Carly Nostrand developed technical skills in content creation to promote New Roots, an agriculture and food culture initiative with International Rescue Mission.
How did you get your internship?
I started applying over the summer in hopes of obtaining a fall semester internship in-person, in Tucson. I searched broadly across different platforms for different internship opportunities because I wasn't sure what kind of internship I wanted yet. I ended up applying for the New Roots Media Internship through the International Rescue Committee on LinkedIn. I went through the interview process and was offered the internship after my final interview!
Why did you choose this internship?
I chose this internship because it would give me the experience in content creation that I wanted, as well as the ability to interact with different clients of the IRC. I also felt like my interviewer was genuinely interested in what I was saying. This made me extremely excited when I got an offer for the internship because I felt that the team I would be working with would be supportive of my ideas and contributions I would be making towards their social media platforms. Another large component of why I chose this internship is because as an Applied Humanities major you need to complete an internship before graduation. As a senior, I knew that my time to complete this internship was running out. It worked out perfectly that the organization I was hoping to intern with offered me the opportunity that fit my criteria and schedule.
What kind of work did you do throughout your internship experience?
Throughout this experience, I created posts and stories for the New Roots Instagram page. This included posts about upcoming volunteer opportunities, national holidays relating to gardening and also refugees, and successful stories of our clients selling their crops to local restaurants and stores like Time Market. I also created an educational YouTube video about the importance of composting for the growers at the garden. New Roots wants to ensure that growers are able to be successful each season, and that starts with composting. Since many growers do not speak fluent English, creating videos with language interpretation is extremely beneficial. I got to experience the steps that it takes to create a video storyboard, shoot the footage, schedule and complete language interpretation, and edit a complete video to be posted on YouTube. After each post, I would go through the analytics and record them to follow the engagement and learn what was working and what wasn't for the future. On the other hand, this internship also had a gardening aspect to it. I spent time maintaining the garden, as well as planting seasonal crops.
What did you find challenging about your internship?
I found adjusting to a new schedule challenging. Since I started my internship a few weeks after the semester had begun, I had to develop a new routine for myself. I was at my internship three days of the week at different times, so I had to figure out how to incorporate time for homework, meals, and other activities. It was also a challenge early on figuring out how to manage my time balancing my internship hours, and my class schedule. I had to have conversations with my supervisor about switching around the method we completed our weekly meetings together so I could make it to class on time. With trial and error, we learned that switching from in-person to zoom meetings each week proved to be just as efficient, and I was able to complete my work at home and on time without having to worry about commute traffic each week. This experience taught me that planning ahead can be really beneficial to managing time and stress. As a visual person, having a planner where I can see my whole week written out, helped me stay organized throughout the semester.
What was your favorite part of your internship?
My favorite part of my internship was getting to spend time with the different growers who came into the garden. I loved the fact that my supervisors encouraged the interns to get to know them because it made the work that we were doing in the garden more meaningful. I also grew to love the early mornings in the garden. There's something so peaceful about waking up and getting to the garden and seeing all the progress you have made from the day before. Lastly, having extremely supportive supervisors made this experience so amazing. They were always there to educate me and help me through obstacles whether it be related to content creation or gardening.
How has your internship experience influenced your plans for your future?
I have always been a big traveler. But after completing this internship, I think it has made me realize that I would love to work abroad. Getting the opportunity to learn about different cultures through the New Roots growers made me want to travel more and get to experience these new cultures first hand. Since completing my internship, I have taken the time to research different job opportunities that align with my Applied Humanities and Spanish majors in Spain, in hopes of moving after graduation.
What advice do you have for other students as they search for their internship?
As you begin your journey, don't be afraid to apply to internships that are outside of your emphasis area. If you have a hobby or interest that you want to explore, an internship is a great way to try it out and see if you could find yourself doing it professionally. It's also okay if you aren't offered an internship to the first company you apply to. Sometimes what is really beneficial is the experience you get from interviewing to help you in the future.