Around this time four years ago, I emailed WCBE asking if they were hiring summer interns. I grew up in a household where WCBE was always on in the background and I had been a student DJ during my freshman year of college so I wanted to experience what a real station was like. I had no idea that my internship would influence my future in addition to the way I thought about public media.
WCBE was my first internship and the first time I was given real responsibility! I loved being a part of a team and learning from everyone at the station. I’ll never forget when Heather showed me how to operate the board, Alison helped me edit my story on the Ohio State Fair, or when Dan didn’t balk when I wrote a spot full of well-aged cheese puns.
In the two summers that followed my WCBE internship I had fantastic internships at the PBS station in St. Paul. The first summer I worked on a documentary about the St. Paul Winter Carnival. As a researcher on the documentary, I was in charge of acquiring historical photos and footage to be used in the film, as well as fact-check the script and assist in shoots. Just as I got a rush hearing my voice on the radio at WCBE, I was so excited to see my name in the credits at the end of the film. Triple that excitement when we won an Upper Midwest Emmy for best Historical Documentary of 2017.
The following summer and I helped curate a digital story wall about people from Minnesota involved in all aspects of the Vietnam War. After seeing WCBE’s strong relationship with the Central Ohio community, it was interesting to see how a larger organization such as PBS works with community members to facilitate local storytelling.
Last summer I interned for a social sports company, that organizes recreation leagues and events for young professionals in DC; their mission is to “make fun possible”. I edited videos and learned about digital marketing, and even learned how to make GIFs that anyone can use on Instagram (just search for “DC Fray”)!
Now, I’ve settled in Minneapolis, working retail, applying to full-time jobs, and working on projects for my old DC internship. I would love to continue working in either radio or television but I’m also looking into advertising. Anything to fuel my creativity! While I may have moved out of Columbus, I will never forget where I grew up and the people I grew up listening to.