From failure to inspiration

My name is Danielle Portugal, and I am currently interning for Coprodeli USA. I am from Highland Park, IL, and I go to Vanderbilt University. Working for Coprodeli has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. From planning extraordinary events that go toward a great cause to helping Coprodeli USA with their marketing efforts, not only have I learned a great deal, but I have also had the satisfaction of knowing that my work directly benefits children, adults, and families in Peru.

To be completely honest, starting out with Coprodeli USA was quite the journey. During the first week of work, I deleted the entire website, which spiraled into a complete nightmare, especially for an intern who had started merely a week prior. Yet surprisingly enough, my horrible first-week experience taught me many lessons that have been very beneficial to my learning experience. I learned to read the manual before deleting the Webmaster account on a website, and I discovered how to overcompensate for such a dire mistake by fixing the problem immediately and going above and beyond what was expected of me for future projects. As I’m sure many other interns for any organization can relate to, starting out with an organization can be quite the journey, and starting off on the wrong foot makes it even harder. However, Coprodeli helped me get right back on track, without getting angry or frustrated (well, they secretly may have been a bit overwhelmed…), and I was able to turn this negative experience into a positive one.

True to form, Coprodeli USA has been a fantastic place to work. My projects have been intellectually stimulating, teaching me a vast array of skills in the areas of marketing and event planning. It has been great to work with interns that are more or less my age, and it is extremely satisfying to be able to see an event from start to finish.

For anyone who is interested in gaining experience in the fields of marketing, event planning, or translating, Coprodeli USA can undoubtedly be the place for you. Coprodeli USA has given me invaluable work experience that will be useful for my future career, but more important, it has taught me the importance of being passionate about the work that I do. By caring about the people that I work with as well as the cause that I work for, I am proud of the work I do. And that is, without a doubt, satisfying.