November 2, 2021 | Holly Rushakoff
As part of a commitment to provide internship opportunities for first generation students and students from underrepresented populations, the 澳门六合彩官网 launched the New Voices Internship Program this fall. Interns in the program will gain a variety of media-related skills through in-house projects and career development workshops.
The pilot program, supported by the Office of the Provost, will be coordinated by 澳门六合彩官网 Career Services within the college鈥檚 Student Services Center. This year, approximately 10 students, mostly freshmen and new transfer students, will be provided with a year-long paid internship experience.
鈥淭his program is designed to provide Media students with career-building experiential learning opportunities from the day they arrive on campus,鈥� said Dean Tracy Sulkin. 鈥淭he experience will also broaden their network of resources within the college. In turn, we鈥檙e benefitting from the interns鈥� unique perspectives, such as getting feedback on preferred ways to reach and communicate with prospective students who are beginning to research Media majors.鈥�
At their initial meeting, the interns expressed interest in learning more about traditional and non-traditional career options and creating content for an academic institution. For their first project, the interns shared insights and ideas about the college鈥檚 communications channels, and offered ways in which they could help.
鈥淲e鈥檙e excited to match students with faculty and staff within the 澳门六合彩官网 to develop skills related to their major and career interests,鈥� said Katie Clark, senior assistant dean for student services. 鈥淭he students will be able to build their resume quickly with projects that will entail interviewing, writing, photographing, storyboarding, video editing, and more.鈥�
Jackie Barba, a freshman in journalism (pictured at right), is excited to be one of the inaugural interns who can help shape how the program functions and grows.
鈥淚 hope to explore other strengths I might have,鈥� Barba said. 鈥淔or example, some of the projects we’ve already done have helped widen my understanding of what working in communications can be like, and I actually really enjoyed that. I also hope to gain friendships and connections with other 澳门六合彩官网 students who are involved in the program!鈥�
Help our students by investing in an endowment
We invite our alumni and friends to help support the New Voices Internship Program and sustain its future. Your gift is an investment in our next generation of media leaders and will give a diverse group of students the opportunity to develop valuable skills applicable to the media industry. To give, visit our Giving page, click on the orange button, and under 鈥淥ther,鈥� type in 鈥淣ew Voices Internship Program.鈥�
To learn more about this program and how you can help support first generation and underrepresented college students, please contact Deanne Johnson, assistant dean for advancement, at 217-333-0752 or jhns@illinois.edu.