Natalie Hernandez

Major(s):  English

Internship:  Indigent Appellate Defense Division

Role: Clerk

During my time with the Indigent Appellate Defense Division, I’ve been surrounded by attorneys who are passionate about actively advocating for their clients. Luckily, I’ve had the opportunity to contribute to the mission of this dedicated team by offering my fluency in a secondary language, Spanish, to gather case details from a client who only understands Spanish. As the only person in the office with Spanish as a secondary language, I believe I brought clarity to the client’s circumstances, which had previously been highly ambiguous.

Through instructions from one of our attorneys, I familiarized myself with the available case material, including extensive Spanish audio that raised questions about the people involved and the context of the conversations. After, I was given the green light to seek additional information from the client. I gathered background information on the client and the audio where the client identified the people, their relationships, and the context of the conversations. I listened to the audio numerous times to create a report that included unofficial transcripts, as well as information on everyone involved and their connection to the client’s case. This ultimately enabled the attorney to use the information I had gathered to request official court transcripts and other documentation to help reconstruct the argument in the client’s case and advocate for them as best as possible.

Hope Jackson

Major(s):  Communication

Internship: The Getaway

Role: Production Intern

I am currently majoring in Strategic Communications with a minor in Documentary Studies, and while searching for an internship, finding one that combined both of these fields was a priority. All of the organizations/companies I looked into seemed like they would be beneficial, but nothing felt right. After receiving some advice, I decided to wait and continue with applications. Finally in July, I received the opportunity to be the official Production Intern for a new upcoming independent film in Utah titled The Getaway. I had no idea that this not only would be a networking opportunity in the Utah film industry, but also a chance to find my own style and confidence. What initially drew me to this position was that my role was going to transition and change throughout the internship, and I was excited to see how that would stretch me as an artist. Little did I know that through being able to shadow different roles on set, I would be able to finally explore where I feel like I fit and do not fit in the media world.

One of my main roles in the production of this film was working alongside the screenwriter to attract an audience through social media. I felt incredibly inadequate stepping into this position because this was a concept I had only learned about, not one I had applied in real life. It turns out, this was the perfect role for me. I oversaw behind-the-scenes content, capturing key moments on set and sharing them on socials. I loved this task because I got to be involved and present for the happenings on set. I would collaborate with the screenwriter as she would craft captions for the visual content. This element of collaboration brought me so much joy as she taught me how to stick to an aesthetic and maintain a professional tone. I maintained a posting schedule, which helped us maintain a routine. Together we found a fun style to represent the film that our cast and crew enjoyed reposting and sharing with friends.

This internship has been such a launchpad for me. I built relationships with my coworkers as we balanced the ups and downs of working on an independent film, and I’m excited to continue those relationships. I appreciated the advice and mentorship I received from this team. My main piece of advice I would give to students exploring similar opportunities is to say yes. Throughout production when a new opportunity would arise, it took me a while, but I learned to reply with “why not?” Those simple two words shaped my internship, allowing me to walk away feeling changed and ready for the next step in my career.

Natalie Newton

Major(s):  Communication

Internship:  University of Utah Office of Alumni Relations

Role: Student Engagement Intern

I’ve been working in the Office of Alumni Relations at the University of Utah for a little over a year now, and it’s been an incredible learning experience for me. I’ve learned how to work in a professional setting, communicate with others in a professional manner, and complete projects and tasks assigned to me. The thing that drew me to working here was that it would help me combine multiple of my professional interests of marketing and working for a university. I’ve gotten to help plan and execute social media marketing campaigns for the MUSS and it’s helped clarify for me what I want to pursue when I graduate.

One project that required a lot of innovation and creativity was the marketing campaign for MUSS football tickets. In years past, on the day the tickets went on sale the Alumni Office would be flooded with calls from students and parents who were confused about how to get their tickets or were running into technical difficulties. My boss tasked me with marketing our ticket sale effectively and putting out information in a helpful way to reduce the volume of calls and emails we received. This was a two-month long project, and it required me to plan social media, email, and marketing content weeks ahead of time, coordinate graphics and videos with my team, and execute all of it. We ended up putting out a lot of information through different channels. It was a very rewarding experience in the end because our tickets sold out faster than they ever have, and we also saw a significant drop in the number of calls we received as compared to years past.

A main career development skill I gained from this internship was learning how to communicate mass information. I’m a journalism major so I know more about writing articles and producing video news, but I didn’t have any experience in PR or marketing. This internship allowed me to explore those areas. I now know about communicating to the masses through email, social media, marketing graphics, and other channels that will be very helpful to me in my professional future. I am seriously considering a career in marketing because of this experience, and I’m happy to have this internship on my resume to help open some doors once I graduate.

Chase Harper

Major(s):  Communication

Internship:  California Skate Parks

Role: Intern

This internship has been beneficial for my overall major and my career goals after I graduate. When I first started this internship, I was asked to do some hands-on work. Going into this, they knew I painted and sketched, so they asked me if I could come up with a new logo for their shirts. Designing the logo that would represent the company well took a while, but they liked it. It made me do some research outside of the company just so I knew what would grab people's attention. After that, they asked me to log in to their social media accounts and DM companies that fit in their realm of construction and skateboarding. They wanted to develop more partnerships and grow their social media following. Reaching out to these companies and building a relationship with them will help them in the long run with marketing and building a bigger clientele.

Carter Weierman

Major(s):  Communication

Internship: Free from Toxins

Role: Social Media and Marketing Intern

For my Fall 2025 semester internship with Free from Toxins as the social media and marketing intern, I spent my time and focus on the research and analytics side of their marketing. Free from Toxins is a new company, so I was tasked with looking into which types of content performed best in today’s media age, as well as exploring different platform’s “creator funds” which allows account owners and companies to profit through views and product collaborations. This is crucial and necessary for a company like this to find its identity in the social media world. I tracked the engagement and brainstormed ways for the brand to grow. I clocked in 10 hours a week, usually working just a few hours a day at my remote workstation from home.

This internship experience was an incredible way for me to learn firsthand all the things that go into the content and analytics side of a company’s marketing scheme. I have always seen myself being a great voice and advocate for a company’s brand, and I hope that I have helped the team. This experience gave me a closer look at the importance of thorough market research and how to effectively navigate those roads as an entry level social media and marketing intern.