The Youth Engaged 4 Change (YE4C) team was joined by three Virtual Student Federal Service (VSFS) interns this year. As they wrapped up their internship, we asked them to reflect about what they enjoyed the most about the internship, lessons learned, and advice they have for future virtual interns. Here’s what they had to say:

Dustin

“What I have enjoyed most about the internship was the opportunity to experience different projects. I look forward to bringing this experience as a learning point on how to engage with youths through compelling media and social media engagement.

One of the lessons I have learned is to ask questions. By asking questions, we were able to better understand how to complete the tasks and also learn from the experience. Another lesson I learned was the ability to communicate my needs. When school was particularly busy or when I wasn’t at my physical best, I neglected to communicate my situation or challenges to my supervisors. It was a great lesson and taught me that my managers are here to see me succeed.

One piece of advice I would have is to practice being flexible and open. Throughout my VSFS experience, it was important to have an open mind and to have a curiosity to learn new things. By doing so, you expose yourself to so much more than you could have originally imagined. Keep an open mind and keep learning!”

Sohil

“Working as a Youth Engagement Consultant to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services provided an opportunity to understand how to maximize the issues most pressing to adolescent health and empowerment in a sustainable and durable way. I've had the ability to work firsthand in implementing the techniques that are relevant and actionable to engaging with young people like myself.

Perhaps most important, I've learned about the ability to create systemic change about how we communicate healthcare to young people within traditional institutions. I've learned and applied the tangible methods, specifically in terms of creative communication techniques, to work in a public health setting and look at healthcare in a more comprehensive matter.

For future YECs, the biggest piece of advice I have is to offer your own ideas for the future threshold of YE4C. The supervisors were extremely encouraging and genuinely wanted to hear our feedback. We were able to contribute actionable insights that directly implemented the work of YE4C. Take advantage of the opportunity to network within the system, with your fellow consultants, and work to create something that matters to you and other young people like yourself.”

Amy

“As a graduate student earning my master’s degree in public health, this experience has allowed me to hone my research and writing skills on topics relevant to my field, such as the opioid epidemic and dating violence. I have learned a lot over the course of this internship, but there are two lessons in particular that stand out.

1. It is important to consider your audience(s) when writing blogs or other content that will be seen by others. If what you are writing is too technical or not written from an interesting enough angle, your readers will either not understand it or not read it because it doesn’t grab their attention. This is especially important when writing for a youth audience!
2. Before anything is published on a government agency’s website, it goes through a strict process during which it is reviewed, sometimes multiple times by multiple people. From this, I learned how to accept criticism from others and apply it so that I can improve and produce the best work possible.

My advice for future VSFS interns is to take your commitment seriously. An internship is a great opportunity to gain or improve skills and explore the type of career you may want to pursue. In order to get the most out of it, you have to really immerse yourself in the experience; work hard, ask questions, and learn all you can. It will pay off in the future.”

We would like to thank these three interns for their hard work and creative contributions to YE4C’s mission of empowering and inspiring young people to improve their lives and the world around them! For further information on the VSFS internship program, visit so that you can help inspire young people around the world!