Alex Grant spent his summer with ESPN, where his work included filming SportsCenter, meeting company executives and talking with fellow Gamecocks.
Thanks to Beverly Dominick, director of Career Services at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, we know how many of our students spent their summer breaks. With fourteen weeks away from campus, several students received internships to broaden their classroom studies and even help them find possible career paths. They were able to gain experience in their chosen fields by working for a variety of companies ranging from national media syndicates to state and local organizations. Dominick said that "our students have amazing skills and land even more amazing internships. From global companies to local organizations in cities large and small, the experiences are available."
Here are just a few of the companies our students spent the summer with:
Broadcast student Alex Grant had an "absolutely incredible" summer interning for ESPN. From his first day, he did work that advanced ESPN's mission. "I've done everything from creating broadcast schedules to running cameras for SportsCenter to even having conversations with John Skipper, the president of ESPN. I've also had the opportunity to research ratings of events and shows currently on ESPN and pitch new ideas for sports and shows the company may seek to invest in," he said.
Grant's biggest surprise was "the support of Gamecocks … at the company. I'll never forget having a sit-down with the Senior Vice President of my department," talking about Carolina football and the new SJMC building. His experience gave him a "clear vision" of where he wants to take his career and how to apply his experience to his learning both during and after his college career.
Savannah Knight, a public relations major and Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps Cadet Colonel, interned for Air Force Association communications in Washington, D.C. She worked with several officers and learned more about how the U.S. Department of Defense and military work as a whole. She spent the summer attending meetings in the Pentagon, promoting the Air Force on Capitol Hill and managing events at the Air Force Memorial. Her public relations background helped with writing various press pieces, contacting media for events and managing AFA social media platforms.
Knight, who is planning a career in the Air Force upon graduation, learned a lot about what her job might look like. "This summer … has made me even more excited to be serving my country," she said.
Advertising major Stephen Simmons got the opportunity to learn more about his home state as an intern for Palmetto Scene at ETV. His summer was filled with traveling across the state and working on a variety of things.
"I went on film shoots across the state, from Myrtle Beach to Greenville," Simmons explained. "I helped edit video segments to be aired on SCETV. I worked at the State House, getting copies of speeches [from] senators and representatives and helping with interviews and I updated the Palmetto Scene website with current events articles. I got to work with other interns form other colleges and meet some fascinating people across the state of South Carolina." His experience overall provided a new perspective and "a better appreciation of what a diverse and unique state we live in."
Lina LeGare is a senior in the visual communication program. She interned with Cosmopolitan magazine in New York City over the summer. She had the opportunity to assist on many assignments including designing pages for several upcoming issues, creating cover mock-ups and going on photo shoots.
"I have learned invaluable experience with design, publication, production and how the largest women's magazine in the country gets created from start to finish," LeGare said. This year, she is looking forward to applying all she learned with Cosmo back on campus as Garnet and Black magazine's creative director.
Journalism student Charnita Mack spent her summer with The Aiken Standard in Aiken, South Carolina. While there, she designed and edited pages for the paper, wrote stories and took photos. "Being at the paper really taught me how the journalism world is constantly changing, but the news still has to be put out regardless. I saw people come, go and take on news roles in the short two and a half months I was there," Mack said.
"This paper was a great choice for me because the staff is a small size, and because I am from a small town, I wasn't overwhelmed while there. Overall, I learned new skills, perfected others and really learned a lot about the newspaper world." Her favorite part of the job? "Getting positive feedback from people who I wrote stories for ... made all the work I put in worth it."
Haley Hinze is a second-year Master of Mass Communication student from Greenville, S.C. With interests in public relations and visual communications, she aspires to enter the magazine publishing industry. When she's not in school, you can find her traveling almost anywhere.