Full name: Hanna Bennett Rosenthal

Hometown: Coral Springs, FL

Major and Class Standing: Graphic Design Major/ Photography Minor, Senior

Social Media Handle: Instagram: Main @hanna_rosenthal Art: @hannarose.art

Internship Company/Organization Name: Lead Creation

Location of Internship: ​Remote (Sydney, Australia)

Program Type: Global Remote Internship Program

My internship role was being the Graphic Designer for the company. My responsibilities were to re-format their current company’s website, design some book covers for the books they were selling on Amazon, create PowerPoint templates, and I even got to create a brand new website for my supervisor.

My daily routine consisted of going to our task website and checking if there was anything new assigned to me or if there were added comments to the work I submitted. Then I would usually spend the next few hours working on those tasks or any other new assignments that were made for me.

My advisor actually suggested this internship. I was supposed to do one over the summer, but with Covid, I was unable to do it. When I told my advisor about this, she then suggested I look at the Global Remote Internship Program through the Excel Network. From there, I got into contact with the program and had many interviews and video chats to obtain the internship.

There were two top components of the internship that I really enjoyed. The first is that I was able to format a website layout and create book covers, which I’ve never done before. Having done these tasks, I now realize that book cover making is something that I can see myself pursuing in my future as a Graphic Designer. The second thing I really enjoyed was how much they trusted me and the work that I created. My supervisor seemed to really like the work I was creating and the fact that he let me create these book covers and re-formatting of websites on my own really was so much fun.

I think my least favorite part of the internship was the time difference. I’m in EST time zone which means that Sydney, Australia is 16 hours ahead of me. It was difficult, at first, to get accustomed to work with the time difference when it came to my twice a week daily meetings. Making sure I was completing work on time and efficiently was a difficult task, but after a while it did start to become more of a routine and it got easier.

I learned a lot of different skills while in this internship like communication, collaboration, and time management. This internship was an amazing first experience in the real professional world of Graphic Design, but it’s not what I want to pursue in my future. My plan has been to be in a big city and work for a digital or print magazine of any kind, preferably fashion, and I believe that I can strive for that dream now after participating in this company.

I was really able to build upon my skills as a collaborator. As an artist in college, collaboration is a big part of the learning process. With this internship, I was able to expand my skills in communicating with others in a group or individually. This is a skill that I will definitely use in my future in the Graphic Design field. Another skill that I was able to build upon was my time management. I had to learn quickly how to get accustomed to the time difference between Australia and Michigan. I had to learn how to prioritize and organize my internship work in addition to the five classes I was taking at MSU. It was a lot of work, but it made me a better student and a better employee.

Advice I have for people who are considering an internship would be to get out of your comfort zone. Picking an internship that is in a different country with a different culture really expands not only your own knowledge, but lets you see how other countries go about your field of study. I got very lucky that I was able to have this remote internship during a pandemic and that’s something I’ll never take for granted.