By: Lydia Wede, senior in public relations
The main principle of a college education is to prepare the next generation of students to enter the workforce. A strong internship or two is a great tool for this effort, which is why the Greenlee School of Journalism and Mass Communication requires a 400-hour internship before graduation. I was fortunate to find a position with Out and About Communications for this past summer and into this fall.
Four hundred hours is a significant time commitment, especially for an unpaid opportunity. However, the more comfortable I got in my role, the more I learned. By having an internship in a professional setting, I was able to put into practice what I had learned in the Greenlee School. I reached out to potential features for our blog, used new programs to design and layout websites, and interviewed many of my colleagues to get insight on their duties. I also learned how to feel connected to one’s company. Out and About Communications is currently growing and thriving, and it’s energizing to be a part of that atmosphere. Although my position is almost entirely remote, I am a valued part of the team and treated like part of the family.
Furthermore, I received a scholarship that paid for my tuition expenses during the summer. Although I wasn’t required to spend my time in California, it made sense for me to temporarily relocate since I plan on moving to San Diego after graduation. Expenses pile up with an unpaid internship – gas, food, rent, utilities, and the tuition cost of the internship itself. Receiving the Greenlee School Internship Scholarship was super helpful and covered the entire cost of my summer tuition. I still had other finances to keep track of, but it was nice to have that expense out of sight and out of mind.
Even with all the hard work and energy I have put into my internship, I would not be as successful in this role without the strong foundation the Greenlee School gave me. Through the feedback from professors and staff, I have grown confident in my newly gained skills and knowledge base. I rarely have to reference my copy of the AP Stylebook because my professors have quizzed me on almost every rule. Writing blog posts for my internship is a breeze due to the weekly blog assignments of my classes. The structure of classes within the Greenlee School do their best to replicate a real-world workplace, and that has prepared me for my current and future positions.
I still have another semester with Out and About Communications, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what comes next!
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.