By Pratikshya Thakali
This summer I had the opportunity to intern within the Pension Boards-United Church of Christ (PBUCC) as part of the Member Services team and I am grateful for the experience, which as been nothing less than amazing! Like any college senior, I was looking for an internship, but I found something greater.
As an immigrant whose first language is not English, PBUCC empowered me to speak my mind in a safe space without the fear of being judged. I am thankful to my mentor Maria Soto, Member Services Manager, who guided me through the day-to-day operations of the Member Services department. She had patience and compassion to guide me through the departmental projects and encouraged me to use my creativity and skills to make our task meaningful. Her knowledge helped me to understand the impact of better service.
Within this department, I worked on billing project that served as a guidebook for the Member Services team after they received concerns and feedback from members. I also worked on a data integrity project, which is mainly focused on the correcting and proofing of member records into PBUCC’s OMNI data system. Both projects helped me understand the daily operations of PBUCC and how different departments are interconnected. For instance, the billing project collaborates with Accounting and Finance teams, while data integrity involved the IT team. The entire function is like ecosystem. These projects allowed me to further develop my problem-solving skills and think beyond the box.
My favorite part has been coming into the office every Wednesday for the weekly roundtables led by different team leaders who helped us to understand the services and functions of the organization better. Having the opportunity to get know each other in person and build those relationships has been a highlight of the program.
Overall, my experience with PBUCC has been great. I learned what it means to be a socially responsible organization. Also, seeing PBUCC’s mission in action of placing the needs of its members first, is very inspiring.
My biggest takeaway interning at PBUCC was discovering the beauty of a diverse workforce. The professional and cultural diversity of the staff makes this organization a meaningful place to work.