STEM: Summer Tasks of an English Major

If you told me two years ago that I would be working in a government research laboratory, I almost certainly would have laughed and said you were crazy. If you told me that laboratory was part of MIT, I would probably call you out for being unrealistic. So how did an English major like me end up at MIT Lincoln Laboratory? Well, the story isn't as interesting as you might assume. The answer to that question is, quite simply, that I applied and gave it a shot.

In the winter of 2018, I was notified by a family friend that there was an opening in the Community Outreach office at Lincoln Lab. They were looking for a co-op student to help manage some of their summer K-12 STEM programs. As you probably know by now, I didn't take the advice to apply too seriously. I mean, why would a world-renowned research lab want to hire an English and Secondary Education major? Nevertheless, as summer drew nearer and the dinner table interrogations of "have you found a job yet?" became ever more pressing, I decided to give it a shot. And boy am I ever glad I did.

As it turns out, the fabulous team of people that I work with were looking for a person who knew how to work with teenagers; who understood their needs, their interests, and the different behavioral patterns that they might display while they were here for summer programs. When I found that out, I immediately grew more comfortable with the position. I may not have known anything about the STEM field, but my experience in the Saint Michael's College Education Department made me confident that I had the skill set that this job required. My first year was a wild ride full of learning opportunities. I arrived cautious, yet open minded, and I left knowing way more about the construction and applications of radar than ever before. And the very best part of my first year at the lab was that I was able to learn alongside the students that I worked with. Their exceptional curiosity and kindness was truly inspiring.

As I enter my second summer as an intern at MIT Lincoln Laboratory, I am more confident in my interdisciplinary skills. Yes, nothing can ever replace my love of giant fantasy novels or a good YA book, but working at MIT made me realize that STEM is pretty darn cool. More than anything, my experience has taught me that "Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve" (J.K. Rowling).

The next several blog posts will chronicle my journey as a second year intern. I can't predict the future, but I suspect there will be plenty of meditations on radar technology and the trials and tribulations of program planning. Either way, I'm psyched to kick this summer off, and I can't wait for you to follow along.