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Profile
of Brittany Colatrella, Intern, Pittsburgh Magazine, 4/05
By Amanda Harber
PPW/Writing Center Publicity Intern
Brittany Colatrella is an anthropology major who decided to take
on the PPW certificate because she has always enjoyed writing. She
thought that combining writing with her anthropology degree would
strengthen her ability to communicate within the field and would
be valuable in her future career. Not only would the classes offered
in the certificate help Brittany communicate, but they will also
add a creative aspect to her degree and make her more effective
in the documentary writing and filmmaking career she is pursuing.
Brittany believes that “writing is an important skill to have
in the pursuit of any career, both directly and indirectly. Understanding
the writing process and how to write effectively to achieve a desired
goal is not only helpful in creating quality pieces of work for
a particular job (e.g., a press release, a summary of research,
or a magazine article), but it can also help you secure those positions
by giving you the ability to write an effective cover letter and
provide impressive writing samples; an applicant with superior writing
skills always looks more appealing to employers.”
This is not Brittany’s first PPW internship. Last semester,
she did public relations work for the PPW program itself. In essence,
she used her public and professional writing skills to promote the
program that taught them to her. She also participated in PPW’s
service-learning component by volunteering at Phipp’s Conservatory.
Still, Brittany continues to pursue the internship opportunities
that PPW offers, this time as an editorial intern with WQED's PITTSBURGH
Magazine. In order to get this internship, she enlisted the
help of her professors, Jean and Pam, to help her compile an application
to WQED. Brittany says that she wanted to work at PITTSBURGH
Magazine because “it is one of the city's largest publications,
with a well-known multimedia group. Since I want to work in the
multimedia field, I knew being an intern there would be a great
networking strategy.”
She advises those considering an internship that “nothing
in college can compare to the experience you get from participating
in an internship: you improve your skills in a specific area, you
gain a new perspective on things that you learned about in the classroom,
you meet many inspiring people, you strengthen your resume, you
learn about your own strengths and weaknesses, and you also help
to expand/strengthen the PPW community by giving it a good reputation
within the University and within the city of Pittsburgh.”
Brittany considers enrolling in PPW the “the best academic
decision [she has] made in the past four years.”
Participating in the PPW certificate has not only made Brittany
a more effective communicator, but it has also helped her in with
coursework in her major, as anthropology is a discipline that often
requires written work. She believes that no matter what path she
chooses to take with her degree, effective writing will help her
achieve career success. “Whether people realize it or not,
writing and the mechanics of writing infiltrate our lives on every
level, so being able to write well is a skill that helps you develop
into a successful professional and citizen.”
“The PPW certificate really extends beyond just refining your
writing skills," she argues. "It's a way of thinking.
It's a network of people that provide insight and support. It's
about using your mentality and skills as a writer to benefit your
community. It's about being able to demonstrate and communicate
all that knowledge that might otherwise sit dormant in your brain.” |
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