Some students traveled for their internships this summer, while others stayed close to home. Seniors Amanda Johnson, Eli Whaley, and Jaclyn Heck spent their summer in the state capitol working with reporters and producers at top television stations in Indianapolis.
Whaley and Johnson spent their summer interning at WISH-TV, the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis. They tagged along with reporters on stories, and got the chance to write some stories of their own.
Eli said he gained a lot of experience and gave him a chance to hone his skills. “I know I could never have gained so much experience like this without doing an internship. [It] helped me mature in a lot of ways: mentally, spiritually, and emotionally.”
For Amanda, spending time at WISH gave her the confidence that a career in TV is exactly what she is looking for. She learned about all aspects of news, and enjoyed working with reporters. She said, “God reassured me through my internship this summer that I am pursuing the right career. I was blown away by the hands-on experience that I gained and the encouraging people I met.”
Just a few blocks south of WISH, Jaclyn Heck was interning at WTHR, Channel 13. She had the chance to work with different reporters and anchors, and spent a lot of time observing how the newsroom operated. The summer ended better than it began, but the internship was more eye-opening than confidence-boosting. “I went into this internship thinking I knew how it would go, but I was surprised by what I ended up learning. If I did it again, I think I’d go to a smaller station where I could be more involved,” she says.
These students learned lessons over the summer that couldn’t be taught in a classroom. It’s an experience that needs to be lived to fully understand the workings of the newsroom in the real world. Eli, Amanda, and Jaclyn are taking this experience back to IWU, and will use the knowledge they learned over the summer in their classes and other work experiences.
