Three weeks ago I was starting my first day at the Center for Education Reform (CER), and now I’m concluding my experience with the organization. My experience with CER has been educational and I have acquired more knowledge about the education field as a result. My daily task included uploading information from articles that were sent to my email daily into CER database. Everyday I learned something new, whether it was a school facing closure, a new policy being introduced, teachers being evaluated, or even the teachers union advocating for what they believe in. As a junior in high school I’m used to loud students on a daily basis but at CER the environment is completely professional; and I soon caught on to what the adult work environment is like.
During my second week at the organization all of the interns had a pizza lunch, in which they gave me advice on college and answered any questions of mine. Today is my last day and I am thankful for having the opportunity to complete a fellowship at CER. My knowledge about education has increased since being at CER but now my time at the organization has come to an end, and everything that I have learned about education will be displayed this upcoming year when I complete my senior thesis assignment. Senior thesis is a requirement for graduation and the main assignments include a fifteen-page paper on a public policy topic as well as a presentation. I look forward to completing my thesis on a topic that revolves around education because I can apply everything that I have learned while working with CER. Thanks for everything Center for Education Reform!
Imani Jenkins, César Chávez Charter School Fellow