As the semester comes to an end and finals are almost done, or for the few lucky ones, completely done, it should be a time to take a break, but, as all Emersonians know, the work never stops. It is now time for internships. The latest campus celeb Krista Firkins, a senior Print and Multimedia Journalism major with double minors in Photography and Marketing, knows exactly how the internship process works. For this past semester she has been a design and media intern with Her Campus International.
As her first internship, it was a great learning experience. Her Campus is a start-up, so Krista was able to watch it grow. In a smaller company, there are many more opportunities to learn about the entire company. In just 3 short months, she was able to learn about design, media, and everything that goes into creating an online magazine. Krista’s favorite part of the internship was “the amazing people you’re able to connect with…we’re all working for them because we want to see Her Campus be successful.” Her Campus is a network that extends across the country and helps you make friendships and valuable business contacts.
Although the opportunities Her Campus offered to Firkins were incredible and well rounded, she encourages a great understanding of time management. Deadlines are not always when you want them to be and the responsibilities at school do not cease, so it can be challenging balancing the two. Krista’s best advice is to learn how “to work quickly.” It may be simple, but it really helps when under pressure.
Aside from the new bonds formed and the knowledge learned, the Her Campus internship has reinforced Krista’s future plans. As a senior, the future does not seem far at all and there are decisions to be made. She says, “previous to my internship, I thought that maybe I would try to be a ‘grown-up’ one day one-day and learn how to love hard new, politics, or investigative reporting, but I realized that I loved what I was doing with Her Campus.” When having an internship, this is probably the most valuable thing you could learn.
Krista realizes how lucky she was to have gotten the Her Campus internship and the amazing experience, but for all those people that are still searching for the perfect internship, she has some advice. Interviews are intimidating, you want to impress them, dazzle them, but also bond with them, but Krista wants to remind you “to be yourself; your interviewer already thought you were good enough on paper to get that far, but your interview is the time for you to shine.”
Once you get the internship though, there are many other things you must be conscious of, but most significant are to be flexible and be proactive. If you follow those two rules, you will get the most out of any internship. Krista says, “when I was the girl going above and beyond in elementary school, I got called a suck-up, but in the real world, that’s the kind of stuff that will set you apart.” Krista’s philosophy of internships has definitely paid off as she has not one, but two internships next semester, proving that it is never too late to get an internship. They really are the best way to find your path after school.