Bridge Institute to Bridge-Intern

Initially, joining the Bridge Institute seemed like a bad idea. I was coming out of a less-than-ideal freshman year of college, I’d given up on every skill I tried to master during the lockdown, and my family was getting on my last nerve. The last thing I needed was an unpaid job editing opinion pieces for some big wig on the internet.

Honestly, I applied for internships through BridgeUSA out of sheer boredom rather than a genuine interest in journalism. Much to my surprise, however, I found that working at Divided We Fall through the Bridge Institute was one of the most fulfilling experiences I’ve had since college began. 

The internship began as many online jobs do. I became acquainted with Conor Donovan, an executive at DWF who would officially become my boss. He showed me what I was doing as an intern and set me up with the social media accounts. I and another intern would be working to improve DWF’s presence on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Additionally, he told me I’d have the opportunity to write and edit pieces throughout the summer.

Now’s the part where I pitch the Bridge Institute to all of you reading this while trying hard not to make it sound like a multilevel marketing scheme.

Conor had a more hands-off approach to his management, which I appreciated as it allowed the other writers and myself more creative license in our work. Plus, we basically got to set our own hours, which was great because I could get my writing done when everyone else was asleep. At the conclusion of my internship, I ended up writing one op-ed and editing two more.

Now’s the part where I pitch the Bridge Institute to all of you reading this while trying hard not to make it sound like a multilevel marketing scheme. In fact, I’ll explain in detail why the Institute is a much better idea than selling overpriced leggings out of your garage.

Number one: there’s no buy-in. You don’t have to spend thousands of dollars on products you probably don’t even like just to try and pawn them off on your high school friends over Facebook. Number two: you learn new skills that will actually help you in your life. I didn’t know how to edit a paper properly until I started at Divided We Fall, thanks to the help of the BridgeUSA team. Number three: you’ll make new friends and connections. I’ve stayed in touch with my boss even after the internship ended, and he offered me a paid position with the company.

So give the Institute a try. I’m glad I did.

For more information on the BridgeInstitute click here.

About the Author

Molly Ahern is a sophomore at the University of Rhode Island as well as the Vice President of URI’s Bridge chapter. She is studying Environmental Science and Political Science and she hopes to one day have a career in environmental justice law.