Following up with the 2019 Graduate Student Internship Fellowship Awardees

Curious about what an internship for a graduate student is really like? We followed up with our fellows from last year about their experiences and ​here is what they had to say! They each offer some invaluable advice... check it out below!

​And the good news is it's not too late to start applying for internships for this summer. Come into Graduate Career Services for help with applications and searching for a summer internship.

We also hope this will inspire you to apply for the 2020 Graduate Student Internship Fellowship! The application opens March 2, 2020. To learn more about the Graduate Student Internship Fellowship, please visit here.
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Rachel Winter
Curatorial Intern for the Art of the Middle East Department​ at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

What did you get out of your internship?

My internship offered me the opportunity to engage with tasks I will likely do in my first curatorial job, including collections management, provenance research, and acquisition proposals. Through this, I learned practical skills that will make me a well-qualified candidate on the job market. I also had the opportunity to learn about how the museum functions, as well as participate in day-to-day activities that I otherwise would not have had the opportunity to participate in, such as curatorial forums.

What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?

One important thing I learned this summer was the importance of being flexible and adaptable. The professional workplace has a much more amorphous form than academia. Different supervisors within the same department often have varying expectations, and so do departments within the same institution.

What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?

Don't be afraid to put yourself out there! It's a competitive world, but a lot can happen if you just take a chance, and send that email, or introduce yourself at that conference! There are so many great professionals who are willing to help students early in their careers, so know your field, find a person, and reach out! It's more than networking just to meet people - it's about finding the right like-minded individuals who are willing to support other professionals achieve their goals based on common interests and shared networks.
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Jasmine Kelekay
Education Initiatives Intern with the AfroSwedish National Association in Stockholm, Sweden

What did you get out of your internship?

I have learned a lot about the ins and outs of working in the civil society sector, including how organizations work internally, how they cooperate with local government and various institutions, how they acquire funding, and how they engage with their members as well as the broader community. I have specifically learned a lot about the local climate for doing racial justice work in Sweden and in Stockholm. I have also had the chance to work on developing internal programming as well as representing the organization through external outreach work.

What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?

I have worked in professional settings before, so that in and of itself was not a new experience. However, I feel like I learned a lot about what working in the civil society or non-profit sector looks like. For example, for smaller organizations like the one I have been interning with, most people hold down other full-time jobs alongside their civil society work. This, of course, impacts the coordination of schedules as well as the amount of time and energy that different people are able to devote to the work. At the same time, the internal working dynamics strike me as very similar to any other workplace.

What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?

I would recommend using this opportunity to explore an internship site that fits within their general career interests but perhaps also offers an experience that they would not otherwise have access to. Although it has been challenging in some ways to go the route of "creating my own" internship experience, I am also really happy to have been able to have an internship experience that would not have been possible without the Graduate Student Internship Fellowship Program. The opportunity to explore this kind of work has given me a much better sense of what it is like to work in the civil society sector, which has expanded my sense of post-PhD career possibilities. I highly encourage other graduate students to pursue internship opportunities that can similarly expand their career possibilities in ways that would not be possible without such a fellowship program.
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MacKenzie Wade
Communications Outreach Coordinator​with Little Herds in Austin, TX

What did you get out of your internship?

Through this internship, I was able to connect and build relationships with amazing people in the edible insect industry. It has opened doors for me to collaborate on a book project for a public audience, advocate in the public sphere for food systems change and join a team of others nation-wide working toward normalizing insects as a more sustainable food source. It was great to see how collaborative projects that bring together people from NGOs, businesses, media, etc. work outside of academia.

What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?

In my particular professional setting, I learned that relationship building (within the group and with outside partners) is essential. Performing jobs for others works as a form of currency and it makes for efficient collaborating. It was important to recognize and use the strengths of others, and to become comfortable with constant phone communication. Through this internship, I also became aware of the skills I have gained in academia which transition well into the professional setting. My colleagues were impressed at my quick, professional communication skills, ability to navigate research platforms, ability to communicate information concisely and my comfort teaching/public speaking. I was surprised at how well-prepared academia had made me for a non-academic setting.

What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?

My advice for other students would be, first of all, just to do it. It is easy to think you will feel out of place or will lack experience in the industry or NGO world coming from an academic background but, in my experience, I was surprised how prepared I was for entering this space. In seeking an opportunity, find one which allows you to actively participate in what you care about or are interested in. Don't simply transition from your academic desk to a corporate one, but find an experience that allows you to engage directly with the public, to meet big names in the space and/or to push your comfort level. These hands-on, active experiences allow you to think creativity and will be invaluable in whatever direction your academic/industry trajectory takes you.
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Jacob Gellman
Intern with Resources for the Future (RFF) in Washington, DC

What ​did you get out of your internship?

I worked on a project assessing the impact of wildfires on outdoor recreation in national parks and national forests in the West. We had a large dataset of 89 million rows of recreational activity, as well as satellite data on smoke and wildfire activity. I learned to use R and Google Cloud services for big data, spatial analysis, parallel computing, and so much more.

What was something new you learned about working in a professional setting?

RFF is a research-oriented think tank, so it was interesting to compare and contrast it with academia. There is a mix of PhD economists and scientists, but there are also many support staff and professional (non-PhD) researchers. The projects tended to be larger, more collaborative, and more focused on practical policy implications compared to typical research in academia.

What advice do you have for other graduate students seeking internships?

My advice is most applicable for other PhDs in the social sciences. Some professors do not think an internship is a good use of your time. However, I found the opposite to be true. I developed useful research skills and learned a lot about think tanks. It gave me perspective about what kind of job I want when I come out of the PhD. I also kickstarted some research and am co-authoring interesting papers with other researchers. At the right organization an internship is as good or better than getting an RA position.