Tag: #GradyInternDiaries

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
MC: I work with the content team and write social media copy for our three channels (Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn), make short video clips and write articles (like this one!). I have also done work with the consumer experience and corporate social responsibility teams, which I’ve enjoyed!

What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
MC: My favorite part was getting to know everyone at Guardian. It was an open concept office, so nobody could really have an “open door policy”, but it definitely felt like there was one. Every employee, even ones not in my department, felt welcoming and open to grabbing coffee and chatting about my internship, college and beyond. It was really special and nice to feel welcome and appreciated. Nobody hesitated to offer connections, whether personal or LinkedIn, or to take a look at my resume or scout for me for possible interesting job openings.

How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future
MC: Everyone needs communicators, and I was still slightly hesitant to work for Guardian, an insurance company I knew nothing about. I went for it anyway because it was in New York City, and now I know way more about insurance than I did when I started. I think this helped me see that corporate culture isn’t always stuffed-up or full suit and tie everyday, it can be friendly and flexible as well. This opened me up to going into corporate after I graduate versus other routes like nonprofit or agency public relations.

When you look back on your internship 10 years from now, what part of your summer internship do you expect to be most thankful for?
MC: I expect to be thankful for the independence it taught me. I believe it was a summer of self growth individually and as an employee. I experienced a lot that really proved it’s okay to be the first one to reach out, it’s okay to ask as many questions as you need, and that it’s okay to take on big tasks alone.

What is the most memorable experience you had during your internship?
MC: I helped set up a backpack drive for United Way at the New York office, but in total this event happened across 11 locations. Over 4,000 backpacks were stuffed with school supplies as well as encouraging notes to go to students in the surrounding communities in need. It was great to see this multi-location event come together and to see how Guardian is really committed to its values. Plus, this event was put together by the young leaders resource group, and I really enjoyed everything they did for us over the summer.

How will your summer internship affect the way you approach the rest of your time at UGA?
MC: With a year and a half left, I’ve got jobs and post-graduation on the brain  – scary! But I think my time at Guardian taught me a lot about what I expect from a workplace’s culture, work-life balance, and my coworkers. I hope the skills I have learned at Guardian continue to help me ask good questions and seek what’s best for me. I’m excited to keep improving my writing skills as well as learn more about digital media!

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Kendall Lake: Spoke Media
• Haley Lacuesta: American Chemistry Council
• Maya Jones: Publicis Health
• Lucy Cao: NCR
• Austin Gibbons: American Red Cross and Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Carter Chapman: Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Lottie Smalley: Coca-Cola Co.
• Emma Watson: Amazing P.R. ltd.
• Collin Huguley: American City Business Journals
• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
KL: Spoke Media is a podcast production company, and because it’s still pretty small, I’ve been able to wear a lot of different hats. Spoke’s work includes producing its own original content and working on shows for clients or brands. I spend most of my time working on So, Bob, a show about the unintended consequences of technology, but I’ve been able to spend time with a lot of other projects too. I was even able to help out with a show that was #1 in the Apple Podcasts charts for a few weeks, Wondery’s Man in the Window. Like most jobs, my tasks are different day-to-day, but you can often find me transcribing audio, building an episode of a show in an audio editor, running a session in our recording booth, or preparing questions for upcoming interviews.

Grady: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
KL: My favorite part of this internship is that I so rarely felt like an “intern.” Of course there were some training wheels my first couple of weeks, but after that I had responsibilities that truly made me feel like a member of the team. My coworkers and supervisor constantly make me feel valued and appreciated for the work I do, and that work actually feels useful. Even when my tasks are small and menial (cough, transcribing), I take pride in knowing that my work and time are still essential to the finished product. Now that I’m reaching the end of the summer, someone makes a joke every couple of days about how I’m never allowed to leave or I should just drop out of school and stay at Spoke forever. While I’m excited to come back to UGA and finish the end of my program, I’ve really loved being a part of the Spoke family.

Grady: What was the biggest surprise in your internship (ie: is there anything you didn’t expect?)
KL: Coming from my Grady journalism background, I’ve always thought of podcasting as a medium largely full of journalists. But when I arrived at Spoke, I found out there was only one other person with a journalism background, and half the office actually majored in theater! Because podcasting is just another form of storytelling, their theater training means my coworkers can craft wonderful, compelling stories for your ears, and their improv experience means they make me laugh more than I ever have at work before. Of course, I’m a Grady grad; I still think journalism training is essential for a lot of podcasts. But now I understand that these two perspectives are important halves to a whole.

