An ode to Guidant: My summer internship

By Megan Rowland

Disclaimer: This isn’t really going to be an ode because I suck at poetry. However, it is pretty nostalgic and emotional.Around eleven weeks ago, I started my summer internship with Guidant, in conjunction with Leonard Cheshire’s Change100 Programme. Change100 partners with top businesses across the UK to offer disabled graduates placements in an attempt to challenge prejudice and tackle the disability employment gap. A few years ago, whilst at university I was diagnosed with dyslexia. Dyslexia is one of those awkward disabilities that a lot of people can’t get their head around. It isn’t visible, and it isn’t obvious. The fact that I went undiagnosed for 18 years is proof that if you develop enough coping strategies, you can even be unaware of it yourself. A quote from my educational psychologist report springs to mind here; “because she is articulate and approaches situations with humour, she can buy time to respond.” Looking back, the mistakes I made with dyslexia became part of my personality. Little quirks included, once telling a teacher that “words are not my foreplay”, or informing a friend that “I hate Marie Curie” – in reference to a magazine subscription to Marie Claire my grandma bought me for Christmas. It wasn’t until I began to fall behind with the volumes of reading and writing at university, and the faults exacerbated that I really began to seek an answer to my struggles. I am not sure that answer came in the form of a dyslexia diagnosis, but it definitely allowed me to gain access to resources that I didn’t even know were out there.

Non-dyslexics often don’t believe that dyslexia is a real impairment so, when it comes to disclosing my disability, I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. I want to speak openly about dealing with dyslexia to give people greater awareness but I am eager to not be tarnished by a label that is determined on somebody else’s perspective – negative or positive. Long story short, I wanted to be more comfortable disclosing my disability, and that’s how I wound up applying to the Change100 programme, being successful and getting placed with Guidant. 

Eleven weeks on, I finally have time to sit down and reflect on my summer internship and what an experience it has been!  To stop me rambling on, here, in no particular order, are my top five highlights!

1. Something that I have enjoyed most about my time at Guidant has been the opportunity I have had to work in various areas of the company and gain knowledge about different functions and processes. Having predominately spent time in business solutions, I have enjoyed working with compliance, supply chain and even turning my hand to systems. I had the chance to work with client solutions and marketing, allowing me to unleash a more creative side.

2. An invaluable opportunity that has stemmed from my internship at Guidant, has been the ability to spend the summer living in London. Having visited the capital many times before but only for a short while, I have loved exploring different parts, finding hidden treasures and understanding why people call it one of the best cities in the world.

3. They say that no matter what you do, you will enjoy going to work if you like the people you are working with. I can honestly say, that this is something that rings true about Guidant. Day in day out, I have loved coming to work and I have loved getting to know the people around me. Since day one, I have found everyone approachable and friendly, with a keenness to help me feel welcome and involved. A special mention has to go to my mentor, Hayley Old, who has gone out of her way to invest time in my personal development both at Guidant, and my ambitions for the future.

4. Whilst every single one of you have been a joy to work with, I am sure my time here would not have been the same without the two people sat either side of me every day, Nat Jackson and my manager, Claire Beasley. It’s very rare to meet two people so genuine and kind. Nat swiftly became a big brother to me, always watching out to make sure I was doing well whilst Claire, arguably one of the most compassionate and understanding managers there can be provided a strong role model for me to aspire to.

5. One of the most useful things to come out of my time at Guidant, is that I am more aware of what I want moving forward. I have recognised my strengths and weaknesses in a business environment and although I am still unsure of the industry I would like to enter, I have acknowledged that I would like to continue to work in a firm with similar values to Guidant. A firm that is both professional and personable, putting people first. Moreover, a firm that promotes diversity, and strives to challenge the status quo when it comes to equal opportunities.

In a nutshell, that concludes my time at Guidant. A summer that has flown by, but one I will always remember. Thank you to you all for making it so special, I hope to see you down the road…