Julia Plunkett
Challenges Faced
I have had to immerse myself in the Italian culture quickly when I started my internship. Nobody spoke English and my Italian was slim to none. It was difficult trying to explain what I would like to achieve with them and I did not want to ask too many questions because I knew they would not understand me.
Future Plans
This internship has helped me narrow down my options for a future career This internship has inspired me do follow the path of my interests, not the path that somebody else wants me to take. I would really like to focus on the biology side of aging, what makes everybody different, and what causes certain changes to happen.
Skills Gained
I have gained more patience and understanding from this internship. I had to be able to speak up when I needed something and I had to learn their way of doing things fairly quickly. I have learned how to communicate better despite the language barrier.
Benefits of this internship
This internship has given me the opportunity to see how different parts of the world handle elder care. There are similarities and there are some differences. With the population aging as fast as it is, this will help me be able to handle different people from different parts of the world. This internship has given me hands-on experience that will benefit me in my future career.