Grady: What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
KL: As a tech lover (hey, New Media Institute!) with training in journalism, working on So, Bob has been a great fit for me. I’ve been able to implement knowledge and hard skills from what I learned at Grady, from being able to understand a conversation about Section 230 (thanks, Dr. Lee) to doing background research on sources and preparing interview questions. My biggest ongoing responsibility has been managing 25+ interviews with sources for the next season of So, Bob, and I definitely give some credit to Dr. Bright’s housing capstone class for my ability to balance so many projects and people at once.

Grady: How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future?
KL: I’ve been an avid podcast listener over the last five years or so, but I’d never thought too deeply about it as a career. I’d had some experience with audio journalism (shoutout to André Gallant’s Multiplatform Story Production class), but I didn’t know a lot about what the industry was actually like. Working at Spoke was an amazing introduction to all the steps that go into creating a well-produced podcast. Early podcasting has the reputation of just being a couple of people sitting around a microphone, hitting record, and sending it out into the world, but it has become a very skilled craft. I could definitely see myself honing this craft and finding my place in the industry. And even if I end up elsewhere, I’ll have a new appreciation for every breath edit, music insert, and sound effect I hear in a podcast.

Grady: How will your summer internship affect the way you approach the rest of your time at UGA?
KL: As I head into my last year of the Emerging Media program, I know I’ll be taking an independent study. I want to use that time to explore the industry more fully, expanding my gaze outside the walls of Spoke. As much as I’ve loved my summer here, I know there’s a lot more out there! I’ll also work to create some audio features for my portfolio so that when graduation hits next spring I’ll have some experience all my own to show off.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Haley Lacuesta: American Chemistry Council
• Maya Jones: Publicis Health
• Lucy Cao: NCR
• Austin Gibbons: American Red Cross and Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Carter Chapman: Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Lottie Smalley: Coca-Cola Co.
• Emma Watson: Amazing P.R. ltd.
• Collin Huguley: American City Business Journals
• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
MJ: My internship is part of the Publicis Health Internship program, which includes 35 interns in the New York Office. There are also interns in the programs at the Philadelphia and Chicago Offices, bringing the number to almost 60 interns. As a Corporate Marketing & Growth Intern, I work for the marketing and growth team at Publicis Health Corporate Office. My responsibilities include:

• Collaborate with a team of six other interns to concept, develop, and pitch awareness and further promote a recurring event of the Multiple Sclerosis Association of America (MSAA)
• Construct and present trend analysis research project to explain the transformations in the health and wellness industry to Publicis Health marketing and communications executives
• Support chief marketing officer and global marketing manager on internal and external marketing and business development initiatives across Publicis Health network

What is the biggest challenge you faced during your internship?
MJ: Working on an intern project with interns from an office in another city was definitely the biggest challenge I faced during my internship. Group or team projects are challenging because you have to learn to speak to give your opinions and then listen to your teammates to collaborate and formulate the project at hand. It was slightly harder on this particular project because every meeting was conducted over a skype phone call, so you could not tell when a person in another office was going to speak or see their facial expressions. It took some time to learn how to give my own opinions during the meetings while also making sure that every team member felt heard and part of the project. In the end, I learned how to handle that dynamic and the project ended well.

What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
MJ: My favorite part of my summer internship is working with an amazing group of other interns across three different states (New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago). I find pure joy in meeting and forming relationships with diverse people. The intern class is very diverse in race, gender, and talent. I love hanging out with everyone during lunch or outside of the work place.

What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your internship?
MJ: There’s power in asking questions and making connections, regardless of if you’re brand new to a company or have been working there for many years. Questions show initiative and willingness to learn. Networking or making connections can help with job/internship hunting, learning more about positions surrounding your desired career, meeting people, and your overall communication skills. Both of these skills we equally valuable during my internship.

What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
MJ: The skills I learned from Public Relations Communications and Integrated Campaigns have been the most valuable for me during the course of my internship. I learned a great deal about writing, teamwork, communication, campaign methods, media planning, research, from these classes and have used the gained knowledge in the intern projects and daily tasks for the internship.

