Intern Dina Shlufman reflects on her six-week internship.

I’ve been told that you’re in this sort of limbo period during the summer after you graduate high school and before you go off to college. This liminal era is often characterized as being devoid of community and a feeling of displacement and disorientation as you’re not sure what exactly you should be doing.

Thus, this spring, a million questions swarmed around in my head: Should I get a head start on studying? But I don’t know what I should be learning. Should I get a typical summer job? But I don’t know where to look. Should I plan a fun summer, my last one at home? But what does that even entail?

I felt lost on what I should do, as I wanted to have a fun, productive summer that would prepare me for the year ahead. That’s when I stumbled upon an ad for The Jewish Link, which advertised a job that was exactly that. I am so thankful to The Link for providing me with my perfect summer plans.

Coming into the office six weeks ago, I was not prepared for how welcoming and supportive the office environment would be. Every week, we started our mornings off with an editorial meeting where Moshe Kinderlehrer, Jill Kirsch and Elizabeth Kratz would meet with the interns to discuss ideas. I was pleasantly surprised by how, in addition to giving us stories to cover, the staff was more than willing to take the interns’ own ideas for assignments. These meetings provided me with the summer community that I had been craving.

Although I had had ample journalism experience in the past, this was the first time I had been part of a newspaper that focused mainly on local Jewish issues. I was excited and nervous at the prospect of writing about my own community. On the one hand, I couldn’t wait to cover stories that affected those around me. On the other, I felt an immense responsibility to portray the tri-state Jewish community accurately. However, Moshe, Jill, Elizabeth and all of the other interns were there to imbue me with the confidence I needed to write these pieces. I want to thank all of them for their support.

I want to give a special shout-out to Hannah Kirsch, the head intern, who worked around the clock to make sure all of the other interns were feeling good about their roles. She fielded all of our questions, edited our articles and was there as a constant support system for all of us. I am forever grateful for her kindness and mentorship.

Throughout my experience, I learned how to better accurately conduct both phone and in-person interviews. I was also able to physically get out into the Teaneck community to cover stories about events happening in real time. In addition, I was tasked with adhering to tight publication deadlines and editing last-minute finishing touches on articles. This internship helped my time-management skills tremendously.

Coming out of this experience, I feel much more confident in my writing and journalistic abilities, and I know that I am ready to take on more writing opportunities in college as well as in life.

Dina Shlufman just finished her six week internship at The Jewish Link and is excited to begin her freshman year at Cornell University.