By Reisha Mae F. Valdez, UC student
Nobody tells you that the hardest part of an internship is not the work. It is leaving.
For more than two months as an intern and two weeks as a volunteer at the City Mayor’s Office, I woke up knowing exactly where I needed to be. Every morning had a purpose. Every task, no matter how small, felt connected to something bigger than myself.
At first, I was simply a student trying to complete a requirement. I arrived carrying a notebook, a pen, and the hope that I would learn something useful for my future career. Like many interns, I expected to gain experience, build connections, and understand how a workplace functions.
I never expected to become attached.
Somewhere between the deadlines, meetings, documents, and ordinary conversations, the office stopped being just an office. It became a place filled with familiar faces. Faces that greeted us every morning. Faces that patiently answered our questions. Faces that reminded us that public service is not only found in policies and programs but also in simple acts of kindness.
The longer I stayed, the more I realized that government is not made up of buildings. It is made up of people. People who stay beyond office hours. People who continue working even when nobody is watching. People who carry responsibilities far heavier than what most citizens see.
As students, we often judge institutions from the outside. We see headlines, statements, and public events. But during my internship, I saw something different. I saw the human side of service. I saw people trying their best to make a difference, one task at a time.
That is why my last day felt heavier than I expected. Everything looked the same. The desks remained where they had always been. The hallways echoed with the same familiar sounds. The computers were still running. The work continued.
The only thing changing was me.
As I looked around for what might be the last time, I realized that I was no longer the same person who first entered those doors. The shy student who arrived on the first day left with more confidence, more knowledge, and a deeper appreciation for the people who dedicate their lives to serving others.
The truth is that internships are not only about preparing for a profession. They are about discovering who you are becoming.
The City Mayor’s Office became part of my everyday life. It gave me lessons that could never fit inside a classroom. It taught me responsibility, humility, and the value of showing up even when the work seems small.
Most importantly, it reminded me that growth often happens quietly. It happens on ordinary days that do not seem important until they are over.
And now they are. When I logged out for the last time, I did not feel proud because I had completed a requirement. I felt grateful because I had been given an opportunity.
An opportunity to learn. An opportunity to serve. An opportunity to belong, even for a little while.
The internship may be over, but some experiences do not end when you walk out the door. They stay with you. They shape you. They become part of the story you carry into the next chapter of your life.
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