How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future?
MJ: This internship has helped me realize how much I enjoy research, especially research on the new generations. I love conducting researching, finding insights, and presenting that research to any person who it would be beneficial to in order to present new ideas for the changing times. I love the rush that presenting gives me, and it will always happen as I find new ideas to bring to the table.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Lucy Cao: NCR
• Austin Gibbons: American Red Cross and Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Carter Chapman: Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Lottie Smalley: Coca-Cola Co.
• Emma Watson: Amazing P.R. ltd.
• Collin Huguley: American City Business Journals
• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
LC: My responsibilities as a social media intern had to do everything with immersing myself with the culture at NCR. NCR is known for their technological innovation from the drive through ATM to the Fintech that we experience all over the world today. I covered events live via Instagram stories, conducted research and assisted in evaluating content standards for NCR’s social platforms all summer. While the fun parts can be found on their Instagram (@ncrcorporation), some of the most interesting parts of my internship happened behind the scenes. I learned all about the reality of corporate communications and marketing.

Grady: What is the biggest challenge you faced during your summer internship?
LC: The biggest challenge I faced during my internship was the constant explanation of what I was doing at a Fortune 500, fintech leader like NCR. I was surrounded by software engineers and IT geniuses all summer, so being the one and only social media intern was quite a change. While it was repetitive to explain my very specific role at NCR, it helped me establish a clear-cut explanation for what social media can do for communications and the expression of the company’s culture. Education is key!

Grady: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
LC: Imagine spending your days in one of the largest and high-tech buildings in Atlanta, updating the masses on happenings on campus via Instagram stories. Utilizing Instagram to communicate and helping create content was THE BEST part of my summer.

Grady: What is the most memorable experience you had during your internship?
LC: NCR is a company where everyone is available, down to the entire leadership team. One of my most memorable experiences at NCR starts with an elevator ride with none other than NCR’s CEO Mike Hayford and EVP & President of NCR Banking, Frank D’Angelo. They politely asked how I was doing and me being me, I responded with “I’m doing regular.” I am not sure if it was the response that they were expecting, but it’s how I felt in the moment.

Grady: What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your summer internship?
LC: One of the most valuable lessons I learned during my internship experience is that persistence is necessary. Persistence, along with pushing myself out of my comfort zone, is vital to success at a company as vast as NCR. While social media might not be the business priority when compared to tech and innovation, I was able to make myself memorable in the eyes of the people that I have met and connected with.

Grady: How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future?
LC: My internship helped me confirm that Advertising was definitely the right major for me. I get to create, design, work with social platforms and communicate with people on a global scale. It made me realize that jobs are not cookie-cutter, and anything is possible if you make yourself available to the opportunities that come your way.

Grady: How will your summer internship affect the way you approach the rest of your time at UGA?
LC: I think it will change my intentionality as a student. The goal going into the school year is to be focused on graduation, securing a job and learning as much as I can while enjoying my last year as a dawg on campus. This internship has changed the way I think about experience versus education and how both are interchangeably useful in the real world.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Austin Gibbons: American Red Cross and Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Carter Chapman: Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Lottie Smalley: Coca-Cola Co.
• Emma Watson: Amazing P.R. ltd.
• Collin Huguley: American City Business Journals
• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
AG: I worked in two internships this summer. The first was as a Government Relations Intern with the American Red Cross. I engaged in social media monitoring and legislative outreach for the Red Cross’ strategic priorities. I also edited briefing materials for senior leadership meetings. My second internship was as Press and Scheduling Intern for The Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson. There, I assisted the communications director with interviews and photography. I also compiled daily press clips and processed scheduling requests from constituents seeking to meet with Senator Isakson.

Grady: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
AG:The value of Delta Hall for students living in D.C. cannot be overstated, and I honestly believe the location is my favorite part of the summer. The staff of Senator Isakson and the Red Cross certainly have helped me grow professionally, but I have grown just as much building relationships with other UGA students and UGA alumni who are living and working all over this city. Being this close to museums, historical sites and rooftop restaurants means that not only are my work days filled with unique experiences, but so are my weeknights and weekends.

Grady: What is the most memorable experience you had during your internship?
AG:I have to pick two. At the Red Cross, I met with the senior vice president every morning to talk way more about life than work. Even though I was only there two weeks, these morning meetings are embedded into my memory because she always asked about what I was learning and how I was growing. In Senator Isakson’s office, I have had the privilege to sit in on several media interviews. Whether Isakson was discussing policy, reminiscing on the Apollo 11 moon landing, or giving personal and professional advice, I have come to know him as an insightful, charismatic and brilliant lawmaker. He is the best boss I could ask for on The Hill.

