A different kind of curricular internship… but no less productive!

A Different Curricular Internship… but no less productive!

Friday, April 24, 2020

We are living through a unique situation! This strange virus arrived and altered everyone's life plans… When I thought about my final year of undergraduate studies and my first internship, I never imagined them unfolding this way. However, even if things don't go as expected, there is always something positive we can take from every experience.

The Catholic University, like so many other educational institutions, was forced to make a rapid transition to the digital environment, which has been a challenge for everyone: both for students who, although fully connected to this medium, were not used to this teaching model and were forced to reorganize their days very carefully in order not to lose focus and be able to study; But especially for the teachers, since many were not completely familiar with the digital environment and had a completely different way of teaching that allowed them direct, and therefore easier, contact with all their students. It is, however, clear that all of them, overcoming various adversities, have strived and dedicated themselves to the maximum to ensure that all students have a good year and leave nothing behind.

My experience at Jervis has also been completely different from what I expected. When I applied for this internship, it was with the intention of learning as much as I could and starting to understand what the world of work in my field of study would really be like. During my time in the Jervis office and even while working remotely, I have learned a great deal about communication from all the employees and the director of Jervis, who welcomed me so well. But beyond this, I have learned something I never expected: how to react and keep everything running smoothly in a time of crisis. Since my arrival at Jervis, and with the arrival of the virus in Portugal, it has been necessary to quickly rethink our work methods and the vast majority of what is produced. I have thus learned a little about how to act effectively in a crisis situation with complete confidence in the entire team.

Without a doubt, this was not the experience I had planned, but it was possibly better than I could have imagined. I found myself having to adapt more easily to a new environment and saw growth in my knowledge, with a huge amount of learning so far, which will certainly continue until the end of my time at Jervis.

Catarina Ribeiro

Intern