Get to know #BystandersWeLove . . . Carola Davis
This summer Soteria Solutions welcomed our summer intern, Carola Davis '23, in partnership with the ECenter - Peter T. Paul Entrepreneurship Center.
Why did you choose to take an internship with Soteria Solutions?
Going into the interview process for the UNH E-center internship program, I knew Soteria was my top choice. I was intrigued by their research-based bystander intervention model for sexual/relationship violence prevention. While my school provided education on consent, I had never seen a prevention model that seemed so practical and engaging. I loved that their message centered around activating the community to be better bystanders, rather than attempting to target the perpetrators. At the time, I was a research assistant for Professor Griffith’s Modern Work Lab, researching the workplace impacts of employees who suffer from PTSD. While I felt passionate about my research, I knew there was also a side of me drawn to creative marketing. One major component of Soteria Solution’s internship position was social media marketing. The thought of getting to be creative doing social media marketing for a non-profit that provides research backed education on a topic I’m passionate about sounded almost too good to be true. The interview process spanned a couple weeks with five interviews, Soteria Solutions being the last. Throughout the interviews, I got to learn so much about some fascinating start-ups in the area. Given the matching process for the internships and the fact that I was a freshman, I knew it was unlikely that my favorite start-up would rank me as their top choice. Thinking about the interviews I had done before, I knew that I would likely enjoy working for any of the start-ups I had talked to. However, when I sat down to interview with Soteria Solutions, it felt different than any other start-ups I talked to. Jennifer and Casey made me feel welcome and comfortable as soon as I sat down. Typically during interviews, I worry that I’m not prepared enough, or not saying the right thing. I never felt that way once talking with them. It felt like less of an interview, and more of a mutual conversation about our passions and interests. I felt so grateful when I got the email saying I'd been matched with Soteria Solutions.
How did the internship match your expectations?
Going into the first day of the internship, I tried to hold virtually no expectations. From the interview, I knew that I would enjoy working with them and the work they did. However, my time with Soteria Solutions has completely exceeded any of the expectations I did have. The first day I started here, I already felt as if my opinions were valued and heard. I felt as if Casey and Jennifer trusted me as soon as I started. When I first started, I wasn’t really sure what my role in the company was going to be. I thought that when I started, I would start with smaller, administrative projects, and once I earned their trust, they would start giving me larger, more creative tasks. However, when I actually started, I realized that I’m not just here to help them sort data and send emails- these people cared about what I thought, and took my ideas into consideration from day one. Their trust in my abilities allowed me to become more confident in my own abilities. Typically, starting new large projects can stress me out. However, I didn’t feel stressed initiating new projects at Soteria because I knew that if I made a mistake, it was completely ok and normal. The team at Soteria Solutions immediately made me feel as if I was a part of the team, even though at the time, I was just their summer intern. I knew I would learn about social media marketing, but I didn’t expect to learn so much about market research, data analysis, and educational training.
What Was the Most Beneficial Experience for You?
The most beneficial experience I had at Soteria Solutions was the experience of working alongside the team. Working alongside the Soteria Solutions team taught me so much about myself and how I work. During my time at Soteria, I learned that when I feel like my opinion is valued, I work much better. They treated me like any other employee, instead of a 19 year old intern. Their confidence in me allowed me to feel creative and energized at work, which, to be honest, I had never really felt at a job before. I knew that if I made a mistake they wouldn’t think any lower of me, which pushed me to be creative in ways I was too scared to before. When I’m working for a cause I’m passionate about, I become a much more optimistic, and generally happier person in all facets of my life, not just work. Even when the tasks themselves are menial, like scrubbing data sheets, I always know that I’m working towards a much larger purpose. Working alongside a team of such compassionate, intelligent women working to combat sexual and relationship violence has given me a such sense of purpose in my daily life that I didn’t know was even possible. I would leave the office with more energy than I came in with, because I felt so good about the work I was doing. Sometimes at work, I struggle with investing too much of my energy into a project that the beginning, and feeling drained partway through. However, I realized that when I’m intrinsically motivated to do the work that I’m doing, I don’t lose steam or feel like I’m starting to burn out. When I’m working for a cause so close to my heart, I always want to put 100% into everything I do. Working for Soteria Solutions helped me gain confidence in my abilities, and taught me that it's possible to be truly passionate about your work.