The internship Christine Santos did at Cultural Infusion, a non-government organisation promoting cultural harmony in Melbourne, really opened her eyes to the city's innovative arts scene.
Part of the multifaceted experience involved conducting research that needed to update one of the organisation's online learning programmes called “Sound Infusion”. This is an archive of sound clips of unique instruments from around the world, which all represent diverse musical traditions and come with accompanying online lessons. Santos also worked on “Diversity Atlas”, a data visualisation tool which can be used to measure cultural diversity within a group of any size. These were highly complex tasks, and to accomplish them she had to work closely with colleagues and other student interns. “It was a great learning experience in terms of teamwork and collaboration,” she says. “We got to know one another and had to understand each other's strengths and weaknesses to allow for an effective division of labour. In the process, we also honed our interpersonal and communication skills.”
Knowing that each organisation has a distinct corporate culture, Santos made a point of observing and then adapting to the office environment at Cultural Infusion. Doing this made her a better listener and more confident in taking initiative. “For me, this was one of the most important gains from the internship,” she says. “The organisation relies on self-motivated employees who can work independently. I set my own deadlines for my parts of each project and ensured I could deliver my contributions when the supervisor needed them.” As a result, Santos believes she has become a better problem solver and much more competent in planning and managing assignments.
Not surprisingly, Santos really treasured the time spent with Peter Mousaferiadis, the founder and chief executive of Cultural Infusion, who has become her role model and mentor. “I had weekly meetings with Peter to report on the progress of my research,” she says. “These were memorable moments because he is very well-travelled and extremely knowledgeable about different cultures around the world. I admire the vision he has for bringing the world's cultures together and promoting cultural harmony.”
After graduation, Santos hopes to work in the hospitality sector. “The internship in Melbourne gave me the confidence to work in the hospitality sector abroad in future if I was given the chance.”
