Weeks 1&2 – Organizational Category

Despite being a completely virtual internship, my experience at ADL (Anti-Defamation League) has been very well organized and clear. My supervisor, Lauren, has been very upfront about what she expects from me, as well as how my work should reflect the values of the organization. In each piece of work I turn in, Lauren makes an effort to review it and discuss with me how I can improve, what my work is a part of, and how my work reflects the organization. Additionally, I greatly appreciate that Lauren makes a great effort to provide structure to my day to day, trying to mimic an in-person experience as much as possible. Each morning, we have a meeting at 9:30 to discuss what I will be tackling that day as well as what her day is going to look like (what meetings I can attend with her, any urgent matters she would like me to work on, etc.) and what ADL is working on as a whole. Towards the end of the day, we meet again to go through what I have accomplished and receive feedback. These meetings are always one of my favorite parts of the day as they help me feel connected to the organization besides only interacting with the civil rights and policy team. I do recognize that ADL was in a unique position to thrive in the virtual workplace as there are regional field offices all across the country that must remotely collaborate with the headquarters in New York City year round, meaning the organization was already quite comfortable with virtual platforms such as Zoom and Slack that have become essential in the new workplace. In fact, some of the meetings I attend with Lauren have always taken place over Zoom – in these cases working remotely has always been the norm, uniquely positioning ADL to continue serving the public without too many new protocols. I feel very fortunate to return to a company that has been so effective in the transition to this “new normal” of remote work and maintains its commitment to developing the skills of its employees.