A few weeks ago we had a trivia question on our facebook fan page that asked what the number one piece of advice the pros who spoke at our “Pizza with the Pros” event passed on to our students. The answer? Do internships! To help inspire you, we bring you another edition of “Internship Ideas” featuring Communication Studies minor Jessy Mekpoh. When Jessy is not beating opponents on the tennis court (she’s on the Dons women’s tennis team), she is a busy intern. Here we go…!
Q: Where do you intern and what do they do?
Jessy: “I am interning in California State Assemblywoman Fiona Ma’s office who has been elected for the third time to represent District 12 (San Francisco, Daly City, Broadmoor, and Colmar). So her and her office’s job is to meet with the community, know about people’s needs, write bills and propose them to the Assembly to be passed to improve the community’s life.”
Q: How did you find this internship?
Jessy: “I am taking the Communication Studies Internship class this semester, so I looked on the Internet mostly, until Pr. Pabst sent us a flyer for this internship, so I decided to apply; I got a response a few days later for an interview. At the end of the the interview, they hired me.”
Q: Why did you choose to intern there?
Jessy: “I’ve always liked politics in general and I thought that such an internship would be largely related to my major – Media Studies – and my Communication Studies minor. I thought that working with and for a leader making decisions that affect our city and our state would be a great opportunity and a great place to learn. Also, I am going to be honest, with four classes, practice every day, and my tennis season, I needed flexible hours, and they were willing to adapt to my schedule.”
Q: What do you do on a regular basis at your internship?
Jessy: “This is what’s great about my internship: I never really know what I am going to be doing. I write for the monthly newsletter, I edit three guideline documents for new interns, and about every two weeks I go to events and meetings with Assemblywoman Ma, the district office director, or my direct superior.”
Q: What have you learned from this internship?
Jessy: “I learned about issues that Ms. Ma has been prioritizing such as domestic violence, education, Hepatitis B, and healthcare and what she has done to fix the problems or improved the situations. Obviously, I learned how a district office was run and worked. But what I get the most of this is meeting with the community when I go to events: I get to know people from different background and ethnic groups, they tell me about their lives, their interests, their opinions, and I tell them about mine. These are great and rich exchanges for me, especially since I am from a foreign country.”
Q: What advice do you have for other students looking for an internship?
Jessy: “Try to find something related to your interests; I think that’s how you will make the most out of it. Also, apply for as many internships as you can; I spent a whole week applying for at least 15 internships, got seven responses back, and five interviews. The process might be a hassle but it is worth it, and in the end you will get more than one interviews; then, you just have to pick your favorite!”
COMS student and intern Jessy
Thanks for the helpful advice, Jessy! I want to echo Jessy’s idea to apply for several internships. The experience applying for positions and interviewing is really beneficial, and worth the extra work. Congratulations, Jessy, on your internship! We also want to wish Jessy and the rest of the Dons tennis team good luck this weekend! The WCC Tournament begins tomorrow in San Diego… Go Dons!
