Victoria Teasley: InTERPShip Academy Spotlight

Hello everyone, I am Victoria Teasley, a junior on the women's track and field team. During the past school year, I was accepted into the engineering program, and I am now officially a bioengineering major in the Fischell Department of Bioengineering. After being accepted and knowing that I would be finishing my sophomore year, I knew it was time to try to get an internship. 

Personally, I didn't know the exact route I wanted to take for my future career plans, and I wanted to figure that out before coming into my junior year. Thankfully, the Maryland Made InTERPship Academy was advertised all over Gosset, being sent to my email, and I was told about it from multiple advisors, which made it really easy to decide to apply for the program. Especially, after looking at the benefits they provided: finding the internship for you, holding career development sessions, making sure you are paid, and providing guidance throughout the whole process. Compared to trying to find an internship on my own, I knew this was the best way to go.

To get accepted, I had to do the application and a short, personal interview with Adaeze Aleaze-Dinma. I will say, I was kind of nervous for the interview, but it was a lot more relaxed than I thought it would be, and it wasn't difficult at all. After the interview, I was told I was accepted, and after a couple of conversations with Adaeze, she found me a location to intern at. I was able to intern with the amazing Dr. Jonathan D. Packer at the University of Maryland's Orthopedics office. While I was there, I did a lot of shadowing, performing small tasks, interacting with patients, and learning about medical equipment and terminology. I was also able to shadow and have conversations with other doctors of different specialties, which was really cool and informative. Although my favorite part was going to watch inside the OR and seeing a range of surgeries, such as ACL reconstructions to wrist tendon surgery. Those were accompanied by asking a lot of questions, which was one of the most important parts. 

While I was there, I gained connections, knowledge of the industry, knowledge of medical devices, and comfort in starting meaningful conversations. Gaining these skills will continue to help me in the future, but most importantly, it has helped me figure out what path I want to take with my major. This internship narrowed down my vision and made me way more confident about planning my future career. Additionally, it gave me the benefit of adding this opportunity and these skills to my resume, which makes my resume stronger and shows experience for future opportunities.

Altogether, this program helped me grow as a student and future employee, and it gave me the confidence and knowledge to make an important decision regarding my future career. This experience made me hold myself accountable for getting the most out of this program, being on time, asking meaningful questions, and learning to be an adult in my field. I personally believe there are no cons to this experience, and not a single step where you won't be guided or helped by Maryland Made. So, if you're thinking about applying for the InTERPship Program, I say do it!