Communication Students Get Experience Producing Internship Video

COMMUNICATION STUDENTS GET EXPERIENCE PRODUCING INTERNSHIP VIDEO

By Stuart Esrock, Ph.D.

One of the best ways to advance your career ambitions and develop important professional skills is to do an internship or co-op.  But as a pair of UofL students recently discovered, that’s not the only way to get important experience.

Sarah McDowell and Annabeth White are members of the Young Communication Professionals (YCP) chapter in the Department of Communication.  In recent years, YCP has coordinated a very successful internship fair in the spring. But when the COVID pandemic interfered with this year’s plans, the chapter looked for an alternative to promote the idea of internships to students.  They decided on producing a video that featured students talking about their internship experiences.

Sarah McDowell and Annabeth White

YCP faculty advisor, Professor Mary Ashlock, said it’s important that students can gain practical experience from not only internships, but also projects like this.  “Annabeth and Sarah created and produced a quality internship video that can be featured on their resumes and digital portfolios.  Employers are impressed with students who have something tangible to show them. Students stand out from others when they are able to feature a project and discuss their work.”

McDowell, who is from Muncie, Indiana, plans to graduate with the class of 2022 and after graduation, she hopes to work as an event planner/fundraiser for a nonprofit. She said working on this project was a valuable experience. “There is a difference between learning about something and learning how to do something. Real world experience allows students to not only apply what they learn in the classroom, but also see firsthand what it is like to work in their field from mentors and coworkers.”

White is from Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, and she, too, plans to graduate in spring of 2022.  White hopes to work in advertising or video production.  In addition to appreciating the practical experience of working on this project, she points out the benefit of working with a group like YCP. “More involvement with organizations leads to more connections and that is a really great way to find out about internships, job opportunities, and more.” 

Take a look at the video about student internships produced by Sarah McDowell and Annabeth White.  You can find the video posted on the University Career Center’s website.