Writing Program, University of PIttsburgh English Department
by Marlee Gallagher

This past spring, senior Noelle Howard interned here at Pitt in the English Department.  She acquired this internship with Cathy Day from a mailing list through the PPW and English Writing programs.  This is largely how students learn about and apply for internships. 

In addition to PPW classes, Noelle studies English Writing and Political Science.  She explained that, while these fields are challenging, she wanted to be prepared and better qualified for the professional world, so she applied for the PPW certificate.  Because of the certificate and her writing internship, she learned several important skills necessary for the professional writing world.  For example, Noelle said, “I learned that you must find out the voice of your workplace and curtail your writing to that voice so that you are reaching your audience appropriately.” 

For Noelle’s internship, she had to learn the voice and audience of the English Department.  Some of her major projects for the term included writing a history of the Creative Writing program at Pitt and a history of the Pittsburgh Contemporary Writers’ Series.  Both projects involved a lot of research—another hugely important skill in the professional writing world. 

Because much of the writing for writing internships can be done on a personal computer almost anywhere, in-office time is often not required.  This was the case for Noelle’s internship.  She explained, “I didn’t have an actual internship site, so all of my work was basically done alone and not with people.  This was okay, but I prefer to work with more people.”  Because of this, she learned that she will look for more interactive internships and jobs in the future.  One of the great things about internships is that they are temporary, but teach you so much about yourself and where you want to go in the future. 

Though it was unpaid, as Noelle explained, her internship was very important.  She said, “I think it is worth the experience you receive.  It is hard to fit in with four other classes and a job, but you find the time and it is worth it.”  Noelle’s advice for future interns at any site is this: “Your internship is what you make it.  Enjoy the experience in any way you can, even if the internship turns out differently than you expected.”