Feb 4: Things To Be Thankful For

I’m thankful for all the food that comes with interning.

Aside from that, I’m most thankful for the overall relationships and responsibility at my internship. I’m not being treated like a kid, and I’m being given tasks that are important to the company. I may not be working on the more technical aspects of cases, but I’m still being trusted to work directly on cases. Even if I’m just filing papers, it’s a job that has to be done. I’m also thankful for my coworkers (can I still call the other people working here coworkers if I’m not a worker?). They’ve been very helpful in teaching me the ins and outs of internship, both the legal and the social. They’re also genuinely really nice people, and don’t mind when I have to ask for help. The whole company has been very welcoming towards me, and it’s a neat experience to be treated like a coworker and not a student.

Another thing I appreciate is that a lot of adults tend to want to “pass down their wisdom” to me. When most people here find out I’m in high school, they think it’s cool that I’m out in the working world and typically offer me advice or encouragement. It’s a win-win situation because I often have things explained to me that they wouldn’t take the time to sit down and explain to another adult, and I get the sense that they feel like they’re making a difference in my understanding of the world. If I was older and had more experience, I think they would expect that I would know anything and wouldn’t bother explaining it, so I’m grateful that I’m interning at such a young age.

Most importantly, I’d like to thank my mentor, Mike Aguirre, for bringing in pie. That was the highlight of the month for me.

(Pictured: Unrelated, but here's a photo I took from San Onofre!)