Inside…
I Know What Hamptonians Did Last Summer
Some of you hit the beach, had co-ops and internships, waited tables, volunteered for worthy causes and probably a few got caught up on a lot of TV and social media posts. Here is what three students experienced at three different internships this summer.
Brittney Fennell a senior from Somerset, N.J., participated in the 2009 National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) Convention in Tampa as a student reporter. At this annual week-long convention, the print journalism major had the opportunity to meet and work with leading professionals in her field of study. Fennell wrote stories for both the online and print publications of the NABJ convention; two of her stories were posted on the front page.
“Even though it was only a week long, this was a great experience because I got the chance to do so much,” said Fennell. “I worked with professionals who were already in the business and I was treated like a real reporter.”
Fennell enjoyed her experience at this year’s NABJ convention and looks forward to applying for a student position again next year.
Jeremy Ticey, a senior from Burnsville, Minn., spent his summer overseas working with European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) Laboratories in Geneva, Switzerland for the second time. In this eight week program, Ticey worked with the Canadian ATLAS group as a research assistant, researching the commissioning of a calorimeter. Although he is not particularly interested in high-energy physics, as a physics major, this internship gave him great experience with research and with working on a team.
“It was interesting to be able to work on a team that included 37 different countries for one project,” said Ticey. “I also enjoyed getting to know other students from around the U.S. and traveling to different countries – Switzerland, France, and Germany.”
Upon graduation in 2010, Ticey wants to enroll in a Ph.D. program and is still deciding whether to pursue careers in material science and engineering or applied physics.
Jessica Moore, a sophomore broadcast journalism major, made the best of her summer internship at Capstrat, a marketing and communications firm in her hometown, Raleigh, N.C. Originally hired as a social media intern, Moore worked her way up to become the company’s blogger. She started the job thinking she would only be given tedious assignments due to her young age and inexperience; however, she impressed the staff with a blog proposal and took the opportunity to show her writing skills and express her creativity.
“I like the freedom that I had. I came in thinking I would be making copies and getting coffee but I had the freedom to write and show my creativity,” said Moore.
Although Moore is a broadcast journalism major, the experience was still helpful to her major and career aspirations. “This internship is going to serve as a stepping stone to get better internships in the future. It’s hard for freshman and sophomores to get internships so I was grateful to be able to get this one. I know it will help me when I apply for other internships,” she said. After interning with this marketing and communications firm, Moore has become more open to pursuing the field of public relations.
-Nicquita Reed