By: Justin Farrell
At the start of the summer, I began my internship with the Iowa Golf Association. After walking through the front doors on my first day, I knew it was going to be an exciting four months. The wonderful staff at the Iowa Golf Association greeted me, and they made me feel at home.
The Iowa Golf Association is a nonprofit organization that holds tournaments for amateur golfers from all over the state. During tournaments, I would assist with course preparation, registration, scoring and post-tournament operations. I would also write recaps, capture photos and share content on social media.
Working for Iowa State Athletics and taking courses at the Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication prepared me to succeed during my internship. Right out of the gate, I was able to use InDesign and Photoshop, which gave me an extra boost. Being able to understand my role in the first week showed the impact Iowa State University has had on my future.
As the communications intern, I created and operated the Iowa Golf Association Instagram page. I understood my objectives but was still new to the business side of social media. The Instagram page started from scratch, and I had to build it similar to their Twitter and Facebook accounts.
The creation of the 2021 IGA Yearbook was another major assignment I had to complete. Learning how to use InDesign and Photoshop in JL MC 316, “Introduction to Digital Publishing,” was important because I had to create the yearbook in InDesign. I knew how to use the program, and I was able to start the yearbook immediately.
This internship kept me busy all summer and showed a glimpse of a possible future career. Long days and weeks would have been the story if I did not love what I was doing. It would be hard to wake up at four in the morning if you hate your job. For me it was easy. I knew that I was going to work with people that loved what they were doing and worked hard every day.
Living in Ames and driving to Ankeny for my internship used up gas. I was grateful to have received the Greenlee Internship Scholarship to assist with my summer tuition and living and traveling expenses. This scholarship gave me a sense of freedom during my internship, and I will forever be thankful.
My career goal is to work for the PGA Tour, and I came into this internship hoping to get closer to that goal. I learned so much from this experience. My work ethic improved tremendously, and I feel confident in my abilities. I am excited for the upcoming school year and can’t wait to learn new skills that I can bring to the next chapter.
Editor’s note: Edited for length and clarity. Greenlee 499A internship scholarships support students who have a primary major in advertising, journalism and mass communication or public relations and are completing their required 400-hour internships. The application is available each spring.