InternViews: Delaney Denton

InternViews is a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their internship experience.

Delaney Denton is an entertainment and media studies student with a minor in film studies who works for the UGA Skidaway Island Institute of Oceanography (SkIO).

Provide a brief overview of your role and its associated responsibilities.

As a communications intern here at Skidaway Island, my main responsibility was to recreate an informational video about the RV Savannah, an oceanographic research vessel operated by SkIO. I gathered, filmed and edited footage as well as wrote a script for the voice over to use in the video. Additionally, I tagged along with research teams to photograph and video them, made social media posts, wrote scripts and laid foundations for other informational videos to come.

What opportunities did you have during your internship?

I had the amazing opportunity to go out to sea with a research team to photograph and video them deploying Slocum gliders into the ocean. I also went with another research team and did the same thing while they took and analyzed samples of sediment at Cumberland Island (yes, I saw wild horses).

What is one piece of work you are proud of creating in this role?

One piece of work I am proud of is my video on the RV Savannah. While it is not fully finished, I am very proud of how far it has come in the past two months. I also love the photos I have had the joy of capturing during my time here.

How has the Grady curriculum prepared you for this internship?

Kelsey Schmitt’s Production Basics class and her Intro to Screenwriting class have both laid a wonderful foundation for what I needed to know coming into this internship. By taking her classes, I have learned a lot about cameras, photography, videography, editing, audio recording, writing scripts and working with a team!

Did you receive any mentorship or guidance? How did it impact your experience?

Yes, I did! Jackson Schroeder, who is the head of communications here at SkIO, was my mentor during my internship. He gave me wonderful advice when it came to photography and videography. He also taught me a lot about oceanography and life at sea in order to make my internship run much smoother, especially since it is hard to make a video about the RV Savannah when you know nothing about it. Overall, he made the experience much better for me through his teaching, advice and his ability to show me the ropes and introduce me to people.

What challenges have you overcome in this role?

I have overcome the challenge of trying new things in a different environment. Going to sea, wading in marshes and editing big projects are not things that I had done before I started my internship, but they were wonderful experiences that allowed me to overcome uncomfortable situations (including seasickness) and end up having a blast!

What is the most valuable piece of advice you gained from your experience?

A huge piece of advice that I gained from my experience is to be flexible and take any opportunity you can to learn something new. I have been able to travel to different places and learn so many new things, all because I said “yes,” even though it seemed new and scary.

How has this internship influenced your future career?

This internship has not only given me more experience and taught me skills needed to build my resume, but it has also given me new standards that I will hold for my future career. I have learned that enjoying your job brings your career to a whole new level and is something that I will consider when choosing jobs in the future.

Editor: Lily Alarcon, lia52467@uga.edu