School of Communication and the Arts Dominates Intern Awards

One worked for Gucci. One worked for Major League Baseball. Another worked for MTV. And another worked for WNBC Channel 4 News. What do these four companies all have in common? Each hired an intern that was named a Marist College Intern of the Year.

Eight Marist students were recognized on Thursday, April 22 at the 20^th annual Field Experience Luncheon hosted by the Center for Career Services. One student received Marist College’s overall Intern of the Year award. Seven students from Marist’s six schools were named their respective school’s Intern of the Year. An impressive four of those eight recipients will graduate in May with a major or minor in the School of Communication and the Arts.

Dr. Steven Ralston, Dean of the School of Communication and the Arts, said that the school strives to provide its students with internship opportunities that give students first-hand experience in their field of study and an upper hand after graduation.

“The knowledge gleaned from having participated in an internship can be an invaluable part in assisting students obtain employment after graduation and to gain acceptance into prestigious graduate programs,” Dr. Ralston said. “[Our Art and Art History, Communication, and Fashion programs] have dedicated internship directors who assist our students to secure internships, and we offer specialized courses to assist students to prepare for internships.”

Senior Amanda LaMela was honored as the 2010 Marist College Intern of the Year. As a Fashion Merchandising major with a dual minor in Public Relations and Business Administration, LaMela entered her first year of college eager to explore her career opportunities. She admitted she began pursuing internship opportunities early in her freshman year.

“While Marist’s beautiful stone library and rolling green hills were persuasive factors in my decision-making process, hopeful visions of promising fashion internships were my major drivers to this college,” LaMela said.

La Mela paired her hopefulness with determination and completed three internships during her college career. She interned at W Magazine and Gucci America in New York and last summer LaMela moved to San Francisco to intern for DFS Group.

LaMela’s internship with DFS differed from her previous experiences in that she was forced out of her comfort zone as an assistant with clearly defined tasks and into a position with less structure and more responsibilities.

“At DFS, the interns had to work as a team to accomplish projects with ambiguous instruction,” LaMela said. “DFS encouraged creative thinking, which was simultaneously refreshing and terrifying.”

Her experiences within these three organizations allowed her to experience life on both coasts, gain extensive knowledge of the fashion industry, and receive the honor of being the second Fashion major to win the prestigious Intern of the Year Award in its 20 year history.

“These lessons could never be found within the pages of a textbook,” LaMela said, “but thanks to Marist College’s internship opportunities, I will confidently turn the tassel on my graduation cap next month, ready to take on life’s next challenges.”

As for her post-graduation plans, LaMela recently accepted an offer from Ross Stores to work as an assistant buyer for women’s shoes.

Another honoree from the School of Communication and the Arts was senior Allison Duffy. Duffy is a Communication Arts major with a dual concentration in Journalism and Sports Communication. She has interned for Major League Baseball Properties, the Staten Island Advance, and the Marist College Diversity Works Newsletter.

Duffy, who will be staying on at MLB as a project assistant editor in a full-time freelance position, said that her internships gave her valuable firsthand interviewing experience. Duffy noted that one of her most memorable experiences at MLB was when her editor sent her to Yankee Stadium to interview pitcher Mariano Rivera.

“I got a press pass and got to spend time before the game in the clubhouse, press box, the dugout and on the field during batting practice,” Duffy said. “The experience was surreal, and it taught me how to have confidence approaching famous athletes and how to compete with other media members to get the interview I needed.”

The School of Communication and the Arts also boasted winners who are students from two other schools. Senior Deanna Gillen, a dual major in Political Science and Communication Arts with a concentration in Journalism, was the winner for the School of Liberal Arts. Senior Jennifer Argen, a Business Administration major with a dual concentration in Finance and International Business and a minor in Communication Arts, was winner for the School of Management.

“This award is for graduating seniors who participate in internships, co-op positions, externships, or student-teaching positions,” Assistant Director of Field Experience Desmond Murray said.

Students are nominated by Marist’s internship faculty coordinators. A panel of three judges, all Marist faculty, rate the nominees based on their GPA, resume presentation, level of involvement in Intern Program, evidence of professional growth, level of work responsibility, impact of placement on their career decisions, written communications, and the overall impression of the materials presented, Murray said.

Along with LaMela and Duffy, Gillen and Argen were also hired for very competitive internships. Gillen worked as a newsroom intern at WNBC Channel 4 News and received special recognition from WNBC-TV’s senior news correspondent Gabe Pressman at the Field Experience Luncheon. Argen served as a strategic development intern for Viacom, MTV Networks.

Both Argen and Gillen stressed the importance of resourcefulness and persistence as secrets to their respective internship success.

“Be proactive, use every resource available to you,” Argen said. “Use not only Career Services, but also the Internet and social networking sites.”

Gillen attributed her internship successes to several techniques.

“If you want [an internship] you really have to hunt them down,” Gillen said. “In an interview, I give them a good, firm handshake, and look them straight in the eye. Afterward, I send a hand-written thank-you note.”

LaMela shared the wisdom she gained from her three successful internship experiences and what has kept her grounded in terms of her future career aspirations.

“While the bank can take your park-view penthouse and your Porsche,” LaMela said, “no one can repossess your education, experience, enthusiasm, and the positive people that surround you.”