My Experience of Interning with Genesis Foundation

As a high school student who spends most of her summer vacations binge watching Grey’s Anatomy, the idea of working as an intern was alien to me.

Arushi sitting in the Genesis Foundation’s office.

Before joining the Foundation, I had to give an interview. As daunting as it sounds – it was. I remember walking up to the seat with a one-page resume printed out at the last moment. Throughout the interview, I kept twitching my thumbs in the nervousness of sounding stupid to my hiring manager.

Upon receiving the joining letter, I was filled with excitement! Partly, because I thought working as an employee would be very much like how it is in The Office (Angela Martin is my spirit animal).

My first day at Genesis Foundation, an NGO working for Congenital Heart Disease, was better than I imagined. It started with me aiming to implement my new year resolutions – though in the middle of the year, I remember promising myself to climb two flights of stairs every day to reach my office instead of taking the lift.

To be honest, I came to work with an assumption that my tasks would be as mundane as pressing Ctrl+Cs and Ctrl+Vs on a Google Sheet every day. However, I was taken aback when I found out that wasn’t the case at all.

It has been almost a month now since I’ve been working at Genesis Foundation. From having a staredown with the access card reader every morning to being warmly greeted by colleagues – my days were no less than a spectrum.

My days weren’t just chugging mugs of coffee (although that’s something the coffee aficionado in me would have enjoyed!) or sitting on a desk chair for almost six hours of the day.

Me taking selfie during my hospital visit

One day, I was given the task of shooting a reel talking about a hospital visit I had to do as a representative of the Foundation. In the shots, I had to walk a few steps to enter the office reception and press the button to call the lift.

However, when my colleague hit the record button, my social anxiety took over me and I walked so fast that the automated doors failed to detect my movement or open. The next thing I know is – I banged my head on them. Since then, that incident became an anecdote which I will keep close to my heart.

Genesis Foundation is an NGO working for congenital heart defects. Established in 2001, their team is filled with individuals who strive to do better each day and I was glad to be a part of it myself. That’s also the reason why this Foundation has introduced me to a myriad of experiences.

I got to do hospital visits to understand the impact of the foundations’ work not only in the physical health of the children suffering with Congenital Heart Defects but also how they have made a positive impact on families Pan-India.

While interacting with those children and their parents, I could see the stream of emotions flowing through their eyes!

Working at an NGO working for congenital heart disease, introduced me to a myriad of experiences. I was given the opportunity to publish various blogs and articles about my daily experiences and case studies about Congenital Heart Defects and hone my design skills by creating interactive and engaging social media content.

Blending in with my colleagues was one of the best parts of my time at the Foundation

During my internship, I also gained an insight in what team meetings look like. Being the methodical person that I am, I was glad to realise that here, deadlines and progress tracking were a part of everyday conversation.

I was also given the opportunity to brainstorm ideas about how different campaigns should be created to grab our target audience’s attention. For the first time ever, I felt the work I do was valued and appreciated. More than just work, I had lots of fun!

From celebrating employee birthdays to appreciating the Foundation’s work, I got the opportunity to blend in with my colleagues and have meaningful conversations. At first, many of my colleagues were intrigued with the idea of a fifteen-year-old being an ‘intern’, however, they never behaved alien to me. They supported me in every way possible and I am grateful for this experience!