Teens Talk Back: Goodbye!
My internship at NetSmartz was to be my first real job, and at first the idea did not make me extremely excited. As it turned out, I have loved every minute of working here. I have learned many things about the Internet, about safety, and about life. This internship has not scared me into not using the Internet, but it has taught me how to be safer while using the Internet. I have begun to more closely monitor what I post on my profile and what my friends post about me on my profile. I have also looked more closely at my friends' profiles and asked them to watch what they are posting online.
One of the most important skills I gained from my experience at NetSmartz was the ability to interview people. The other interns and I conducted "man on the street" interviews, stopping random people to ask them their opinion on social networking sites. The first couple interviews were extremely nerve-racking, but after a few stumbles though, I really started to get the hang of talking to people. I liked having the opportunity to talk to people I otherwise would have never talked to. It was a confidence booster knowing that I could just go up to someone and have a conversation with them! This was only one of the invaluable skills that I learned at NetSmartz and that will help me with my various leadership positions at school.
I would like to thank the people at NetSmartz and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children for allowing me to have this once in a lifetime opportunity. I have met the most amazing people, and I have learned amazing new things. Because of this internship, I will be starting (with my twin sister, also an intern at NetSmartz) a new program at my school all about Internet safety. I am very passionate about this subject and I am excited for all the potential that this new program has to offer.
Katherine – NetSmartz Teen Intern
