My Internship at Our Moon: Growing Through Environments and Experiences

Brenda shares how her internship at Our Moon Education revealed the invisible struggles many students carry and the power of empathy, encouragement, and intentional leadership.

Ever wondered why some children count down the hours until they return home while others walk slowly after school, dragging their feet and hoping that the road somehow becomes longer? Ever wondered why some people run outside, laughing and dancing when the rain begins to fall, while others suddenly become anxious at the sight of dark clouds and rising water? To one person, a bang is just a disturbance, while to another, it awakens them and evokes memories of survival.

At first glance, these reactions may appear to be a simple difference in personality or preference. Often society labels people as shy, dramatic, confident, difficult, emotional or distant without ever questioning what experience may have shaped their behaviours. As a result, their experiences and how they have been labelled, some end up being bullies, others empathetic, dependent, or independent. What they do, how they talk, dress or even react may become a coping mechanism to avoid addressing those negative experiences.

I came to understand this more deeply during the start of my internship at Our Moon Education. When I began my internship three months ago, I entered the role excited and confident. I always enjoyed being someone people could approach with questions and curiosity. So I was eager to continue the supportive and welcoming environment that had once shaped me as a student in the Young Leaders Programme.

To me, Our Moon is a space where students are encouraged to think independently, ask questions freely, and grow into more confident versions of themselves.

I started by helping manage a WhatsApp group for prospective applicants. At first, I was surprised by some of the questions students asked. The answers seemed obvious to me. Obvious enough that I struggled to understand why they asked. With time, I began noticing patterns not in the questions themselves, but in the people asking them. Some students sent long, confident messages without hesitation, while others apologised repeatedly even when asking the simplest questions. Some students constantly sought reassurance, worrying whether they were “good enough” for the program, while others approached the opportunity with certainty and ease.

A moment that stayed with me was when an applicant asked if she could be exempted from the interview because she thought she would never handle an interview. After the interview, she tried to find out if her interviewer was pleased, and in the process, she apologised for giving any wrong or bad responses. I realised she wasn't afraid of saying the wrong thing and embarrassing herself in the interview. The fear she displayed did not begin there. It likely built slowly through previous experiences, moments where she may have been laughed at, ignored, or made to feel small for speaking up. In that moment, I realised how dangerous assumptions can be.

My internship has taught me that people enter spaces carrying invisible stories. Some carry confidence because they have spent years being encouraged. Others carry fear because life has repeatedly taught them to be cautious. What appears obvious, easy, or natural to one person may feel unfamiliar and intimidating to another, depending on their previous experiences.

More importantly, I began to understand that, as an intern, I now embody a universal entity that is playing a role in shaping the environment and experiences that mould the students. However, the way I deliver the experiences as a representative will either empower or diminish the students. As a result, I have learnt to take responsibility, be more intentional with my words, actions, and be considerate.

My internship has been nothing but enlightening. Beyond the practical skills I have gained, scanning, printing, evaluation, and more, I have been exposed to how real professional systems function. How people in professional environments interact, and how one person's conduct can shape the outcome of an entire team.

This has been more than an opportunity to gain practical skills or professional experience before university, stepping into a classroom, running a business, or any future endeavours beyond Our Moon Education. I aim to use my internship to master the art of understanding human behaviour, be at peace and exist meaningfully in this life, I am continuously growing. I want to create impact and not be entitled.