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Interview
with Emily Hench, Intern, Western PA Field Institute, 3/04
By Ben Keller
Service Learning Intern
Note: WPFI
changed its name to Venture Outdoors during the summer of 2004.
Q. How did you choose this internship site?
My first internship, with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, I
found on PantherTracs. I applied for many internships at the same
time and they responded first and offered me the position; since
it was my first internship and I still didn’t know what I
wanted to do for my future career, I just took it to gain some experience
and explore the nonprofit field.
My current internship, with the Western Pennsylvania Field Institute
(WPFI) was suggested to me by Pam O’Brien. WPFI is a nonprofit
company that encourages people to get outdoors and participate in
outdoor activities. They hold activities in local state parks that
people can sign up to go on. I took it because it is giving me a
lot of valuable writing experience and I get credit for it in the
PPW Certificate program. I also really liked the atmosphere because
it is laid back, a small number of people, and a close office work
space. I also love the outdoors, so I thought it would be interesting
to work for a nonprofit that was all about getting people to participate
in outdoor activities.
Q. What sort of things have you been asked to do?
At WPFI I have written press releases and grant proposals.
I have also had to do a lot of research and write short blurbs about
the local parks for WPFI’s newsletter and website. I have
been working on press releases for the majority of the internship
so far.
Q. What is you favorite assignment they’ve given you so far?
I really like writing press releases because they challenge
my writing skills. You have to be informative, short and to the
point, but also entertaining and make the press want to pick up
the story. I think that is challenging, but also very helpful and
it is really improving my writing.
Q. Is this what you expected from your internship?
Yes. I expected to be doing exactly what I’m doing. They
were very clear about what tasks I’d be working on and they
have pretty much stuck to what they told me I’d be doing.
One thing I didn’t expect was that I’d spend a few days
researching and entering data in to their database. It is boring
and monotonous work, which I hate, and I didn’t know I’d
be spending as much time as I have been doing that type of work,
but it evens out because they have really given me a lot of independent
writing projects that I have gotten to complete on my own.
Q. What has helped you prepare for your internship?
My writing classes (Writing for the Public and Persuasive Writing
for Advertising and Fundraising) have both really helped me prepare
for the internship. While I got a lot of great writing skills from
those classes, I never wrote press releases or grants, so I kind
of had to just jump in feet first and hope that I was a fast learner.
My supervisor at the internship sat down with me and explained how
to write both grants and press releases, so that was helpful, but
the actual writing of them I just had to learn on my own with trial
and error. I would write a draft and then my supervisor would edit
it and tell me what I was doing, both good and bad. So, I’m
learning as I go.
Q. If you could do this internship over, would you change anything?
I really like this internship as a whole. The only thing I
might change is how solitary it is. I really don’t talk to
anyone while I’m there because I’m just writing and
revising. So, I might change that because I like to interact with
people more. However, that is just something that comes with taking
a writing internship, so I have gotten used to it. I love everything
else about it.
Q. What have you been able to contribute to your internship?
Well, before I came to WPFI, they didn’t have enough
staffing to really concentrate on writing good press releases and
focusing on that area. They have told me that they love that they
have an extra writer because they have so much writing to be done
and really only had two people to complete it until I came. So,
I definitely think I’m contributing by helping them get some
writing done.
Q. What do you hope to gain from this experience?
I hope to gain some more writing experience and skills. I don’t
know whether I want to work for a nonprofit, or for a company like
WPFI, but it is still giving me great writing experience for future
internships and jobs.
Q. What is your best piece of advice for students considering an
internship next year?
If you have never taken an internship, be open to trying different
things. I took the internship with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
just to have an internship, and it really was a great experience
and I learned about an area (the nonprofit sector) that I might
never have considered. I would also say to just take any internship
that will give you experience in the area you want. I knew I wanted
more writing skills, so while WPFI might not be my dream job, it
is still giving me awesome experience for later internships/jobs.
I think it is great to find an internship in the exact area you
want to work in, but if you can't, it is good to just take an internship
that will give you more experience so you could have a better chance
of getting your dream job/internship later. Lastly, I would say
to definitely use PantherTracs, the Writing Center, and the certificate
program to make contacts and find internships. There are so many
people on campus who make the effort to help students find great
internships and jobs, so take advantage of those resources while
you can.
Q. Is there any other question you wish I’d have asked? If
so, how would you answer that?
No, not really. I can't think of any specific questions, but
I guess I just am hoping to make the point to people that gaining
experience of ANY kind is helpful. I’m so glad I started early
and got two internships this year, because it has really added to
my skills and my resume, so now I have a lot more open to me and
a better chance of getting really great internships as a senior.
I would advise anyone to try to fit in as many internships as possible
because my professors have always told me that employers and people
looking for interns are so impressed by students/graduates who took
the initiative to get valuable experience outside of the classroom
and they always look for applicants who have a lot of experience.
Visit Venture Outdoors
(formerly the Western Pennsylvania Field Institute) .
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