I hope you do well with everything you aspire to be in the future!”
Christopher Palacios | Social Media Intern | Junior
“How would you describe your overall experience as an intern this semester? Any difficulties/challenges, or anything new you learned?”
“It was good because I had a good leader. But I wish I would of had more time to actually do more intern based events that allowed me to learn more skills, but I was too busy with my classes to do everything that I wanted. I also wish I could have known the other interns in my group more. But I did learn more about some social media platforms.”
“What was your favorite memory/funniest moment during your internship experience?”
“I think the funniest memory I have is when [Austin] taught me how to use Snapchat and Instagram more effectively. I was kinda embarrassed because I should know how…but I’m 25 and I didn’t use social media much when I was in high school. But nevertheless, learning how to perfect a “story” at the UCB International House was pretty funny.”
“Anything you would like to say about Austin?”
“Austin is a great guy who truly is dedicated to making the Recollection team and Historian role great! I respect the insight he provides and I still want to learn more from him in the future. I only wish I had more time to do more events with his guidance. Though I do wish he would smile more, sometimes he looked angry. But I know it’s just a part of his personality.”
Design Interns
Mary Mijares | Graphic Design Intern | Freshman
“How would you describe your overall experience as an intern this semester? Any difficulties/challenges, or anything new you learned?”
“Overall, my experience as an intern this semester has been pretty chill and really enjoyable! During my internship, I learned really useful tips from Justin that I used throughout the different designs I did for the club and will continue to use in the future. Making art, from creating posters, to even drawing random sketches, has been one of my greatest passions, so having the opportunity to incorporate that into a club like Rotaract to spread awareness about prevalent issues makes the experience even more worthwhile.
“One of the biggest challenges I faced this semester would be designing the Polio infographic, since there were many possibilities for what it could have potentially looked like. It was almost like trying to write an eight page essay; you have all these scattered thoughts, different approaches, and of course, the blank template that you can’t seem to fill. You can’t make it too cluttered or else no one would understand it, and you want to structure it carefully enough so that it flows well. Finally, you want it to emphasize the right things, given you have your evidence, and “voila!” there’s your essay. Making the infographic was similar to this process in that I wanted it to implicitly convey a story in a neat way through a simple layout, pretty colors, and pictures. Unlike essays however, making the infographic was much more fun.”
“What was your favorite memory/funniest moment during your internship experience?”
“Some of my favorite memories from my internship experience would be the meaningful conversations I’ve had with the different officers of the club. I find it amazing that the officers I’ve talked to dedicate so much of their time to service and also find it inspiring that they strive to help the world through any means they can, even on top of taking difficult classes. Meeting the officers and other members of the club made me realize that college shouldn’t solely be about academics, but should also be about pursuing some of the things you love to do most.”
“Anything you would like to say about Justin?”
“Justin was really approachable and gave honest feedback when it came to different things such as the importance of paying attention to little details and color scheme tips. Justin is also one of the easiest people I can talk with, so I am really appreciative for that. Thank you for being really easy to talk to, being really chill, and being a great person to intern for! And as always, go bears!”
Gregory LaBella | Graphic Design Intern | Sophomore
“How would you describe your overall experience as an intern this semester? Any difficulties/challenges, or anything new you learned?”
“It was a lot of fun. I never really dove into Photoshop before, so it was an experience learning different techniques.”
“What was your favorite memory/funniest moment during your internship experience?”
“Watching Justin take something I made and tweak it slightly to make it look a million times cooler! I learned a lot of fun little tricks and tips!”
“Anything you would like to say about Justin?”
“I love the conversations [with Justin] and [his] easy going attitude. I don’t have much criticism.”