LINK internship is a three week long internship in a field of our choosing. This is exclusive to AHS juniors and is a graduation requirement. I interned at Diane west gallery which is a local art and jewelry gallery. “This Durango art gallery is located in the center of downtown, just two doors north of the visitor center. Featuring contemporary fine art and handmade jewelry by both local and nationally known artists we strive to bring cutting edge, innovative art to the community and visitors of Durango.”http://www.dianewestart.com/
The steps I took to find my internship included searching long and hard in the boulder area, which I didn’t end up going to. Also, taking my resume to multiple different galleries in town. I met with my internship coordinator multiple times. I all in all was very lost with looking for an internship, I had no idea how to go about finding a mentor. I was bad at writing emails and anxious about talking to people. Everybody out of town either said no or didn’t respond to my emails. I contacted around 6 businesses, I heard no from all but 1 potential mentor. I chose this particular opportunity because though I couldn’t work in the field I want to use as a career, I wanted to work in the art world. I hoped to bring a youth perspective to the gallery and gain insight on how an arts business is run. The mark I left at my internship is redesigning the gallery's website. My LINK project was the redesign of dianewestart.com. I took pictures of hundreds of pieces of jewelry and art. I edited them with photoshop and fotofuze. The abilities I had coming to LINK that were the most helpful include, computer/tech savvy, photography, and design. All of these skills contributed to help me create a beautiful website. The most important skill I learned over LINK was how to deal with people professionally and conduct myself around customers. I struggle with social anxiety and it makes it hard to approach people but it being your job gives you a new motivation. I assisted with showing customers jewelry and greeting almost every customer. In the beginning of LINK I struggled a little bit because the field i was interning in wasn’t the field I want to work in and it affected my work ethic, I didn’t want to clean the gallery and get coffee for people. But the more I worked the more I realized that I loved the work and respected my mentor and other employees. I was important to this internship because I worked very hard and refined my work until it was beautiful. Not every high schooler will have good work ethic but if they are passionate about the work then they will hold it to a higher standard than even their schoolwork because it is something they genuinely want to do. This internship made me realize my affinity for business and has inspired me to run my own tattoo parlor in the future. It also made me a less socially awkward person, and has helped me overcome my anxiety.
EDUCATION Animas High School, Durango, CO Expected Graduation: May 2019 Relevant Coursework:
Durango Homeless Clothing Drive Single-handedly created a free box and held a clothing drive benefiting the homeless community of Durango.
Assisted in painting multiple murals for animas high school.
WORK EXPERIENCE Prep cook/dish washer/line cookFifth street EateryMay 2017 - August 2017 Durango Colorado
Cooked on the line serving a full service lunch and dinner menu daily.
Cleaned dishes quickly and effectively to keep in rotation in a busy restaurant setting.
Cooked many dishes to be served throughout the week.
Intern Diane West Gallery April 30th 2018- May 18th 2018
Redesigned a gallery website, adding over 100 products and making it more cohesive and professional
Cleaned and repainted gallery to maintain a pristine environment
Photographed hundreds of jewelry items
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE Mentor, Bridge Mentor ProgramAugust, 2017- current Durango, Colorado
Acted as a mentor to a freshman, helping with school work, discipline and general navigation of high school life.
Participant, Safe School SummitMarch, 2017 Durango, Colorado
Participated in a safe school summit that served as a day that extracurricular leaders could go to learn about inclusive and safe practices to implement into clubs and classes. Focusing on suicide, drug addiction, and inclusivity for the lgbtq community and other minorites.
Volunteer, Epic Day March, 2016 Durango, Colorado
Volunteered for Epic day which was an event based on uniting teens around their issues. Focusing on suicide, bullying, and substance abuse. It acted as a unity day to connect people with similar experiences.
Advocate, Keys to Highschool Success April, 2016 Durango, Colorado
Lead a group in the keys to high school success as a way to teach younger girls what high school is like and for them to meet older role models to help them through their high school of choice.
Volunteer, San Juan Water Conservation Festival March, 2016 Durango, Colorado
Lead a group of fifth graders through a water education festival for youth to understand water conservation in La Plata county.
EXTRACURRICULAR EXPERIENCE Restorative Justice 2015 - current
Served as a facilitator and leader to the implementation of restorative justice practices into the Animas community