Today was my last day as an intern for COP26 preparations and I feel grateful to have been part of this programme. It was a great opportunity to improve my personal and professional skills as well as networking. The internship was such a valuable experience to better understand roles inside a working environment and the external relations of an institution such as the University of Aberdeen, especially in preparations for COP26. It was a journey that allowed me to work in a team as well as independently, which improved my management skills.
As an intern for COP26 preparations, I covered different and dynamic roles. My goal was to work on the preparations for COP26. I was first involved in the preparation of case studies related to COP26 for many state and private institutions and I attended the meetings of the university’s regional partners for creating events on the road to COP26. This allowed me to get in touch with different stakeholders coming from a variety of business sectors and to better understand the importance of the University input for these companies. I was also involved in the creation and realization of Hack COP26, a hackathon competition based on COP26 and its related topics, such as climate change, which will involve professors and students. These are the main projects I worked on; other tasks involved updating the list of the events that the University will run during COP26.
What I loved about my internship is that my job covered different fields. I had the chance to work with professors and staff members from various departments, enriching my knowledge on topics I hadn’t studied before. One of the most exciting as well as challenging projects was the organization of Hack the COP26 as it required me to have good management skills. I learned how to present a report and to manage my own time whilst working independently. My managers were great mentors always ready to give any clarifications on the assigned tasks. This experience was unique as I had the chance to work on something I am really interested in. I was passionate about my tasks and the research I did throughout the internship, and it helped me to better understand what I might want to do once I graduate. I enjoyed working on such interesting topics which represent some of the contemporary challenges we face in pursuit of a brighter future. I learned that you could work remotely but you can still feel part of a team, as the experience isn’t diminished. This internship helped me to improve my skills in terms of public relations, time management and research in a more professional way. In the future I would like to work in the sector of sustainable development as this will involve all aspects of society.