Grady: What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your internship?
AG:Beside my desk in Senator Isakson’s office, there is a TV that always has a live stream of proceedings on the Senate floor. When I am not working on press clips or scheduling requests, I’ll watch the live stream to see what votes are being cast and what conversations are happening. Many will acknowledge that we live in a divisive time politically, and elements of this can certainly be seen in Washington. However, I have loved watching the Senate floor proceedings on my TV, roaming the halls of the Capitol and going to after-work socials where you see what many Americans don’t see. Republican lawmakers, Democratic lawmakers and congressional staffers share more similarities than they do differences, and this is evident as you watch them socializing as friends and as colleagues. Moving forward, I hope we can all see the return of this bipartisan friendship in our homes, our churches, our schools and our friend groups in the near future.

Grady: What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
AG:Whether it is Tom Cullen’s AP Style quizzes or Kristen Smith’s graphic design class, Grady professors have always urged me to cross every t, dot every I and pay attention to every detail. Coming into this summer, I have seen these same traits in both of my employers who have poured into me, invested in me and required me to be detail oriented.

Grady: How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future?
AG:My internships definitely validated my desired career path into public affairs, and I liked different aspects of each. Building relationships with congressional staff, engaging in outreach and advocating for a worthy, bipartisan cause during my time at the Red Cross has shown me the value of government relations and lobbying as a unique form of relationship building. Meanwhile, my press and scheduling internship with Senator Isakson has shown me more about the legislative process, how to manage a senator’s time and how to stay constantly in the loop about what is happening in the news. These are valuable experiences that I will carry with me as I continue to discern what aspect of public affairs is right for me.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Carter Chapman: Office of U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson
• Lottie Smalley: Coca-Cola Co.
• Emma Watson: Amazing P.R. ltd.
• Collin Huguley: American City Business Journals
• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
CC: In my internship, I assist the committee staff as well as the office of the senator’s office wherever help is needed. This includes work in all areas of a D.C. office, including press, legislation and constituent services. On any given day I am responsible for gathering press clips for my committee, assisting staff with their legislative work and keeping track of constituent calls.

Grady College: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
CC: Every day I wake up and go to work in the United States Senate, and that never gets old. Getting to be in the middle of what is happening in this country politically and see all the historic places in my office is incredible, and reminds me why I originally decided I wanted to work in politics.

Grady College: What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your internship?
CC: I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with the press team on the committee, showing me the inner working of communications and press relations on the hill. I’ve learned the daily responsibilities of a comms person and seen how my current skill set fits that.

Grady College: What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
CC: The knowledge of AP style Grady as given me was very helpful in my work his summer. Many communication related assignments I had needed to be in AP style. No matter my feelings on having to keep up with it, it was necessary to doing a good job.

Grady College: How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future?
CC: This internship has confirmed to me my love for communications and its intersection with politics. However, it has also caused me to consider a wider variety of careers, as well as the possibility of working in DC someday. Before I was convinced I wanted to do PR in Atlanta, but now I am open to more jobs such as agency work and advocacy work.

Grady College: How will your summer internship affect the way you approach the rest of your time at UGA?
CC: Something I’ve taken away from this summer is a more proactive approach to my learning, both in my communications work and my general knowledge. I’ve learned so much from reading the many sources of news and commentary available to me as well as the different lectures and thought leaders with whom I have interacted.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Lottie Smalley: Coca-Cola Co.
• Emma Watson: Amazing P.R. ltd.
• Collin Huguley: American City Business Journals
• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
LS: In my role as a public affairs and communications (PAC) intern, I assist members across the PAC team within Coca-Cola North America. I work largely with the brand PR team where I help with projects primarily for Dasani, Powerade, Smartwater and Zico. When I’m not working with the brand PR team, I’m likely aiding with sustainability communications, internal communications or customer communications. Additionally, my work supports government relations, community and stakeholder relations, sports marketing and issues management.

Grady: What is the biggest challenge you faced during your internship?
LS: I would say one of the biggest challenges I faced at the start of my internship was simply adjusting to the 9-to-5 lifestyle. However, this obstacle came as no surprise because it’s something I’ve struggled with at the beginning of every summer internship. As a student I have so much autonomy over my schedule, and I often take it for granted during the school year. After about two weeks I got the swing of things and now I stay so busy that the days fly by!

