Humanities Internship Spotlight
Tanner Stone | Madeline Potvin | Ike Rutter
Humanities students gain valuable, career-ready skills through their coursework and co-curricular programs. Internships offer an essential opportunity to apply these skills in real-world settings, explore potential career paths, and gain professional experience. For many students, completing an internship is a key step in successfully transitioning from college to the workplace.
Last summer, I had the chance to work as a Leasing Associate for Cottonwood Residential in Salt Lake City, and it was one of the most valuable experiences I’ve had so far. I was drawn to the role because it combined communication, problem-solving, and a fast-paced environment where I could interact with people daily. As someone majoring in Communication with an interest in business and real estate, it aligned well with what I’m studying. I got to experience the front end of property management, with things like lease agreements, handling resident requests, contract negotiations, and facilitating potential investors and helping people find new homes. It also gave me a more complete picture of how the business side ties into daily operations on such extensive investments.
Going into my internship, I felt confident in my ability to communicate professionally and stay organized under pressure, which definitely helped. However, I also gained a lot of new skills, such as learning how to de-escalate situations, managing my time more effectively, prioritizing tasks under pressure, and understanding the ins and outs of the commercial real estate business. One of my favorite projects was working with a leasing team on one of our new investments in order to increase occupancy. Within three months we increased our occupancy rate from zero to 56 percent. My internship helped me realize how important customer service is in every business, and how learning the day-to-day operations contributes to your success in whatever you want to do. It reinforced my interest in eventually working in commercial real estate or property development. I’d definitely do something like this again, and for any student looking into a similar opportunity, I’d say to just go for it, even if it’s outside your major. You’ll be surprised how many skills and life lessons you can pick up!
Working for the Air Force Academy’s wrestling team as a public relations intern was an amazing experience. I have always had a passion for the sports scene, as an athlete myself, so being able to work closely in that environment was exciting. My mentors were extremely patient and great leaders to work for. I was mainly remote and had been working on having the social events and stays booked for regionals in Cleveland, Ohio, in March 2026. I was lucky enough to have been able to collaborate with an amazing special event coordinator, Christian Johnson. He has worked in the market for years and was able to guide me through the experience for regionals. I completed projects for the drinks and food menus for the team and alumni, as well as booked the social venues and hotels, and set up networking opportunities throughout their stay. This was a lengthy project due to being remote and having to work with others in Ohio, as well as being able to fit 250 people in different events, restaurants, bars, and hotels.
My internship taught me so much about public relations and branding in general. Wrestling
is sparsely funded by the school, so it was up to the staff and me to bring in funds
and create events. Nationals is a huge opportunity, and that's what really drove me
to connect with alumni and others invested in the school to help out. The alumni play
a huge part in funding, so I had the opportunity to reach out to them to talk about
ways they could help with their past community. I'm very passionate about this position
because my father went to the school and has now served in the Air Force for 20 years.
It has been great working for many who want to serve this country and to see how hard-working
my mentors are. The first week of August was my first chance to get out to Colorado
Springs and meet the coaching staff, players, and the athletic board. I couldn't be
more blessed and grateful for this opportunity.
My internship was one of passion as well as summer fun. A pickleball company recently started and run by Jim Valverde, needed help with marketing related to the brand, running tournaments, and working on a social media page. I love pickleball, and want to start my own business one day, and so to see this start-up and be so close to it was a cool experience.
Some of the things I learned in school really helped me with my internship. Engagement
and communication between audiences is something we covered in a lot of my core COMM
classes, and that's what I focused on with both marketing and social media. I worked
on pickleball paddle and apparel designs, a new logo, and a watermark, while also
creating a storyboard of branding to emphasize on a social media page, which was a
ton of fun! I'm glad I got to do it.