Last June 5, 2018, the Ateneo SALT Institute opened its doors for the first batch of interns. Thirteen individuals ranging from undergraduate, graduate, and MA students gathered for their on-boarding session for the internship program this Intersession 2018.
The Ateneo SALT Institute created this internship program mainly to have more assistance in the research and marketing departments and for the organization of the institute’s upcoming conference on educational frontiers. Research coordinator Eos Trinidad says that having interns means allowing for more people to get to know the institute, be more immersed, and engage in a positive learning environment. Thus, being able to propel the institute to do something much more than it could.
Interns are divided into two functions – Marketing & Branding and Research & Partnership. The former is tasked to organize and create content for the institute’s website and social media platforms, as well as market the International Conference on Educational Frontiers.
On the other hand, the latter is responsible for data gathering and analysis of various research topics essential to the institute. Topics include student formation, training needs analysis, and student-centered learning among others.
With more than a month ahead, the interns are hopeful, excited, and prepared for the challenges to come over the course of the program. Trinidad hopes that at the end of the intersession period, interns are left with three major takeaways – a greater sense of self through the work experience, a fuller understanding of the education system and its opportunities, and a deeper grasp of mission in that the work is significantly larger than themselves.
The SALT interns are working at the College ’66 Co-Lab of The Areté building in the Ateneo de Manila University.
