When I started my internship, I was ready. I had ideas, energy, and a strong desire to contribute. I used the Smithsonian's Curriculum in my classroom for years and I had a rolodex of ways to improve it based on best practice research and my experiences in the classroom seeing it actually being done. But very early on, I got a kind and important reminder: you’re here to learn first. My supervisor gently encouraged me to lead with curiosity rather than jump straight into giving feedback. So, I began to approach each meeting, project, and decision with a new question: What can I learn here?
This shift changed everything.
Instead of trying to prove myself, I started walking through the experience with wonder. I observed, I asked questions, and, sometimes, I still had to bite my tongue when I wanted to scream, “But what about UDL?” I learned that sometimes advocacy looks less like waving a flag and more like planting seeds…. With a curious eyebrow raised. 😄
I spent a lot of time exploring how assessments are built and where accessibility fits in, or, more often, where it doesn’t. I grappled with this tension deeply. There was a moment when I was told I could create an “extension project” to make things more UDL-friendly. And while I appreciated the gesture, it sparked a lot of internal debate. Because let’s be honest, if an “extension” doesn’t actually offer students a full alternative path to meet the same standards, then it’s not UDL. It’s optional glitter. Nice, but not inclusive.
Still, the door was open, and I’m learning how to walk through those doors without tripping. I’ve started framing more things as questions instead of suggestions. "What would it look like if...?" has become my go-to phrase. Thanks to my multimedia professor (shoutout to Dr. Jill!), I’ve had some helpful frameworks for navigating these trickier conversations, starting with UDL principles and working outward from there.
On the lighter side, I also made a website! I'm really proud of it and the team loved it. They told me that it was better than there actual website, haha. What a really nice compliment! It had interactive elements, lots of GIFs, embedded videos, modern designs, click-to-explore images... all the good stuff. I tried to make it clean, sensory-friendly, and easy to navigate, while still being playful and fun. I used Mayer's principals of design to drive a lot of the aesthetic design decisions.
This internship stretched me in the best ways. I grew in skills, patience, in empathy, and in my ability to ask better questions. I learned how to balance advocating for change with respecting the pace and structure of a long-established institution. I learned to lead with curiosity and let that be enough. My supervisors and coworkers were great mentors, leading by example.
Change only happens when it’s invited in. I had a lot of inclusive (most UDL) strategies I wanted to share to help evolve the curriculum, but sometimes you just have to respect the space. Ironically, they sent me to a UDL conference... So I listened, took notes, and well, now I have the knowledge to bring that to where I want to focus my attention next. What a great experience for the books, in which ever chapter I will explore next.
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