So you’ve got an internship. Congratulations.

I remember that feeling, and it was sweeter in magnitude as it arrived much later than Winter Break-when I was beginning to lose my composure. I recall that end of the eternal night, the endless pursuit. I, at long last, earned my rest.

So take your intermission. From my heart, you have earned it. But don’t think for a second your colleagues on your left and right in class have or will soon receive offers as a collective. There are others who, like me, will not land a competitive internship until the middle of March. This will be a long winter break for those yet to be awarded.

I challenge those of you with whom I have a personal or extended connection with (or perhaps have helped myself at one point) to take time for a singular colleague who needs assistance. In my experience, sometimes it is those who do not know how to ask for aid who need it the most. Read a resume. Practice interviewing. Help them craft a narrative. Do not lose track of the bigger picture – each act of generosity creates a ripple effect (maybe a chain, pick your metaphor) of kindness that effectively, indubitably, and incalculably positively betters the lives of society. That’s why we all started on this journey, isn’t it?

So think about gently approaching the unsociable, perhaps those who are not academically inclined (both were me). Would you too agree that all of us needed a chance at some point? It is helpful to know the platitude “you never know whom you are talking with shall become.” I know you thought of a colleague or two. Help those folks out.

Remember, life does not grant you enduring merits for being transactional; it does for being transformational. So move from “me” and “you” to “us” and “we.”