As Michigan State University pivoted to remote learning last spring, many College of Arts & Letters students also turned to remote internships over the summer and into the fall. Some students did remote independent internships while others participated in the Global Remote Internship Program, which helps students secure virtual internships with an international company or organization. Even through remote learning, students are still gaining great experiences.
There are 50 College of Arts & Letters students who have participated or are currently participating in the Global Remote Internship program. The following are some of those remote internship experiences.
Andrew Baker, senior Experience Architecture major, was a User Experience Design intern for Aepistle, a social media startup located in Redmond, Washington. Working remotely, Baker was responsible for overseeing the design of multiple areas of the Aepistle application, including the user profile, post creation flow, messaging/notifications, and the app settings.
“Throughout the internship, I learned a lot about the UX design process from start to finish, and how to work with a cross functional team,” he said. “I liked that I was able to have so many different responsibilities across the design app, and I felt that I had a lot of freedom and wasn’t being restricted like some interns may expect since they’re learning on the job.”
Bailey Eddington, senior Interdisciplinary Humanities major, worked as an Advocacy intern for the Lansing Association for Human Rights (LAHR). Working remotely, she did a lot of advocacy work for social and ethnic minority groups. Eddington wrote articles on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ+ individuals and People of Color. She also created presentations for a suicide prevention coalition plan focused on marginalized communities and an LGBTQ+ youth demographic presentation about school environments regarding the implementation of LGBTQ+ friendly places.
“While working for LAHR, I’ve learned that nonprofit work is tied heavily to not only social change, but to government work,” she said. “From this, I’ve realized that my flexible major has more malleability in store for me than I once believed. What I liked most about being an intern for LAHR was the passionate work that went into helping education become the forefront of advocacy work.”
Alia Jones, senior Humanities-Prelaw major with a minor in African American and African Studies, interned remotely as a Peer Educator for New Student Orientation for MSU’s College of Arts & Letters. She was responsible for aiding in the enrollment of courses for first-year and transfer students and providing a student/peer perspective to the undergraduate experience.
“I really enjoyed engaging with students. Although virtual, I was able to truly connect with so many incoming students and learn more about their interests and experiences,” she said. “This internship truly enhanced my leadership, communication, and administrative skills. I feel entirely more knowledgeable on how to interact with students, present information, and make myself available as a resource overall.”
Dat Le, senior Linguistics major, interned remotely as a newsletter organizer with The Asian Pacific America Studies Program at Michigan State University. For this position, he gathered articles either written by himself or another collaborator to create a single newsletter. He also handled the program’s social media accounts.
“I learned a lot about Asian American identities from participating in this internship,” he said. “What I liked most about the internship was that I got to organize something that will be read by many in the Asian American community here on MSU campus.”
Jessica Snider, sophomore Interdisciplinary Humanities major, interned remotely with Cape Town Environmental Education Trust (CTEET), where she conducted research on e-learning programs and the best way learners in undeveloped communities in South Africa can use these resources.
“My favorite experience of my internship was meeting and getting to know everyone on my team,” she said. “Everyone was so kind and understanding, and they challenged me to learn and do better in everything I did. As my first job in a professional setting, I have learned many valuable lessons in my time with CTEET. However, most importantly, I’ve learned how essential it is to work together even when you are thousands of miles apart.”
Rumana Uddin, who is a recent graduate with a B.A. in Humanities Pre-law, interned remotely as a Business Analyst for First Law International. The position required her to analyze prospective leads in the different industries and to gather information on different companies based on the law staff they hired. She worked in a couple different industries while in the position, including travel and leisure, media and entertainment, and retail.
“I learned that you have to really dig deep to find the most useful and relevant information and that it is always good to double check information,” she said. “I enjoyed working with people from different countries and time zones. We got to learn from each other and work towards common goals.”
Allie Virginski, senior with a double major in International Relations and Spanish and minors in European Politics and Political Economics, is working remotely this fall semester as a Legal Intern for Richardson & Asociados Abogados-Consultores in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where she does research on the different parts of the Argentine and American versions of the consumer defense acts. The internship is conducted entirely in Spanish, so the experience has been an extremely valuable application for both of her majors.
“My biggest take away from working remotely has been the importance of communication,” she said. “During these unprecedented times, it has been important to keep in touch with supervisors to inform them of my progress and clarify any tasks if necessary.”
For more information on internship opportunities and resources through the College of Arts & Letters Excel Network, visit https://excelnetwork.cal.msu.edu/internships/
