Humanities Internship Spotlight
Shaelynn Martinez-Diaz | Juliet Hanson | Kourtney Kartchner Fitzgerald | Dobriel Buenrostro | Brad Hansen

Shaelynne Martinez-Diaz

Major(s):  Philosophy, Criminology

Internship:  Alvarado Tsosie & Hakes, PLLC

Role: Criminal Legal Intern

Being born into the Hispanic community, I saw the hardship and challenges that many immigrants faced while navigating the immigration system. I often faced situations where I witnessed acts of discrimination against my parents and community. I knew I wanted to strive to empower and represent communities that needed guidance and support. I knew early on that I wanted to follow a career path that would allow me to advocate for immigrant communities and other communities whose voices are frequently overlooked.

I was drawn to this internship because of my passion for advocating for vulnerable and underserved communities, particularly immigrants and individuals navigating the criminal justice system. I was given the opportunity to work with three different attorneys who served as my mentors and gained hands-on experience. This internship aligned with my long-term goal of pursuing a career in immigration and criminal defense law as an attorney, where I can help clients understand their rights and ensure that their voices are heard.

Being bilingual helped me communicate more efficiently with our diverse clientele. I also had the opportunity to prepare complex immigration applications through the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. I learned to prepare N-400, Application for Naturalization, I-765, Application for Employment Authorization, and I-130, Petition for Alien Relative. My work allowed me to assist attorneys who fought to protect people’s constitutional rights in complex immigration and criminal matters.

One of my main challenges was understanding complex legal language and procedures, especially in criminal cases involving immigration components. With the support of my mentors, I was able to ask questions and receive clarifying answers. Feedback allowed me to grow my confidence when navigating court documents and procedures.  
Through this internship, I had the opportunity to work with many victims who were affected by crimes. I would often help draft affidavits in support of an I-918 petition, Victims of Criminal Activity: U Nonimmigrant Status, or Victim Impact statements in criminal proceedings. Unfortunately, many of these victims struggle to express their traumatic experiences and often need support when telling their stories. I was able to help tell their stories in their own words, while maintaining legal accuracy. It was very fulfilling seeing people’s  relief when I could assist them in telling their stories.

I developed working relationships with attorneys and other legal assistants through my reliability and work ethic. I made the effort to ask questions and apply feedback to future experiences. As more time and collaboration continued, it became easier to establish trust. As I sat through court proceedings, I was actively taking notes. When conflicts arose, such as what happened at previous hearings, or when understanding the status of a case. My active note-taking and memory helped clarify misunderstandings and confusion while maintaining professionalism.

I would advise students to practice working well under pressure and taking every assignment seriously. The life and future of someone is constantly in your hands. An internship at a law firm is a great opportunity for someone to see how justice is practiced day to day and how diverse communities are constantly affected by systemic issues. This internship opportunity gave me another perspective on empathy and understanding of diverse cultures, navigating the Immigration and Criminal Justice system.

Juliet Hanson

Major(s):  Communication, Japanese

Internship: Utah Crimson Foundation Athletics

Role: Social Media Intern

During my internship with the Crimson Club Foundation, I had the opportunity to merge my passion for sports with my interest in media and communication. I was drawn to this position because it offered me hands-on experience in sports marketing and social media strategy, while also allowing me to contribute to the University of Utah’s athletic community. My role involved creating and posting social media content for various athletic programs, engaging fans, and showcasing the energy of game days. I worked closely with high profile donors and staff, which gave me a behind the scenes perspective on how community engagement and donor relations play a vital role in collegiate athletics.

One of the most exciting parts of my internship is managing live content on the field during games. It requires quick thinking, attention to detail, and an understanding of how to capture the spirit of the moment. Whether I am taking pictures, brainstorming captions or coordinating with staff, balancing creativity while maintaining professionalism has been vital in this internship. I had the chance to network with coaches, donors, and alumni, which strengthened my communication skills and confidence in professional settings.

This experience taught me the importance of teamwork, adaptability and relationship building in a fast-paced environment. I learned how to represent an organization's voice authentically while maintaining professionalism, especially when interacting with donors. My internship with Crimson Club Foundation deepened my interest in pursuing a career in sports marketing. I am grateful for the opportunities this internship offered me to grow, connect and make an impact within the athletics community.

