Summer experience: BART internship

Simple and convenient are two words that may come to mind when it comes to riding on Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). This summer I had the amazing opportunity of interning at the BART District Offices and learning that there’s more to it than meets the eye.

I worked in the Human Resources department (HR) from nine to five on weekdays for about six weeks. My daily tasks consisted of creating graphics about health benefits, entering data into spreadsheets, filing confidential information, making folders with information about benefits, packaging boxes of health certificates for the retirees, and assisting with promotional and marketing events.

Despite the long work hours, I was able to learn more about working in an office setting and with people of all ages, including my supervisor, other co workers, and another high school intern in my department. I blended in with the team by following their business casual dress code and attending their weekly meetings. BART serves diverse people, and the workforce reflects this mindset. Everyone there was open and friendly, and I felt very at ease and comfortable working with them.

In addition to regular work, interns were also provided with weekly professional development workshops, where some speakers and BART employees taught lessons about how to network and write professionally, as well as introduce us to the variety of careers offered at BART. I never knew before just how many departments there could be in a transportation agency: HR, Accounting, Police, Real Estate, Law, etc.

This internship exposed me to new people, new opportunities, new ideas, and new insight. My time at BART opened my eyes and allowed me to see firsthand what goes on behind the scenes to keep the trains, and the business, running. Now whenever I ride BART, I keep in mind the knowledge of how much hard work hundreds of employees put in every day to help make transportation a little easier for the public.