Fiona McCabe, intern, Research Partnerships
Every summer, The Michael J. Fox Foundation acquires a talented pool of interns who lend their skills to our mission to cure Parkinson's, and experience the day-to-day operations of a fast-paced nonprofit working environment.
To get to know more about our interns, MJFF’s Marketing and Communication’s intern, Ashleigh Levett from Sydney, Australia, is hosting a Summer Intern Q&A series on the Fox Feed blog. Today’s post features a Q&A with Fiona McCabe, a rising senior at Cornell University, who is interning with the Research Partnerships team.
1. What is the project you most enjoy working on?
The project I’ve most enjoyed working on was helping to plan The Foundation’s Clinical Trials Fairs in Boston and San Francisco this coming fall. I was responsible for researching different venue options. Ensuring volunteers participate in clinical trials is crucial to move PD research forward and as these clinical trials fairs help facilitate participation, I was happy to contribute in a meaningful way.
2. What is one thing you hope to take away from your internship at MJFF?
I hope to gain exposure working in an office environment, specifically a non-profit. Since starting on the Research Partnerships team I’ve experienced team collaboration as well as working individually on different projects. Some of these projects are due diligence while others I can see through from start to finish.
3. What piece of advice would you give to a future intern?
Don’t be afraid to ask questions! You can learn so much in an organization like this: about PD, industry relationships, fundraising and of course working at a non-profit foundation. I’ve found that by asking questions, not only am I able to complete each task to the best of my ability, but I feel like I’m making the most of my internship
4. Outside of the internship, what is one thing on your summer agenda?
I’ll be doing a bit of travelling. I went to Ithaca, NY for the July 4th weekend; it was a lot of fun and really nice to spend time with my friends from school. I’m also going to Prague and Barcelona with my family for a week.