Grounded and Growing: My Experience as an Intern at Samanta Foundation

Samanta
Jul 23
4 min read

Getting Started with Purpose

The internship began with an orientation session and I was introduced to the heart of Samanta’s work where I learned about the foundation’s work with the community and in the education sector. The stark realities of lack to access quality education specially for girls, limited opportunities, and persistent gender-based inequality, lack of basic amenities these observations gave purpose to every task I undertook over the journey and importance of the work Samanta is doing.The beginning was filled with both excitement and hesitation, but as days unfolded, I found myself more connected to the people, work and confident in my role.

Guiding trainee educators – turning thoughts into impactful reflections!

Diverse and Impactful Responsibilities

During the internship, I was entrusted with a wide array of tasks that balanced both fieldwork and creative responsibilities. I attended and observed training sessions of educators of SEEDS and QuEST Programs, their passion and commitment to teaching inspired me deeply that these sessions taught me the value of community-driven education and the power of localized leadership. As part of my work with the Parvat Youth Collective, I recorded and edited video testimonials of the founders and educators, designed event posters using Canva, prepared a skit for children for the Harela community event. I worked on the Career Pathways Database for different academic streams and prepared model answers for Fellowship Application FAQs .

Empowering women with access – one form, one step, one change!

My responsibilities also included making sample resumes for educators and conducting sessions on it, verifying plantation and fellowship data, organizing drive folders for team submissions, and managing communication with leaders regarding updates and logistics. I even helped in setting up a new office space, and delivered a speech on the Harela event and had community visits which made me bond with community people & children. Beyond these, I was also involved in reflection and growth-based activities like the “River of Life” , “Hand Activity” and personal finance sessions, which encouraged self-awareness .

Throughout the internship, I cultivated both technical and human skills. I improved my communication, teamwork, and documentation abilities while also becoming more empathetic, patient, and resilient. I learned how to adapt in dynamic environments, manage logistics during fieldwork, and support team members in uncertain situations.

Building bonds with the community – many smiles, one journey!

Challenges and How I Overcomed Them

This journey wasn’t without challenges , from power outages & internet issues to exhaustion & difficulties in field visits , my hesitation and nervousness to documentation work & accuracy and even in communication with community people, there were many moments that tested my adaptability —though difficult but strengthened my problem-solving skills and I faced them with patience and positive mindset, supported by my mentor, founders and teammates. Every hurdle became a stepping stone to resilience and I learned with my mistakes and experiences.

The Learning Curve

Each task was a learning opportunity and helped me acquire and enhance a variety of skills. On the technical front, I strengthened my abilities in professionalism, designing, documentation with accuracy & organization, editing, event planning and data management . Equally important were the human skills I developed— public speaking, communication, active listening, teamwork & coordination ,adaptability, initiative , time management and resilience. Participating in reflection-based activities helped me understand not just the community, but also myself, in a more honest and grounded way and these skills will stay with me long after the internship.

A promise to protect nature – Harela pledge led by young voices

My Biggest Takeaway

The most beautiful part of this experience was witnessing how small actions—like organizing data, speaking up in meetings,teaching to children or taking online sessions can lead to real-world impact. Whether it was enabling better tracking of plantation efforts or simply ensuring smooth logistics for an event, every action felt meaningful and now I carry with me not just skills, but a renewed sense of responsibility to use them meaningfully.

In reflection, the best parts of my internship weren’t just completing tasks but the lessons which I carried home each day and made me more grounded and socially aware. I now understand that real change doesn’t always come through grand initiatives—it often begins with conversations, community, and compassion.

I’m immensely grateful to my mentor Soniya Ma’am who has guided me on every step where I faced challenges and supported me from the very first day. She introduced me to the core values of Samanta Foundation and her feedback was always thoughtful and constructive, pushing me to think deeper and do better.

I am also very thankful to the founders, co - intern, educators and the entire team of Samanta Foundation who gave me both the confidence & environment to grow, helped me at every step and for making this journey so memorable and insightful. I walk away from the experiences not only with practical skills I got but with a deeper sense of purpose, logistics and knowledge.