I believe that my volunteer work at the DeKalb History Center has greatly influenced my personal and professional interests, but my relationship with the center did not have a smooth start. The spring semester of my sophomore year, I awaited the decision on the Joyce-Cohrs DeKalb History Center internship. The internship was paid, and it would have been my first ever internship. I managed to obtain an interview and waited. Unfortunately, I received the dreaded “I regret to inform you…” correspondence. I was greatly disappointed, and the feeling of rejection left a bad taste. For a few days I reflected on that rejection email and decided to not let it discourage me. That a rejection and perceived failure was not the end. I might not have gotten the internship, but I managed to place my foot in the door and make an impression on the people that worked there.
I realized that an experience is worth more than a title and decided that volunteering would be just as informative. I was able to conduct research and work in the archive writing blog posts and meeting patrons. I gained a network, an experience, and mentorship from my time at the archive. More importantly, I learned to never let an opportunity go, even when it seemed to have slipped away. There are alternative ways of achieving that can yield the same or even greater results. I am still making an impact in within the community through my work at the archive.
