My VIP Experience

By: Melissa Moreno

With personal, social, educational and professional commitments, college students often struggle to balance it all. With many obligations, it is refreshing and often necessary for students to find outlets/activities outside of school where they can showcase their passions and skill sets. Working on projects that are meaningful and productive can be a turning point for a student’s college career.

As any freshman, I struggled to find my way as I started at a new school and was forced into new environments. It took me almost a year to grasp my bearings - and even then I felt like I was working on different ventures all the time that didn’t inspire me or make me feel like I was serving a greater purpose.

Luckily, as I was walking around my college after class one day, I came upon a flyer for CBOB’s Volunteer Internship Program in April 2017. I took a picture of the flyer and decided to research Children Beyond Our Borders and see what VIP was all about.

It was almost an obvious choice for me to apply because it offered me a great way to gain experience in my field, while creating content and projects that actually matter to me and make an impact in someone’s life. I applied, went through the whole interview process and was eventually selected to join the team.

Since I started as a public relations and social media intern for CBOB in May, I have learned so much and have met so many amazing people along the way. I have created content for the organization’s social media pages and have seen the results in real time. It is one of the most rewarding things to send a message out and to be able to communicate with people who have the same passion and motivation for change as you do.

Besides working on my tasks as a public relations intern, I really enjoyed working with my team and getting to know the other interns. While we are all in different areas geographically, we still find time to work on the same goals and push the same causes. There wasn’t one instance where I reached out to an intern for help and they didn’t lend a helping hand. The Summer 2017 VIP team has been one of the most talented and dependable teams I have ever been a part of and I am grateful to have worked with each and every one of them.

Overall, I think the Volunteer Internship Program is a great way for students to get hands-on experience and understand what it takes to work for a great organization.

But don’t just take my word for it. Read what some of the other interns had to say about their VIP experience:

Bao Duong, Community Outreach - UCF
“Children Beyond Our Borders' Volunteer Internship Program has not only been a great opportunity for me to continue to help the children at Great Value Suites, but I also learned a lot about myself. I've met so many amazing people throughout my internship and I couldn't be more grateful for all their help and generosity. A huge shout out to Shana Call, Yanelis Diaz, Paula Moya and Selim Nassirou for assisting me and being a part of my life. The most rewarding part of interning is impacting these children's lives. I want nothing but happiness for them.”

Mariam Hussein, Campus Communications Liaison - UF
“I had a wonderful experience working as an intern at Children Beyond Our Borders, Inc. I gained many professional skills and was able to make a difference in the lives of young children.”

Victoria Harrington, Student Chapter Coordinator
“Overall, I’ve really loved my experience with VIP. I’ve gotten to meet so many other great interns and have gotten to know the e-board members in the student chapters as well, and they have honestly been half the reason my time has been so great with VIP.  Seeing the passion we all have for CBOB and coming together to make it work as best as possible has been amazing to witness and be a part of.”