UWA student Emily Nguyen has contributed 100 hours towards a project at the Department of Transport to help staff feel prepared and supported through periods of change.
Emily, who is studying Psychology with a minor in Active Citizenship, completed the internship through UWA’s McCusker Centre for Citizenship.
“I decided to apply for an internship because I wanted to learn something new and integrate myself into a community that I had never been directly exposed to before,” said Emily.
While at Department of Transport, Emily engaged with staff at various levels to support the development of resources to help them feel informed, supported and empowered amidst current organisational change and implementation of new projects to benefit the WA community.
The experience allowed Emily to gain valuable insights into the importance of fostering a strong and caring team culture in workplaces.
“The most rewarding element of the internship has been meeting and being a part of a team of passionate, dedicated and friendly individuals. Whilst everyone has a delegated role to play, the staff have been helpful and supportive of not only myself as a new intern, but also of each other,” said Emily.
She was also able to gain an understanding of the work being done by public sector agencies such as the Department of Transport and how they support the wider community.
“My internship has opened my eyes to the magnitude of the government sector. There are a lot of different roles and duties within government, and before this internship, I never realised just how many people were a part of it,” said Emily.
“As I progressed throughout the internship, I learnt more about the context and the needs of the community, which ultimately helped me realise just how meaningful working in government can be,” she said.
The intensive internship experience was an entirely new work environment for Emily, and internship supervisor Federica Marchesini commended the speed at which Emily was able to pick up new skills and implement them into her work.
Emily recommends the McCusker Centre for Citizenship internship to other students.
“No matter what the internship is, by the end of it, you will have learnt and experienced something new,” says Emily.