Neuroptera. Coleoptera. Diptera. Hymenoptera. Homoptera. These are just some of the words that were part of my daily routine in the entomology lab in the San Diego Natural History Museum. At first, I had no idea what these words even meant. Slowly, I got used to them. Coleoptera are beetles. Diptera are flies. Hymenoptera are ants, bees and wasps. It's easy to see that my internship had to do with insects. My position had to do with sorting and categorizing insects, and I had never done it before. I knew I would have to learn, but I didn't know what the expanse of the learning would be.
When I began, I was completely lost. I had no idea how to identify insects into orders, and these insects were beyond small. We used keys that explained details that certain insects had, and others didn't. There was always something that didn't fit, natural is unpredictable. At first I would constantly be asking for help, but it worked out. All the help I asked for ended up giving me so many tips that I no longer needed the keys to figure out the species of an insect. Instead of just focusing on what an insect was, I was able to be amazed by the abnormalities I was seeing. Insect structure was not the only thing I learned however.
The people I was working with aged in range from 17-72. I gained so much advice from so many different generations. I got college advice, job advice and ideas for my personal statement. The people I worked with became very good friends. We would joke around while working and just have conversations. One of the employees actually told me how I could revise my resume, and what jobs like to hear. One volunteer actually opened a door for me that I had never seen before. Photography.
A woman named Carole gave me the chance to become a photographer. She gave me a 35mm camera to begin my newfound hobby. She also donated cameras for our school. I was overwhelmed at her kindness and I couldn't thank her enough. My way to properly thank her is going to do everything I can to begin a photography class at school.
TO sum it up, internship was great. There was so much more then I could ahve ever expected. That's why my internship isn't over. I am going to continue volunteering there over the summer. They need so much help, and I really want to.
