Whamin (Jade) Yoon

Major(s):  Communication

Internship:  Black Stone Records

Role: Video Editing Intern

During my internship as a video editing intern at Black Stone Records, I had the opportunity to work with a professional music and media production team. I was initially drawn to this role because it aligned with my passion for both content creation and video editing. I edited video content from hip hop artist Dee-1's concerts, ensuring that the final products matched the company’s style and creative direction. Through this experience, I gained hands-on experience with industry-standard editing tools and strengthened my skills in visual storytelling.

There were moments when I faced creative challenges, especially when the filmed video made it difficult for me to edit as a smooth video. To overcome these situations, I learned to stay flexible, communicate openly with my boss, and manage my time efficiently. One project that stood out was editing a performance-focused video that required precise timing and creative transitions to enhance the artist’s stage presence. Being trusted with that level of detail made the work very meaningful to me.

This internship not only improved my technical editing skills but also helped me grow professionally. I learned how to collaborate effectively, give and receive constructive feedback and maintain professionalism in a fast-paced media environment. Overall, this experience confirmed my desire to pursue careers connected to marketing and media production. I would encourage other students to explore opportunities that allow them to develop creativity while working alongside industry professionals. 

Aisa To'omalatai

Major(s):  Communication

Internship: Tusitala

Role: Video Editing Intern

My internship has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life. As someone who always dreamt of a career in video editing and videography, being able to do that in a sports landscape has been a dream come true. Being able to be on the field with the athletes under the bright lights has been something I will remember forever. I also have learned so much about teamwork and communication while also improving my video skills along the way. Learning from people who are already in the field I want to be in has been extremely eye-opening and I’ve learned so much from them.

During my time at Tusitala the main obstacle I had to first overcome was being able to take constructive criticism on my work. Being in a creative field is not easy and having to allow my work to be critiqued was difficult but something I’m glad I overcame. Specifically on the video I made for the NRL recap I was exploring a lot of new editing techniques and styles and being able to take the criticism to allow my vision to be my own but also still be professional was something that I am glad to have learned during my time there. As someone who is comfortable in leadership roles, it has been helpful to take a step back and learn how to be under a mentor and allow them to take control over projects. 

Michelle Joyce Valentine

Major(s):  Communication

Internship:  University of Utah Athletics Department

Role: Marketing Intern

I decided I wanted to work in sports the second semester of my sophomore year. This internship allowed me to learn so much more about the world of sports and what I want my role in it to be. Now that I've been doing this internship for three semesters and over 300 hours logged, I’ve made so many incredible connections and learned a lot about myself and what I want to do.  

The position I held where I learned the most was the lead intern for soccer. It gave me the chance to work with people across divisions to run a game. I’ve planned promotions at halftime and helped coordinate design giveaways. I contributed to the overall function of each soccer game. I oversaw other interns and coordinated what they need to do to help run the marketing side of the game.

The communication between different departments, leading a team and planning activities during games are just some of the skills I have learned through this internship. I loved this internship, and I can't wait to go further in a career in sports marketing. This isn't something I dreamed about as a kid, but working this internship I can say it is my dream now. The skills I have gained will be invaluable working in the future, in this career or anything else I might end up pursuing along the way.

Kenzie Buckway

Major(s):  Communication

Internship:  Syracuse City Arts Council

Role: Publicity Chair

Something that drew me to this internship was the industry of performing arts. I have always loved the performing arts and to be able to run my own campaigns with this company was an opportunity I didn’t want to pass up. I grew up doing musical theatre and my background gave me a unique perspective on how to market our events. I originally started out by pitching ideas in our council meetings but eventually started trying things out with approval from just the chairwoman. It was difficult to gain support for my ideas, especially when they would require time from other council members. I discovered that if I had big ideas, I would have to find volunteers to help me out or just scrap them. This really helped me to learn how to think outside the box but still stay within reasonable and doable limits.

Working for a non-profit organization is not for the faint of heart. It was difficult to secure funding and when working with a very limited budget I had to get very creative. The biggest project I worked on was doing publicity for our summer musical “The Addams Family” and the budget for publicity was only one thousand dollars. Figuring out how to fit in videography costs, cast t-shirts, printables, advertising, a parade float, and many other things was incredibly difficult. I gave myself only 100 dollars for the parade float because that was left over after my biggest, most important costs. A volunteer team and I worked for 3 weeks creating a parade float out of materials that we could find for free or really cheap. I got large sheets of cardboard from an appliance company, masking tape from Walmart, and paints from our set storage unit to create giant gravestones with intricate detailing. We also created a giant arch that was later used for the set of the show out of 2x4s from the set storage unit and Styrofoam containers that I collected from local pharmacies. I am incredibly proud of how that turned out because it looked amazing and stayed within the budget. We had positive feedback from patrons and ticket sales went up by 30% that day.

Something I learned about marketing is that not only do you have to do the job, you also must prove that it works. I spent a significant part of my budget on outreach, however we had about the same amount of ticket sales as last year when we didn’t spend so much on outreach. I had to explain to the council how that was worth it because we only had a cast of 30 this year and had the same number of ticket sales as our cast of 70 last year. With the cast of 70 and little to no outreach our patrons were mostly family and friends of the cast members, but because we had only 30 cast members and about the same amount of tickets sold it means we were reaching a lot more people than just family and friends and they felt that it was worth it to buy a ticket to see the show.

I loved this internship, even though at times it was incredibly difficult or frustrating. I’m grateful for the challenge because it helped me to learn how to prove people wrong in a graceful way and also how to interact with people who don’t understand a marketing/PR mindset. I loved it when I got to be creative and make something that I was proud of. I especially loved the people I worked with day to day. The people willing to join in my crazy ideas and help me make it fun for them as well as myself. I loved doing photoshoots and video shoots and having cast members be so excited to see themselves in it that they share it with everyone they know and have them find something that they are excited to share rather than it feeling like an obligation or chore from me. If I could do it all over again, I would! 

Zach Spencer

Major(s):  History

Internship: Utah Football Equipment

Role: Equipment Intern

My internship with the University of Utah football team, specifically with equipment operations, has been a culmination of my previous experiences and time at Utah football, only now with the added responsibility of helping other interns. In my previous role as an Intern with Utes Equipment, there was always someone above me to direct my work, catch my mistakes, and guide me toward success. Stepping into this internship role removed that safety net. I became the person others look to for direction. I’ve become the one responsible for supporting the other student interns, answering their questions, and catching mistakes early. The responsibility now falls on my shoulders.

It is a responsibility that I take willingly, but it does lead to moments of higher stress and more hours. It has been a learning experience, trying to lead while also maintaining a certain level of quality. Things I learned will help better prepare me for the “real” world of work but at times it can feel slightly overwhelming.  I firmly believe that you cannot grow both as a person and as a worker without such troubles. While sometimes the responsibility can feel daunting, one has to fully accept it or risk not being ready for what the world offers next