11
O P I N I O N
Sweet summer of 2016 Did your interns live the dream? If so, great, but if not, it might be time to retool your program by taking these six simple steps.
A s a communications major with an interest in broadcast journalism, my first summer internship was at a large television station where I was immersed in the hustle and bustle of reporters and police scanners. It’s where I first learned the saying, “If it bleeds, it leads.” It’s also where I learned the media business is fierce and if I wanted a chance in the market, I had to have grit and be willing to trade my summer by the pool for several months of free labor. Thankfully, with monetary support from my folks and a pantry full of ramen noodles, I survived. But, even more than that, I had one of the most invaluable experiences of my career.
discussion with them and, before they departed for school, sat down with each of them once more to gauge whether their experience was all they had hoped for. Through this comprehensive documentation, I found that the following six practices were “The summer internship is a small window for interns to make a good impression. It’s also a small window for companies to make a good impression.”
Today, there aren’t too many unpaid summer internships due to the Unpaid Labor Declaration Policy. Most companies, especially AEC firms, seem to compensate their college-age interns with a fair wage, but, beyond a paycheck, what are these future leaders yearning for in their summer experience? In early June, I sat down to talk with each of our 18 interns, ranging from college sophomores to graduate students. I asked questions about why they chose Little, what they wanted to accomplish this summer and what they were most looking forward to during their internship. Over the next several months, I watched them intently, feeling much like the paparazzi seeking a coveted photo of a Hollywood celebrity. I captured video of them in meetings, snapped hundreds of pictures, held a panel
See KELLY THOMPSON, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER September 26, 2016, ISSUE 1169
Made with FlippingBook Annual report