Name: Jacqueline Espinoza
Class Year: 2026
Major: Sociology
Minor: Health Studies
 
Internship Organization: Municipalidad de Quinta Normal SECPLAN
Internship Title:  Projects Team Intern
Location:  Santiago, Chile
 
What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

This summer, I was fortunate enough to complete an internship at the Municipalidad de Quinta Normal, a local government office that works closely with the mayor and city council to address the evolving needs of the community and guide the municipality’s development. The office plays a vital role in planning, budgeting, and executing public projects aimed at improving the quality of life for residents. My specific placement was within the urban development team, where I gained hands-on experience working on a variety of initiatives that focused on the physical and social growth of local neighborhoods. Throughout the summer, I collaborated closely with the projects team on several community-based initiatives. Our work involved engaging directly with residents to better understand their concerns, priorities, and hopes for the future of their neighborhoods. We were responsible for drafting detailed proposals aimed at securing government or external funding, ensuring that these proposals accurately reflected community voices and had the necessary public support to move forward. I personally contributed by designing visual aids such as graphs and charts, writing key proposal sections, and participating and holding public forums and neighborhood meetings to collect meaningful input from residents of the community.
 
Why did you apply for this internship?  

I applied for this internship because I wanted to explore the different career paths that sociologists can take beyond academia. I was especially interested in seeing how sociology can be applied in real-world settings to make an impact. I was drawn to positions that work directly with the community, roles where you’re not just studying people from a distance, but actually engaging with them, listening to their experiences, and understanding their needs firsthand. I wanted to be part of a team that collaborates with communities to identify meaningful solutions, rather than simply analyzing data from afar. This internship felt like the perfect opportunity to connect my academic interests with practical, community-focused work.
 
What has been your favorite part of this internship? 

One of the most meaningful parts of my internship was the people, both my coworkers and the community members I worked with. Every day when I arrived at the office, I was greeted with warmth and friendliness by my coworkers. From the very beginning, they made me feel welcome and helped me integrate into Chilean culture in a way that felt natural and genuine. They patiently taught me about the language, shared insights into Chilean society, and introduced me to local customs. We went out to eat traditional Chilean dishes, and they shared their favorite music, films, and stories with me, which deepened my appreciation for the culture and made me feel more connected to the place I was living in. But beyond the office, the most powerful moments came from engaging with the community. Meeting people face-to-face, listening to their experiences, and understanding their needs reminded me why I chose to study sociology in the first place. These conversations made it clear to me that I want a career centered on helping others, not in a distant way, but by being present, listening deeply, and working alongside people to create real change. Seeing their smiles, hearing their stories, and knowing they felt heard and valued was incredibly rewarding. Those interactions weren’t just the highlight of my internship, they reaffirmed my purpose.

What is most rewarding about your internship? 

The most rewarding part of my internship came toward the end, when I was finally able to step back and see all the pieces come together, the planning, the conversations, the proposals, and realize that we had contributed to real, tangible change in the community. In the beginning, it all seemed so simple. Someone would walk into our office with a request, maybe to rebuild a park or renovate a plaza that had fallen into disrepair. At first glance, it might seem like a small ask, but what I came to understand is that these spaces hold deep meaning for people. They’re places where families gather, children play, and neighbors connect. When those spaces aren’t accessible or safe, it affects daily life more than most people realize. Once a request was made, the process would begin. My team and I would meet with residents, listen to their concerns and ideas, and begin crafting a proposal that reflected the community’s vision. There were moments of uncertainty, slow progress, and lots of coordination, but each step brought us closer to a shared goal. Being part of that journey, from the very first conversation to the finalized project, taught me so much about how lasting change really happens. It’s collaborative, it’s slow at times, but it’s deeply meaningful. By the end of the internship, when I saw a space transformed and the community’s joy at having something built with them rather than for them, it hit me just how impactful this kind of work can be. It wasn’t just about construction or urban design, it was about trust, voice, and inclusion. Watching people use and enjoy a space they had a hand in shaping reminded me why I’m passionate about community-centered work. That sense of fulfillment, of knowing I played a small part in something bigger, is something I’ll carry with me for a long time.