Every summer, The Michael J. Fox Foundation acquires a talented pool of interns who lend their skills to our mission to cure Parkinson's, and benefit from the chance to witness day-to-day operations at a fast-paced nonprofit.

This summer, MJFF’s Communication’s Intern, Sahirah Johnson sat down with her fellow interns for the Summer Intern Q&A series on the Fox Feed blog. This week, we turned the tables to ask Sahirah about her experiences interning with MJFF.

Think of a fun fact about yourself for the blog.

My fall semester as a junior, I studied abroad in the Middle East. There, I had an internship, writing for a global magazine about cross-culture experience. 

What advice would you give to other interns?

I would advise future interns to be self-motivated. There will be stages when your supervisor/manager will expect you to do tasks on your own. Another piece of advice I would give is to always have a confident attitude in the work place. Having confidence could only result in positive things. 

What project are you most enjoying working on?

The project that I enjoyed most working on is the internship blog. This project allowed me to interact with other interns, who all work in different departments here. This project has taught me how each department at the Foundation is essential to the mission to help find a cure for Parkinson’s.

What is the one thing you hope to take away from your internship at MJFF?

While interning here, I hope to understand entirely how different aspects of the Communications department work together. With that, I will be able to pursue my career in communications in the right direction.  

Outside of the internship, what is one thing on your summer agenda?

I will be traveling to Jamaica toward the end of August to visit my family. While I’m there, I will be going to the beach, eating some of my favorite foods (like jerk chicken) and immersing myself in the culture.