Grady: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
LS: My favorite part about interning with Coca-Cola has been the incredible connections I’ve made. Every day I have the opportunity to work with industry experts and grow as a leader and a professional. I’ve also loved connecting with the other summer interns at Coca-Cola and learning more about their experiences. Some lunches we as interns are even joined by members of the executive leadership team for a “Lunch & Learn” where we can directly ask their personal advice. Without a doubt, the people are the best part of my internship.

Grady: What is the most memorable experience you had during your internship?
LS: One of the most memorable moments of my summer internship happened on only my third day – one of my supervisors let me tag along to a Sprite commercial shoot! I love all things video so this was a dream “field trip” for me. The ad premiered a few weeks ago at the BET Awards as part of Sprite’s #ThirstForYours campaign and it was so interesting to see how a shoot comes together to produce a final product. Check out the ad here.

Grady: What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your internship?
LS: One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned while interning is how important it is to set and meet goals throughout the summer. The weeks start to fly by and intentionally setting goals allows you to reflect on what you’re truly looking to get out of the experience. Some of my ambitions this summer are to get more hands-on experience with pitching, to have one networking lunch per week and to get a better understanding of campaign budgets, among other goals. It’s so important to take advantage of the knowledge your supervisors have and mindfully setting goals can help make that happen.

Grady: What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
LS: The skills I’ve learned thus far at Grady have really allowed me to be confident in my work since day one. The class that has been hands-down the most valuable was Public Relations Communications with Professor Tom Cullen. Tom’s class not only improved my writing and multimedia skills but taught me to trust in my capabilities. The work I produced for his class prepared me extremely well for my internship.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Emma Watson: Amazing P.R. ltd.
• Collin Huguley: American City Business Journals
• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

 

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities.
EC: I work at Amazing PR in Chelsea, London. Amazing PR is a lifestyle and beauty PR company. In my role at Amazing PR, I get to try new products that are sent to us from beauty and lifestyle brands. Then, I write features for them on our blog as well as writing copy for our social media accounts. I also take photos for our Instagram accounts to showcase the products.

Grady: What is the biggest challenge you faced during your internship?
EC: The biggest challenge I faced during my summer internship was adjusting to living and commuting in a city as large as London. I live in central London and while my internship is only 4 miles away from my apartment, it’s about an hour commute each way on the tube. I always expected that large underground public transport systems would be faster than driving somewhere, but was surprised to learn that there are often system failures and delays. Also, everyone is trying to travel to and from work at the same time and rush hour makes it really hard to get from place to place.

Grady: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
EC: My favorite part of my summer internship was getting to work in such a diverse city and work environment. While there are only three other interns, we all represent different backgrounds and countries. Working alongside such a small group of people can be difficult sometimes, but it’s really cool to have diverse opinions at the table to learn from.

Grady: What skill(s) did you learn at your summer internship that you expect to be helpful as you pursue your desired career?
EC: Working directly underneath the founder of Amazing PR, I’ve learned to be confident in the knowledge that you learn during your career. It’s amazing to watch her expertise and see firsthand the skills she has acquired while owning her own business. It gives me the assurance that while I may not know everything about Public Relations right now, the skills will come with time and experience.

Grady: What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
EC: They’ve told us in every Grady class ever that writing is the most important skill we will learn during our time here. I’ve always known it was important, but didn’t fully realize just how vital that skill is until I started an internship that is mostly writing based. Thanks to Grady, I’m confident in my writing ability and I think it shows through my work at Amazing PR.

Grady: When you look back on your internship 10 years from now, what part of your summer internship do you expect to be most thankful for?
EC: I will never forget the summer that I spent interning in London. I never would have had the confidence to intern abroad before I came to UGA and joined Grady. In 10 years, I know that I will look back and be thankful for not only the PR skills I have developed this summer, but also the life skills I have gained through living in London.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Collin Huguley: American City Business Journals
• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities:
CH: My internship was split between two ACBJ publications in Charlotte – the Charlotte Business Journal and Sports Business Journal. I have served as a reporter for both. I’ve reported, written and edited business stories for online and print for both publications.

