URI Summer Internship Reflections

Written by Nora Hanak

Noelle Floyd, Collin Floyd, and Nora Hanak worked as interns, in collaboration with individual URI member Judith Gadaldi and URI Global Staff, Isabelle Ortega-Lockwood and Gaea Denker, for the summer of 2020.

Join us in reading Noelle, Collin, Nora, and Judith’s reflections as the internship comes to a close. 

These reflections show how URI’s values have impacted them, what they have learned from the internship, their experience working virtually during a pandemic, and their future plans. 

Noelle’s Reflections:

“Working with URI so far has been lovely. I haven't had any experience working digitally before now so it's been an interesting new way to go about a work schedule, but my bosses have been very kind and flexible. I find nonprofit work to be extremely inspiring, so working for an organization that wholeheartedly believes in and pursues values of peace, healing, and action is truly great.

The intersectionality of URI's action areas inspires me to believe that despite having so many problems in the world to tackle, it is absolutely possible to tackle a group of them that are meaningful to you in a way that is effective on the collective level.

I've worked a lot more with YouTube (especially on the creator side) than I ever have before, which was definitely an educational experience - as someone who has seen a lot of videos online as part of the digital generation, seeing the behind-the-scenes of such videos is very interesting. Having weekly or bi-weekly breakdowns and check-ins of the work that I'm doing has also given me the chance to learn how to succinctly summarize work that I've done and pose questions or suggestions I might have. 

I am a rising sophomore in university and will be continuing school, as well as job-searching in my preferred field (cybersecurity) and doing volunteer work on the side. 

These extraordinary circumstances [of the COVID-19 pandemic] have forced me to cope and adapt with changes I was not expecting, and summer jobs and volunteer work have been no exception. Not having the workplace dynamic has definitely been a more disheartening part of working in 2020, but is a necessary part nonetheless and I'm grateful I still have the chance to connect with others and have meaningful conversations, even if they're in a different manner than usual.

As a final note - as I'm writing these responses, I have finished one out of two of my interviews, and my first one with Ms. Maria Crespo was absolutely incredible and inspiring. Definitely a highlight of working with URI.”

Collin’s Reflections:

“My experience with URI has been very eye-opening. Through this internship, I've gained a new perspective on the impact of interfaith in other cultures in communities.

Throughout this internship, I've further learned the impact and benefit of trying to understand other people and finding value in similarities as opposed to hostility in differences.

After this internship, I still have to continue with my senior year of high school, which will likely be taking up a large portion of my time. Beyond school, I hope to apply some of the principles of URI and experiences from this internship to my everyday life.

A lot of the time it's hard to keep a consistent cycle when working at home, which can impact productivity slightly, but overall I found working as a good way of spending time and keeping me grounded. Of course, there were technical difficulties, which seem to be obligatory for any kind of online activity.”

Nora’s Reflections: 

“Throughout my time working with URI this summer, there have been many moments in which URI’s mission and preamble have been displayed, from celebrating URI’s 20th anniversary to hearing how Cooperation Circles are restoring their communities during a pandemic. I believe that URI’s grassroots approach toward bridging differences shines a positive light on the relationship between cultural expression and religion. As I have spent time in conversation with individuals at URI, I feel that everyone recognizes that religion, culture, and human rights do not stand in isolation. 

Over the past few months, I have been writing blog entries for URI’s Coronavirus Series. I have enjoyed highlighting actions that communities are taking in response to the impact of COVID-19. I have realized the significance of the pandemic as a shared experience, in which people throughout the world are experiencing shifts in their daily lives. As we actively listen and engage with respect, we can deepen mutual understanding and trust of other individual’s experiences, especially during times of uncertainty. 

As I go forward into my graduate studies and career, I plan to work in urban and regional transportation planning, focusing on ways to strengthen equitable social and economic mobility in communities. URI’s intention to uplift the voices of people around the world to reach justice will always influence the way I act towards bridging understandings. I am very grateful for this opportunity to learn with interns, individual members, and staff of URI.”

Judith’s Reflections:

Judith Gadaldi, an individual member of URI, has volunteered her time this summer to lead and mentor URI’s Communications Interns. In a conversation with Judith, she recalled meeting Bishop Swing for the first time and being impacted by his peaceful presence and compelling conversation, which initially drew her into becoming a URI member. Judith is motivated by URI’s “value for peacebuilding,” in addition to the importance of looking for ways to grow and act with intention for the betterment of our communities. Judith feels that URI’s mission of peacebuilding through bridging religious and cultural differences creates space for justice and hope in our world. Judith vocalized that the opportunity to lead a group of interns, along with Isabelle Ortega-Lockwood and Gaea Denker, has reinforced the importance of

“opening people’s eyes to seeing how things can be seen from a different perspective.”

We speak of the common experience of how people put filtered lenses on as a natural reaction to our experiences, yet we often become blind to other ways of approaching situations or finding our place in the world. In response to the effect of COVID-19, Judith emphasized the demand to “pivot” and adapt to the unexpected changes that are presented in our daily lives. Speaking with Judith about her future desires as a URI member, she hopes to lead another internship team and continue learning from one another as a team.