Post by Avery Truman

Happy National Intern Day! 🌟 An internship is more than a summer job. I know from experience that it’s a chance to make lifelong friends from around the world and broaden perspectives. To celebrate, I would like to recognize the members of two of the most influential peer groups I’ve ever been a part of. They became integral teammates, bringing fresh ideas to the table and tackling tough problems at some of the world's most impactful organizations. 🌿 To my current intern cohort at the National Geographic Society — thank you for sharing your fascinating stories in Friday meetings, jumping on coworking calls for an hour, and eating takeout on a hotel floor. Next week may be our last one together, but I can’t wait to see what you accomplish next! Thank you, Andres Castrillon, Lauren Clement, Daria Craddock, Mikayla Decker, Sarah Dixon, Kairavi Gardé, Jack Harper, Melat Kanja, Sarah Jacobs, Julie Jung, Zan Lapp, Maddy Longwell, Grace Martin, Sophia Mucci, Daniela Munera Angel, Cooper Poston, Ellis Resnick, Lucinda Roberts, Teri Shim, and Ella Wilshire. And thank you to Tatiana P. Mota for giving us an unforgettable experience. 🚀 And to my past intern family at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center — thank you for always being on board to explore DC together, brainstorm ledes, make an Office parody, or just hang out in the newsroom. It always makes my day to watch you guys succeed on LinkedIn or see a notification from our group chat. Thank you, Valerie Chu, Lauren Colvin, Brandon Cominsky, Tyshae Dodson, Alexa Figueroa, Tayler Gilmore, Laine Havens, Matthew Kaufman, Henry Keating, Karly Noetzel, Sanchali Pothuru, Emma Stefanacci, Julia Tilton, Chiara Villanueva, and Jacob Wologo. And thank you, Wade Sisler, for believing in the potential of interns and making it all possible. Thank you to everyone — including my wonderful mentors — who’s given an intern a place on your team and a chance to shine! ✨