Grady: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
CH: I’ve really enjoyed the range of topics and beats that I’ve gotten to cover. I love covering sports business, but I’ve also gotten the chance to branch out and cover stories in commercial real estate, manufacturing, health care, residential real estate and other topics. It’s been enlightening to work in so many different spaces.

Grady: What is the most memorable experience you had during your internship?
CH: Writing the cover story for the June 21 issue of the Charlotte Business Journal was awesome. I really enjoyed the topic I got to cover and was proud of the reporting I did to produce a good story and sidebar. It’ll be nice to keep a copy for myself as a trophy of sorts.

Grady: What is the most valuable lesson or skill you learned during your internship?
CH: The most valuable skill I’ve obtained/enhanced is source identification and relationship building. I’ve learned how to better find good sources and how to main a strong relationship with them as I report stories. It has been very helpful in the work I’ve done this summer and will be extremely valuable for me moving forward.

Grady: What part of your Grady education did you find most valuable during your internship?
CH: My investigative reporting class with professor Lori Johnston taught me to go the extra mile when it comes to digging up information and trying to reach sources. That has stuck with me almost every story I’ve done, because it is rarely easy to get ahold of the valuable information in a story.

Grady: How will your summer internship affect the way you approach the rest of your time at UGA?
CH: It can really help me hone in on where I want to take my career post-graduation. I can apply what I’ve learned to how I approach classes and to my staff at The Red & Black, where I’ll be the Editor in Chief in the fall.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Taylor Potter: TCM
• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN

 

This is part of a series where we ask Grady College students to describe their summer internship experience.

 

Grady College: Briefly describe your internship and responsibilities:
TP: As a programming intern, I assist TCM’s programming division in the previewing and quality control management of our original content. Additionally, I assist with the scheduling of our content for air. With this part of the internship, I was able to program my own daytimes twice, which is roughly fourteen hours of content each time.

Grady: What was your favorite part about your summer internship?
TP: How welcoming and inclusive being at work felt. I’ve lost count of the number of times I received free food and promotional swag. The food is always delicious, but I’m unsure of what do with the roughly seven tote bags and nine notebooks I’ve acquired. On top of that, Turner partnered with a company called After 5 that works with companies in Atlanta that have a large number of interns and organizes outings and events for the interns to relax, enjoy the city and meet interns from different companies. Turner really does its best to help you feel and do your best while interning.

Grady: What was the biggest surprise in your internship (ie: is there anything you didn’t expect?)
TP: I honestly didn’t expect networking to be as easy and accessible as it was. Every person I came into contact with or wished to come into contact with was happy to answer my email and set up a coffee meeting. Everyone at Turner is welcoming and genuinely wants to help you out!

Grady: What skill(s) did you learn at your summer internship that you expect to be helpful as you pursue your desired career?
TP: I definitely learned the power of the pitch. While I wasn’t pitching script ideas to execs, I did have to pitch myself to the people I was networking with. The pitch could be anything from a brief introduction of my name and position within the company as I met someone in passing to an elevator pitch of a webseries I co-wrote last semester in an effort to better explain my writing style to someone I set up a coffee meeting with. There are different personal pitches for different settings and meetings, and it’s key to understand what it is you’re passionate about working on so that when you have the opportunity to network with someone who has connections in that same line of work, you’re able to put your best foot forward and make a good (and lasting) impression.

Grady: How did your internship help confirm your desired career path or make you re-evaluate what you want to do in the future?
TP: Internships are a great way to trial run a career pathway. Thanks to my internship, I am sure more than ever that I want to work in writing and producing for the screen (preferably television, but I won’t be too picky).

Grady: When you look back on your internship 10 years from now, what part of your summer internship do you expect to be most thankful for?
TP: My internship taught me many valuable lessons both directly and indirectly. I’ll be forever grateful for the industry lessons I learned about the day-to-day functioning of television programming and industry networking, especially at a leading company like Turner. Indirectly, though, I would have to say learning how to be on my own as a working adult and managing my personal finances is a crucial part of this summer’s lessons that I’ll be thankful for because it’s like I was able to have a test run of this whole “adulting” thing before graduation. Ultimately, I think I’ll be able to look back in ten years or so and feel like I was able to have a strong sense of self and of purpose going into my senior year of college and preparing for life post-grad.

Previous Grady Intern Diaries:

• Taylor Maggiore: ESPN