To start the day, I met my wonderful colleagues Karrisa and Lucy. It was such a pleasure to meet them while doing my role. My first task was helping with registration, where visitors had to sign up for the event. At first, I felt a bit nervous, especially seeing my colleague Karrisa so confident and organised. But with help and encouragement from my mentor Amal, I managed to push myself out of my comfort zone and get started on the registration tasks. That support really helped me build confidence, and I felt proud of completing it successfully.
Next, I did some shadowing with my mentor, where we met some parents and their children. Amal explained what the Mencap Internship Programme is all about and even used me as an example, since I’m one of the student interns. It was a really positive experience — I stayed calm, focused and humble, and with such a lovely team around me, I felt comfortable and supported.
I was also really happy to bump into my former internship mentor, Katherine, who was at the event too. She works for another SEND internship programme called CareTrade (The Autism Project), where I completed my first internship for two years before moving on to college and joining Mencap. She was always so kind and understanding whenever I felt down. It was such a nice surprise to see her again — we had a great chat and caught up during my breaks, which made my day even better! The cherry on top was when Amal introduced herself to Katherine after I told Amal about her and my former internship, where I used to study — that moment truly made my day, and I was over the moon.
As the event came to an end, I helped with tidying up the stalls while Amal gave me another small task. By then, I felt more confident and comfortable with my responsibilities. The event took place at Haringey Sixth Form College, which brought back lovely memories. I used to visit there often back in my old post-16 days for fun activities and lessons. It was also special because my two brothers studied there too, so it truly felt like an honour to be back.
Overall, I felt happy, relaxed and only a little nervous at times, but my mentor and team helped me stay calm and confident. I didn’t feel stressed in the end — just proud and grateful for the whole experience.
It truly was a wonderful day that helped me grow, and if one of my team colleagues asked whether I’d like to take part in more SEND events, I would happily say, “Why not indeed?”
I’m really looking forward to more opportunities like this during my placement.
Visit our Supported Internship webpage for more information about the programme.
