College internship success story: Rabia Mir
From Employee Wellness Intern to Director of Change Management
In the mid 2000s, I wrote a series of college internship success stories describing how eight recent college graduates leveraged their college internships into full-time jobs. In 2024, I decided it would be fun to revisit these stories and see how the internships set the stage for their future career development. Much of their career advice is relevant for remote-first careers.
Rabia, what college did you attend?
The George Washington University, School of Public Health and Health Sciences, DC
Where did you complete an internship?
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of National Institutes of Health
How did you find/land your internship?
Dr. Rachel Permuth-Levine of NHLBI sent out an email over a listserv. Her work in employee wellness intrigued me. I emailed her asking if I could complete my practicum requirement for my MPH degree with her, without compensation. She called me the same day and had me come on board less than a week later.
What type of work did you do during your internship?
- Created a strategic, social marketing and health communications plan to improve the health and wellness of employees; the organization accepted my plan for funding and used it as a recruitment and retention tool.
- Recruited partners and created large-scale health initiatives such as health fairs, lectures, and fitness festivals.
- Created a digital newsletter about physical activity for NHLBI employees.
- Authored an article about employee wellness initiatives for publication in the NIH Record.
I also received an "Intern of the Year" award.
What was one significant thing you learned about working during your internship?
In addition to learning workplace etiquette and gaining federal government experience, I learned how to be an excellent employee. The best part of my internship was my mentor, Dr. Permuth-Levine. I became more ambitious as I saw how accomplished she was at such a young age. I admired her ability to perform stellar work in the office and be a wonderful mother, wife, and friend at the same time. She had an amazing work-life balance. I also enjoyed watching her speak at various events and push her creative ideas.
Dr. Permuth-Levine allowed me to work from home almost every day, as she trusted me to complete my assignments. She was more outcome-focused than hours-focused. This made me a more efficient worker, as opposed to the common employee who dilly-dallies at work for some time. She also gave me something not everyone gets: opportunity. She never questioned my age or experience, and she put faith in me to handle big projects, which made me work harder and allowed me to shine in the end. Because I admired her as an employee and person, I worked extremely hard to not disappoint her. This internship made me into a very hardworking, ambitious, and confident employee.
How did your internship lead to a job offer?
Dr. Permuth-Levine helped me to succeed. She was so impressed with my work as an intern that she hired me as a paid consultant to do more work for NIH. After completing the allotted number of hours, she guided me through the job application process, reviewing my resume and giving me tips on interviewing. She even called up a few employers for me and served as a wonderful reference.
I had two job offers in my e-mail within two weeks, and Dr. Permuth-Levine helped me evaluate my options. After my potential employer spoke to Dr. Permuth-Levine as a reference, the employer raised the offer by over $5k.
This employer was a federal contracting company. A year later, I joined another company that was very impressed with how much professional experience I had at such a young age and with my professional demeanor at the interview.
Any words of wisdom you would like to share with current college students?
Be an opportunist! Research every opportunity that comes your way and take every chance because you never know what can come out of it. And stay confident. You may be young and you may be inexperienced, but that does not mean you can't accomplish the same things as your superiors. Keep your head up, smile, and complete every task like it's your best.
Thank you, Rabia, for sharing your experience and advice.
Update in 2024:
Rabia Mir is now a Director, Change Management—Business Transformation Office at ICF.
