SUST 395 Sustainability Internship
Spring 2015
Prof. Mike Bryson
Updated 20 April 2015
Internship Reflection Essay
Overview of the Assignment
This essay (7-10 pages, double-spaced, 1" margins, 12-point font) is an opportunity for you to critically
reflect on your learning process and internship activities this semester in SUST 395. The essay should
describe your duties and responsibilities for the internship, detail your activities and accomplishments
with your sponsoring organization, describe whatever products or projects you produced (or helped to
produce) during your time there, and critically reflect upon your overall learning experience during the
internship.
While this for-credit internship did not have any assigned readings on our part, you should provide a
bibliography (in APA format) of any works you cite within your discussion, whether books, articles, or
websites. If you quote from sources, do so selectively; your own writing should be first and foremost.
Reflecting on Your Learning Process
Describing what you did during your internship is important enough, though that's mostly just an
organized recitation of facts. But critically reflecting on what you've learned during this experience is
more meaningful, because it puts those facts into the context of your overall education. How you
organize this part of your essay is up to you, but one good way to do it is around the key impacts your
internship had on you (whether in terms of building your knowledge base, teaching you new skills,
networking with professionals, crafting a path for graduate study, developing new career goals, etc.).
• What important things did you learn during your internship? Some issues to think about here
include key sustainability topics (biodiversity, water, food, transportation, environmental
policy/law, education, etc.) and their relation to the activities and/or research you did on your
internship. Think also about the goals/projects of your sponsor, the scope/mission of his/her
organization, and the act of community service.
• How has your internship changed your thinking about ____________? I imagine everyone
will approach this question differently. The hopeful idea behind service learning internships is
that they can have a transformation effect upon us (and possibly others). Did anything change for
you, in terms of your outlook, level of understanding, specific kinds of knowledge, etc.? What's
the significance of that change?
• How can you build upon your internship work? Think about the next step. Did you start
something you'd like to continue, whether with that organization or another? If so, how might
you carry this work forward, whether in the same vein or a different guise?
• Would you recommend this internship to another student? Assuming it would be feasible for
someone else to step into your shoes and carry on, what advice would you give them? How
might you have done things differently, if at all? What skills/attitudes are important here?
Note: you don't have to tell me what you think I want to hear. Just be honest. I'm not looking for specific
kinds of answers, but rather thoughtful reflection and clear expression.
