Hometown: Oxford, Michigan.
Major and class standing: English, Senior
Internship: Study Breaks Magazine, San Antonio, Texas; remote
What were your internship title and role/responsibilities?
I served as a staff writer where I wrote a one-thousand-word article every week, wrote three pitches, and also read and came up with feedback for my other fellow interns.
How did you obtain your internship? What resources did you utilize to secure your internship?
I found my internship on Handshake and was able to secure it a few weeks before the deadline.
What did your daily routine include?
In my daily routine on our meeting day, I had a group Zoom where we would go over one person’s article and rotate every week. Every Tuesday morning, I had to turn in my finished article, as well as three pitches for that upcoming week. Writing the article depended on the topic- a lot of time it was research, but sometimes it was less research and more of my personal opinion.
Your favorite experience from the internship (2-3 sentences)
My favorite experience from the internship was being able to see my name published online! It was very exciting to see my name, to see it tied to the article I had written. It’s been a lot of fun seeing my name, as well as seeing my writing be shared (thank you to my mom, who shared every article every week 🙂 ).
What was your least favorite part of the internship?
Unfortunately, the internship was unpaid. Another thing that sucked was there weren’t a lot of opportunities to chat with other interns- we kind of just met every week and then we logged off.
What skills did you learn and/or build upon during your internship?
I’ve become a lot better at taking constructive criticism! I also, though it feels obvious, have become a better writer with the continued practice and discipline in writing.
What did you learn about the industry or your career path as a result of the internship? What are your future plans?
I learned that writing and this form of writing are something I really enjoy! I had contemplated working somewhere in the publishing industry, but I came to realize that I loved this internship so much. I was able to be creative, to write almost whatever I wanted. Everyone was nice when it came to sharing feedback and constructive criticism, and it just made me really excited that I love writing and it made me realize that I’d be content doing this forever.
What advice do you have for other students seeking out internship opportunities?
Seek them out early! And, as much as it sucks, embrace an ‘unpaid’ internship if you cannot get a paid one. Things will work out; I’ve gained valuable experience I wouldn’t have gotten elsewhere.
