HUMANITIES Internship SPOTLIGHT | Marissa Bond

Marissa Bond is a Communication, Journalism, and Sociology triple major at the U. This semester, she's been working a for-credit internship with Friends of the Children—Utah. She was initially drawn to this internship because she felt she could learn valuable skills related to her studies, and it fit into her schedule. Marissa is passionate about her community and working with kids. She says, "This internship has given me great insight into the various ways we can work to support our community, starting with children, to diminish cycles of poverty." Marissa's duties include advertising, marketing, creating graphics, and networking. These are skills she's learned in the classroom and practiced in the real world. Her classes, including writing, editing visuals, and family and society courses, have allowed her to use those skills comfortably and professionally.

Marissa says in preparation for a future career, "This internship has given me a better look into what working for a nonprofit to serve my community would look like. The experiences I am gaining from this will help me build my portfolio and give me direction for post-grad." From this internship, she's gained professional practice and development skills like teamwork, organization, social media marketing, collaboration, and planning. She'd absolutely do this internship again: "There is no better way to apply your learning and expand your skills."

Marissa has a few words of advice to those interested in similar opportunities: "It can be hard to find your voice in a team when you are just the intern, but I am grateful to be working with such a welcoming group that encourages creativity. Talk to your career coach. I wouldn't have this internship without her. It wasn't easy to find an internship that fit my personal goals and my schedule. I also found that many paid internships were more demanding and less flexible. That being said, look into Step Up funding! This funding has allowed me to enjoy my internship without having to stress about not being able to pay my bills." It can be challenging to juggle classes, a social life, and an internship. To those who may worry about that, Marissa says, "I think the most important thing to balancing an internship on top of school, work, and life is to find an internship you enjoy. If you find something that aligns with your interests and goals, it will feel less like a chore, and the experience you gain will be helpful in a lot of your classes." Wow! Thanks for sharing your experience, Marissa!