Saraiya Carr: Good Things Come in Twos—Two Conferences, Two Internships, and Too Many Lessons to Count.

Four years ago, when I entered Lander University, I was unaware of the power the number two would hold in my academic career. I have two majors, I work two jobs, I have presented at two conferences, and I have completed two internships. The two internships and the two conferences would mark my completion of the honors college program by teaching me lessons that would signify my honors college experience.

I completed two vastly different internships: I interned at Jane Merrill Law and the Benjamin E. Mays historical site. On the surface, the two couldn't have been more different. One was rooted in the past; the other was focused on the present. One asked me to sift through old documents and coordinate a new exhibit; the other pushed me into real-time casework and court documents. It didn't take long for me to realize that the most important lesson learned from these internships was that my value as an employee or intern derives from how hard I work, not the work I do.

I adored my legal internship because I felt like an integral part of the justice system. I assisted with case discovery and legal research; I witnessed the fruit of my labor bloom in successful trials or pretrial arrangements. I thought that my legal internship would be the most valuable experience from my time at Lander because I felt the work was significant.

I attended my internship at the Benjamin E. Mays site with sadness. The start of my internship at the site meant the end of my internship at the law firm. I felt animosity towards the work expectations of the historical site because it was focused on the past. I felt lost without the pressure of real-time issues like I had solved at the law firm. However, the laziness that I might have had at the start of my historical internship quickly faded as I became more focused on my work.

I began conducting research for a new exhibit at the site, I quickly memorized a tour for guests, and I learned the value of focusing on the past to have a better future. Working at the Mays site was a different workload than the law firm but required the same effort. Furthermore, I felt my work was valuable because of how hard I worked to create a lasting impact at the site and how dedicated I was to provide educational tours that might inspire future historians or mark a small step in continuing the fight for Civil rights started by Benjamin E. Mays.

At my first conference, I presented a research paper on medieval literature at a medieval-centered conference. I attended the conference with a small group of peers and we drove to the conference together. I was registered by my professor, who signed me in and took my photo as I presented. I was comforted by knowing that I was surrounded by my peers and that everyone was presenting similar topics that related to medieval times. My first conference experience was wonderful because people clapped when I delivered my presentation. I had someone in the audience who was proud that I was there, someone who was there to take my photo as I presented.

My second time presenting at a conference was when I learned the significance of having someone take my photo. At my second conference, I presented alone, in a different state, at the conference not attended by any else from Lander University. I drove alone, registered by myself, spent the night alone in a hotel room, and had no one to take my picture as I presented. I learned from my experience presenting alone how much support I had received from Lander University. I felt uneasy and anxious presenting at this conference. I was shuffled into a room with other students from other universities that had attended in small groups, who had family there to support them, whose professors smiled proudly as a semester-long project reached its culmination.

Watching people around me, I was most aware of my loneliness. In truth, I had several moments of deep contemplation of packing up my poster and leaving, pretending I was never there in the first place. The anxiety that riddled my body was almost enough to keep me from achieving something I had worked hard for.

Once the presentations started, I took a deep breath and refocused on the task at hand. I remembered that life is about using the support from others, such as my peers and professors, learning with them, then using those lessons to walk forward alone.  I finished my presentation and left with a feeling of accomplishment and excitement that I had accomplished something on my own, and I took my own photo.

Saraiya Carr is a double major in English professional writing and history. Her breakaway is comprised of presenting at the Medieval Times Conference at Spartanburg Methodist and the Southern Regional Honors Council Conference in Chattanooga, TN, and the completion of internships at Jane Merrill Law and the Benjamin E. Mays Historical Site. Following graduation, Saraiya intends to volunteer and work for a year before attending Law School.