Honestly speaking, I did not know what to expect when I started interning with MCforNC. There is no solid guideline when it comes what I need to accomplish and how things should be done. There is no fixed work schedule or even space. However, it turned out to be one of the most valuable professional experiences I have had since coming to college.

I had the opportunity to work directly with Deep and Mike, who are the founders of MCforNC. They have given me so much guidance not only for my project but also my personal development. Deep has given me much freedom in terms of how I want the project to go. Other than critical milestones I have to meet, for the first time I had the opportunity to lead a team and be completely in charge of a client project. This includes managing a team of people with diverse backgrounds, delegating tasks in the most sensible way, drafting an executable plan and timeline, communicating with clients to figure out their needs, and implementing suggested solutions after extensive research. All these are skills that are much needed in the real world, and I really appreciate to be given such responsibilities. Other than professional guidance, I got to meet up with Mike every week where we chat about things ranging from career goals to personal traveling stories. Whenever I need to make a decision, I can go to them. If they know someone else in the field, they make the connection for me.

For my internal project, I got to work on a public relations project, for which I went on a roadshow presenting MCforNC to prominent entrepreneurs in the triangle area. This project did not exist initially and was created by us having a brainstorming process. Clearly, I was not just assigned with a project that MCforNC needs help with. Instead, we went through the brainstorming process to figure out what I’m most interested in working on, how my skills can be best utilized, and how these overlap with the company’s needs. It tells me that they did care about my personal development greatly.

I cannot recommend this enough to any student who is looking for an internship that gives them tangible and practical skills, the opportunity to make a real impact in the community, and access to a great community of people.

~ Chex Yu