"This internship was an amazing experience that taught me practical business skills while also giving me the ability to work on the writing and learn more about the writing process in a professional environment. I did not know about all the different fields I could go into with my degree, and this internship opened my eyes to the field of journalism. Without this experience. 1 would not have known whether or not I enjoyed this particular field of work. but now I know that I do. Perhaps after graduation l will be able to have a career in journalism."
"I always thought that if I wanted to be a journalist, I need to go to the East Coast to find success; working at the Midtown Metro Times office showed that I could not be more wrong."
"It has been a fruitful summer with Current. I enjoy the insights gained on how a small publication runs, how it builds strong relationships with the community and in turn needs the local community's support. There is a lot more to learn, but I'm certain that this is an industry I would love to work in, and even if the trend is inclining towards digital media, I still value the old-school book publishing and physical magazines. I believe they can continue to thrive, even if it may only be a niche in the future. I love the exchange of ideas and reporting the stories of artists, authors, musicians and more."
"It was simultaneously challenging and the most fun I have ever had. This internship was far from traditional and has fundamentally shifted the way that I view the world."
"These newfound skills that I have developed, including experience in writing for different genres, learning to be unbiased, and bettering my research skills will help me to succeed in my English classes senior year, have exposed me to different kinds of work that will help me in my possible career in Journalism after I graduate."
"Overall, this internship helped me recognize that the skills I've learned as an English major are useful in different contexts. I often worry ifl will be able to truly get into the political field if I don't have a relevant degree in politics, and the majority of work in my previous internships didn't really involve much writing. Being able to make use of my skills outside of writing papers for class was pretty gratifying for me and made me feel like I have the ability to succeed in various careers with the things I've learned."
"One of my favorite stories I worked on was a feature of a young woman who had suffered from Lyme disease for most of her life, and was frustrated with the state's lack of a proper diagnostics system. I drove an hour and a half to her home in Clarklake with a photographer, where I interviewed her, her family, and flance. It was a very emotional, raw interview and when I left I saw true gratitude in their eyes - someone has told her story. This is a moment where I transcended the role of reporter and she transcended that of interviewee - in that moment, we were simply human."
"In fact, what I was truly revealed to was that I was to do some form of policy research. I want to investigate niche topics and write about them in both academic but digestible ways. The policy researchers that I spoke to during interviews were the most passionate, dedicated, and excited people I spoke to throughout my time as an intern. They really cared about whatever hyper-specific topic they were researching - regardless of the fact that not many people would read or interact with it. They simply thought it was important enough for the communities they were researching."
"In my opinion, this was the job responsibility that most closely aligned with my English major. I am used to condensing large swaths of information and writing about it. I also find that both essays and articles are factual and explanatory at the same time. In English papers I can express my opinion, while in news articles I cannot. As a news reporter at The Michigan Daily , I am used to this factual writing style. At Michigan Radio my editors were more generous in allowing me to write creative ledes. This is something I learned how to do well in my creative writing classes. I would stay factual, but make it intriguing. My favorite example of this was when we talked to Jerry Leninger, an astronaut inspired by Apollo 11. He painted a beautiful story of his childhood during the interview, and I was excited to capture it in my copy. The mix of creative and objective is something I believe lacks in current media. I was incredibly grateful that my producers let me experiment with my own writing style."
"As I stated before, I am so thankful I had the opportunity to work here with Michigan Radio and Stateside for the summer, and would absolutely not have been able to do so without the help from the English Department funding. In an industry that does not necessarily offer too many opportunities such as this, the support and skills I gained are going to be invaluable to my career in the future."
