Three English students — Jenna Lewis, Grace Rogers and Cayla Faulkner — completed internships around the Orlando community in the Fall 2021 semester. From a local publisher to a marketing agency to a non-profit organization, their experiences provided them with a wide range of new skills — and new confidence — to bolster them in their future careers.
Jenna Lewis
Jenna Lewis completed an internship at Legacy Book Publishing, a Central Florida publisher. During her time with the organization, she gained hands-on experience with editing and proofreading and came away with a better understanding of what working in publishing entails.
“It was a great, eye-opening experience that helped me understand the fast-paced environment of a future job in the field,” she says. “There was not a lot of room for excuses, but I got to learn fairly quickly how important it was to be able to keep up with both quality and quantity.”
Jenna also gained experience beyond the realm of writing and editing, from basic Photoshop to communication. Upon completion of her internship, she was offered a position as a part-time acquisition manager for the publishing house.
“Overall, I really appreciated my time at Legacy Book Publishing,” she says. “It was challenging, but I learned more than I thought I could. I am excited for how this opportunity will help me grow in my future job post-college.”
Grace Rogers
As an intern for Rock Paper Simple, a web design and digital marketing agency, Grace Rogers used her creative writing skills to write content for a variety of the agency’s clients, overcoming her own reservations about working on a brand-new team.
“In my time there I found myself becoming more at ease, and more open to those around me,” says Grace. “I ended up having an exit interview with the woman who had been in charge of me, and in her review of my time there she stated that she had noticed my more approachable attitude and my gradual willingness to seek out help and conversation.”
Grace also found that her writing skills benefitted greatly from her internship. Having to write content for a diverse array of clients presented a unique challenge, but with time, practice and mentorship from her supervisors, she gained a great deal of confidence.
“With time, practice and guidance from those in charge of me, I felt more prepared and confident in writing [for clients],” she says. “There were still times where I struggled or found certain tasks tedious, but I feel that I have now become more skilled as a writer, both in that field and overall creatively.”
Cayla Faulkner
Cayla Faulkner’s internship with Paving the Way Foundation gave her the opportunity to write a variety of content, including blogs and social media. In doing so, she helped distribute the organization’s education resources focused on ending child exploitation.
“It not only allowed me to gain experience writing for a professional organization, but it also allowed me to feel like my work was assisting an organization that strived to create a positive change,” says Cayla.
Like Jenna and Grace, Cayla found communication and teamwork proved just as invaluable to her internship as her writing abilities. She also gained experience in writing outside of her comfort zone.
“I appreciated how much I was challenged by writing a piece that truly represented and resembled the voice of the organization and the CEO,” she says. “I’d never been asked to write in any other voice than mine all throughout my academic life, thus, it was an interesting experience that I know will pay off somehow in the future.”