Gabriela's Summer Internship: Working in Deaf Action in Edinburgh

When I discovered that I would have nearly four months of master’s break, I started looking for summer jobs in the areas that I was interested in. As GLOCAL gives you a broad academic perspective, I used this opportunity to look for data analysis internships to gain professional skills. To be honest, the whole idea of applying for this master’s programme was to find myself professionally. The perks of having a generalist background (bachelor’s degree in public administration and professional experiences in customer support and finance) allow me to explore different areas. The increasing market competitiveness concerning soft and hard skills made me realise how data analysis has become a trend requirement in job descriptions. For this reason, I decided to explore this area and thankfully, I got a place as Digital Transformation Intern at Deaf Action in Edinburgh. The application process went through the Job platform of the University of Glasgow called Target Connect, which I highly recommend since the platform allows you to filter the available jobs according to your interest!

The job role was centred upon data analysis of the Customer Relation Management (CRM) information and then transforming them into PowerBI’s dashboards. The main internship purpose was to guide the Deaf Action to set a data strategy through pie charts, tables, and diagrams. Personally speaking, this experience made me understand how crucial it is to have a well-structured operational process to proceed with organisational development and the importance of having centralised and consistent information to collect data.

The opportunity to work for an NGO was also very enriching to understand the organisation’s impact on society. Deaf Action was established in 1835 and is considered one of the first NGOs to provide support to the deaf community in the world. I had the privilege to understand better the services that Deaf Action provides for the deafened, hard of hearing and deaf-blind people. The NGO has an essential impact on the deaf people in Scotland by empowering them for fair access and opportunities. Therefore, it was a pleasure to understand the organisation’s processes and transform vital information into dashboards for a data strategy and hence see the Deaf Action growth.

During my internship, I could see the new brand launch for its employees, where the Deaf Action presented the logo change and the Deaf Bar launch. It was an excellent opportunity to interact with the NGO staff since most of them started working remotely since the pandemic hit. Besides, I could see how committed the Deaf Action employees are to the organisation.

Overall, I had fruitful moments in Edinburgh during my summer internship. The charming Edinburgh has a vibrant atmosphere and incredible historical places to visit. Moreover, the city holds many festivals such as the Jazz & Blues Festival and Festival Fringe during this season (even the sun decides to show up sometimes!). I may say how important it is to trust in your process (both personal and professional) and take the chances that you set for yourself once you will be the only one reaping memorable experiences.