Easy-going, is how I would describe the working environment at NYPIRG with a particular emphasis on the flexibility of our schedules which had to remain within the required weekly 8-16 hours. This was a detail Jenna had to made sure to let us know of, we could work any day of the week including weekends as most of our duties could be performed remotely. Casual is another word I would use to describe NYPIRG’s working environment, as there was no strict dress code and we essentially could dress as we desired while of course within the bounds of decency. In terms of structure, our schedules operated more on a weekly basis through which Jenna would communicate to us mainly via email. Our weekly schedule went as such, on Mondays, we would meet via Google Meet with Jenna where she would brief us on the upcoming events to be held during the week, specifically Student Leader Meetings.

Student leader meetings were virtual, half an hour meetings with other NYPIRG campus leaders, volunteers and interns alike where would we dedicate each day to a specific NYPIRG area of interest and discuss issues, strategize solutions and celebrate achievements. On Wednesdays, Jenna will occasionally hold one on one meeting with each intern, where we would discuss our progress and feedback either party may have for the other. I felt quite validated during these because Jenna commended my performance, particularly my sense of organization and punctuality, highlighting me as “her most active intern”. Lastly on Thursday, we would have our chapter meetings in the library, during which student volunteers where invited to join and we would discuss upcoming events and campaigns organized by NYPIRG. With our flexible schedule, we did not have a specific start and end time to our work day and could therefore work as we pleased. Personally, I aimed to remain as organized as possible and therefore usually would perform my social work/cleric duties during the day and afternoon, and my creative ones during the evening or at night. Other tasks were optional, such as one page response papers to various news articles that could be used for various NYPIRG endeavors.