Benny Coloma studied abroad in Sydney, Australia and interned remotely with a sustainability-focused media production company.
How did you get your internship?
I was placed in my summer internship as a part of the Eller Summer Sydney Study Abroad opportunity. The program places students based on their work experience, major, and career interests. I chose this internship because I wanted to get experience working at a start-up or in a corporate setting since I hadn’t had that type of work experience before.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
Over the summer I worked for a media company called Drover Productions, which focused on marketing strategies for environmental sustainability and protection. I helped them with editing, research, and interviewing for some of their projects. Most of my work was done remotely while I was staying in Sydney, but I proved that I could stay on top of the work and the people I worked with appreciated my reliability.
What new knowledge and skills did you learn and develop in this internship?
Some of the skills that I learned were effective communication and collaboration. In this position, because my job was mainly remote, the most effective way I could communicate with the people I was working with was by talking to them online. Our team had consistent communication and had to do daily check-ins with my boss. I learned that communication with people can solve problems or tell a story, for example, in a pitch presentation when you need to convey your message to your audience. I am also interested in social media and marketing, so this internship helped me gain knowledge for this type of work if I choose to continue working.
How was the internship related to your Applied Humanities degree?
This internship was directly related to my Applied Humanities degree, as I gained experience in teamwork and communications. Many of the assignments in my Applied Humanities coursework were group projects, so we had to work collaboratively to help each other accomplish the task at hand.
What was your favorite or most satisfying part of your internship?
The most satisfying part of the internship was being able to contribute to one of my site supervisor’s podcast projects. I helped him with the recording and also helped him edit some parts of the project that he previously recorded so we could compile them. I also worked with him in the research and the script writing. Then, after we worked together to edit some potential interview questions, I got to sit in on the recording.
What did you find challenging about your internship?
Since most of the work was done at home, the only big challenge I noticed was managing my time and scheduling time to complete my work. I learned quickly that it was important to have a good set schedule of when I should be working, when to take breaks, and when it was time to call it a wrap for the day when I was done with work.
What advice do you have for other students as they begin their internship?
Keep making the effort to build strong relationships with the people that you are working with. Even though my experience is over, I still have a great relationship with my site supervisors and I’m confident that if I ever need anything from them I could reach out and ask for their support. This is especially helpful to have when looking for possible future work experiences.