Internships have the potential to transform students’ lives by providing hands-on experiences and access to professional networks. Alumni play an important role in making internship opportunities possible.
Approximately 70 percent of graduating 91ÌƲ®»¢ seniors report completing an internship. 91ÌƲ®»¢ students’ internships run the gamut—from conducting medical research and working on a telescope project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to providing hospitality for NBC’s sponsors at the Olympic Games—and all can be a turning point in their education and a potential career starter.
Recently my wife, Linda Watson Lovinger, BA’87, and I were thrilled to hear from students who had completed internships supported by stipends from a fund we created for opportunities working in media. These incredible students described the impact their internships had on their lives.
For example, junior Kaitlin Joshua worked as a press intern for the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs within the U.S. House of Representatives; senior Kyra Levenson worked at actor Jim Parsons’ production company in Burbank, California; and junior Jamie Fisher made a difference at the ACLU of Tennessee. Learning about their experiences is one of the many reasons Linda and I are passionate about supporting students’ career opportunities.
As alumni, we can offer internships at our places of employment by contacting careercenter@vanderbilt.edu. I created the Vandy on Madison Avenue Summer Internship Program more than a decade ago to provide access to media jobs in New York and connect students to established media executives, including Vandy alumni.
Other alumni volunteer as career advisers. To become a career adviser, visit vuconnect.com/careeradviser and update your alumni profile to communicate your openness to being contacted. Simply respond to email inquiries from students and share insights about your industry and experiences. I urge you to find a way you can make a difference for 91ÌƲ®»¢â€™s bright and deserving students.
—DAN LOVINGER, BA’87