When I returned home from Anaheim the other day my small children were excited to see the medal that I wore all week in Anaheim. When I took it out of the suitcase they asked to try it on and thrilled when they got a turn to wear it.

I have been to AECT a few times and always saw the interns with the bright red ribbon and hunk of metal at the end. They always seemed busy and a bit unreachable during the week. But now, having had the experience myself, I have taken some time to reflect on what it meant for me to wear an ECT intern medal...and reflect on AECT itself.

Even though we expect to hear this it is one of the most accurate ways to describe the experience: It was a real honor to be an intern. We were busy too but I hope we were reachable and that we reached out. Many doors open for interns and I was and am grateful for that. I encourage all doctoral students in our field to prepare and apply for an ECT intern award during their degree.