Kourtney Kartchner Fitzgerald

Major(s):  Writing & Rhetoric Studies

Internship:  Community of Christ

Role: Oral History Intern

I’m grateful for my experience as the 2025 Community of Christ Oral History Intern. Community of Christ is an international Christian denomination headquartered in Independence, Missouri. The Oral History Project is focused on collecting the stories of denomination members with a focus on women, BIPOC, and LGBTQ+ members.

This internship has given me the opportunity to interview people from all over the world in person and on Zoom. Two notable communication highlights were dusting off my rudimentary high school German to interview a German church member in a bilingual German/English conversation and utilizing Google Translate to interview women from Malawi who only spoke Chichewa.

This internship required using concepts that I studied in my university rhetoric courses. Learning about multimodal rhetoric helped me understand that the stories of marginalized people are not often told through written histories but instead are told through the objects they create and stories they pass down. Through this understanding, I noticed a beautiful hand-carved antique pulpit in a historic church and asked a participant about the people who built and used it. The concepts of World Englishes and literacies helped me recognize the many cultural intersections unique to each participant. Rhetorical analysis helped me understand how to approach conversations with my audience in mind. I tailored my interview questions to the diverse identities I encountered, like a nonbinary college student in rural Iowa, an elderly black female pastor in inner city Chicago and a middle aged gay Norwegian executive.

The biggest challenge of this internship was gaining the trust of people and communities who have historically been marginalized and harmed by people like me. Oral History involves more than simply collecting data; it requires trust with interviewees thoughts, feelings and experiences. This required careful research into very niche (not "google-able") topics, networking with people who are connected with those communities and demonstrating that I am a safe person while developing relationships. I also had to collaborate with respected historians and international church leaders on this project, which often felt intimidating. This required me to develop confidence in my ability to present myself as a capable mentee. I am proud of the work I have done in this internship and feel that it has equipped me to pursue further work in the humanities. 

Dobriel Buenrostro

Major(s):  Communication

Internship:  University of Utah Athletics Department

Role: Photography Intern

Utah Athletics has been fun and an amazing environment for me to learn as a photography intern. I learned that capturing sports moments is more than a technical skill; it is a form of strategic communication. I first fell in love with sports photography during my senior year of high school and from then on, I knew I wanted to stay in that field. During my first year at the University of Utah, I focused on my communication coursework to learn more about media and messaging while also finding opportunities to shoot for local teams to build my portfolio. Earlier this year, in April, I saw an opening on social media to join the university photography team. Even though I was not confident I would get it, I put together my portfolio, built my resume, and applied. Getting the position taught me to trust my work and pursue opportunities even when they feel out of reach.

In the first three months of my internship, I grew a lot. At first, the fast-paced environment was intimidating, but I quickly adapted thanks to the support of the creative team. Their mentorship helped me develop new skills and pushed me out of my comfort zone. As someone who is naturally shy, this experience helped me connect with so many people in this field; I have met coaches, influencers, and many others.

My internship allowed me to tell compelling visual stories, practice media literacy, build relationships, gain confidence, improve my photography skills, build my portfolio, and understand the audience. I photographed multiple Utah sports teams like football and soccer. I captured fan content and learned to shoot and edit on demand for graphics and social media. I adapted to the team’s editing style while exploring my own creative voice. Experimenting with angles, lighting and editing helped me grow both technically and artistically. After college I hope to work for a professional sports team like in the NFL, NBA, or NHL, so having this internship is helping me get experience before going to a career field like this.

Brad Hansen

Major(s):  Communication

Internship:  University of Utah Athletics, Department Women's Volleyball Team

Role: Student Manager

I am grateful for this internship because I got to work in an area that I am interested in. It allowed me to "own" something and contribute to a bigger goal than just myself. In school, I have a hard time applying what I learned into my assignments, but in internships, I can put those things I learned into practice.

I’ve been working as a student manager for the past three seasons and have learned a lot, not only about the sport of volleyball, but also what goes on behind the scenes to make a Division 1 Volleyball team work. I specifically have worked with the coaches to scout upcoming opponents by coding the stats and pulling clips of specific players to help the team know their tendencies.

This internship really interests me and was also something that was part of my personal life prior to this opportunity. In high school, I played volleyball for all four years, so continuing that in college was a no-brainer. I love being a part of a team, and the competitive environment sports brings to everyday life in practices and games. I want to help the team win and give them the best information so they can compete at their highest potential.