Hilary Blahnik.  Consulting and Training Intern, Face to Face Communication and Training, P.O. Box 764, Oswego, IL. Summer 2009.

I worked very closely with Gail and Pam throughout the summer.  Pam taught me to challenge things, think about how a complex theory relates to people and how to extrapolate a long, complex, academic book into five sentences.  Gail taught me to be myself when presenting, use big gestures, and be comfortable in my own skin.  I visited clients, observed, went to business lunches, presented, helped renovate old programs, and went to the ALA convention, an experience I will never forget.  However, perhaps what I liked the most was also my greatest surprise.  I found that I love doing research and writing.  Gail and Pam presented me with the opportunity to prepare a section within their supervisors academy, a six day training program.  I did my own research, wrote the script, made the PowerPoint, and presented the material. 

Hannah DeBoer.  Marketing Intern, Silver Bay Conference Center, YMCA of the Adirnondacks, Ticonderoga, New York.

This summer I worked as a marketing intern for the Silver Bay YMCA of the Adirondacks in upstate New York. My responsibilities as the marketing intern for the conference center consisted of designing and developing flyer's for the various events that were going on each week on the Silver Bay Campus. I worked the marketing director Mary Martialay. Also as marketing intern I assembled packets for mailing which indicated a specific department on campus that may appeal to the company that we were mailing the material out to, so that they can spread the word of what Silver Bay has and hopefully bring more guests to Silver Bay. I also was in charge of posting the flyer's that I made around campus and in the neighboring towns of Ticonderoga and Hague. Silver Bay also has a weekly newspaper that compiles all together the events and departments activities that will be going on like: church services, sporting activities, crafts in the craft shop, children's activites, beach hours, and painting classes. This newsletter was called The Breeze and my job was to mail them and distribute them to the benefactors and neighboring  of Silver Bay so that they can know what is going on and visit the campus. We mailed out about 140 copies of The Breeze each week.

DeMarkco L. Butler.  Community Development Intern with the City Administrator, City Hall, Monmouth, Illinois 61642.  Fall 2009

City Hall in Monmouth, Illinois is a place where business for the town of Monmouth is primarily done.  City Hall has knowledge and representation of some sort to be noticed for all Businesses within Monmouth.  Within the Community Development Administrator position the job entailed information being marketed in a college flier, a creation of a developmental sheet, new logos for the Monmouth Community, and also creating a report for the census in 2009/2010.  As the internship continues the Community Development Administrators’ job will be furthered.

Rachel Bold.  Independent study concerning cable news coverage of the 2008 presidential election. Fall 2008.

A Presidential election and the campaigns that accompany it make up a significant news event. In recent years people have come to rely more and more on cable news and pundits to form their opinions, but what sorts of messages are people receiving from this growing medium?  This is the question I explored by analyzing cable news coverage of the 2008 Presidential Election.  In the study I watched 3 cable news shows from the three main competing networks; Countdown with Keith Olbermann on MSNBC, 360 with Anderson Cooper on CNN, and Special Report with Brit Hume on Fox News.  I evaluated the three shows for content and the appearance of bias through the use of a rubric that took into account the stories covered, story placement within the show, time alloted to stories about each candidate and their campaign,  and the anchor's apparent attitude toward the subject of the story.

Jack Clifford.  Graphic Design internship, Martin Graphics & Printing Services, 808 North Country Fair Drive, Champaign, IL. Summer 2009

Martin Graphics is a printing company that provides products and services like 5-color UV Printing, catalogs, business forms and labels, promotional products, apparel, banner, business cards, laminating, saddle-stitched books, and perfect binding.  While working under the head graphic designer and for clients, I created advertisements, postcards, handbooks, and forms for local businesses.  Also I learned about the different styles and processes for printing such as digital printing, embossing, sublima screening, and the 5-color UV printing.

Courtney Condon. Congressional Office Intern. Congressman Phil Hare, 17th District, Galesburg, Illinois, May 2009-August 2009.

In my internship I was able to help out with the casework.  We worked with people that had troubles getting their disability checks and other various problems.  I worked with companies such as Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, the Social Security Administration, and the Department of Defense.  I also helped with giving information on the Healthcare reform.  I talked to people and listened to their opinions.  I would email every comment to Phil Hare so he could see what people in his district thought.

Briana Flynn.  Production Intern, Quad City River Bandits Rock Island, Illinois, Summer 2009.

As a production intern, I was responsible for making sure that all of the audio, videos, promotions, and other visual aspects were prepared before each game. I learned how to edit and produce promotional videos and stills and was exposed to the extensive work that goes into making a successful show each night. This internship was a really great experience because not only was I able to learn more about all of the inside work that goes into media production, but I was also able to work in a professional environment and form meaningful networking connections with my co-workers.

Emily Friedrich.  News Intern,  WEEK TV-25, East Peoria, Illinois.

It was a great experience and I learned so much working in the newsroom.  I got to cover spot news as well as come up with my own stories.  I gained so much more knowledge of the broadcasting field.  I was able to improve as a writer and become much more experienced at video editing.  Everyday I was there I wrote one to two, VOSOTS, or stories that are read on air by the anchor.  I was also happy they let me write three packages with stand-ups.  Overall, it was a great experience and I gained so much knowledge from very experienced reporters.   

Audrey Hackmann, Communication Intern for the Peoria County Courthouse, Peoria IL., Summer 2009

During my internship I performed a variety of jobs.  I wrote press releases, made promotional items, helped plan many events, and update the county website.  I also wrote a few stories for the internal newsletter and did a lot of research.  I was fortunate enough to sit in on many meetings to get a feel for what exactly the Communication department does.  This experience was a great opportunity for me and helped me gain many credible references.

Amanda Moser.  Independent Study in Media Audience Behavior.  Monmouth College.  Fall 2009.

I plan to complete an extensive research project on the relationship between audience and television programming.  More specifically, I plan to look at the general role of fans and audience and their influence on popular television shows.  Furthermore, I will be looking at how fans will occasionally join forces and take up campaigns to make their voices heard when unhappy about programming changes and how the Internet and social networking sites are being used by these fans.  I hope to use this opportunity to expand my knowledge of television programming and refine my research and professional writing skills.

Ashley Orloff. Internship in Radio Management, Next Media Group Inc., Joliet, IL. Summer 2009.

During this internship I had the chance to work with four different radio stations, which were all very different from each other. I worked with 98.3 WCCQ which is your hometown country station, 100.7 RXQ which is the southlands classic rock, STAR 96.7 which is your music variety that includes mainly rock and pop music, and lastly, 13.40 WJOL which is a news, sports, weather, and talk station. I had the chance to see what goes on behind the scenes. I watched the talents talk live on-air during their morning shows. I even got to see all the wires and connections of how the radio stations get broadcasted. Also, I learned how each radio station is set up like a big IPod. My responsibilities during this internship mainly included helping out the promotions staff and attending the remotes and live broadcasts. At these remotes I would set up equipment, interact with the listeners, hand out free stuff, and take pictures. While at the station my main responsibilities included calling listeners who won prizes, filing, made and filled out prize sheets, cut posters, and did other small tasks in order to prepare for all four of the stations remotes.

Amanda Sommers Marketing and Human Resoures Internship, Armory, Monmouth, IL. August to December 2009.

The Armory is a business where organizations that don't have enough money to do they things they want to do we help them out and try to promote their organization within the town. I will be taking this internship this fall and there I'm be doing the marketing part for the different kinds of organizations and even for the Armory it self.

Maureen Soso. Production Intern, WTTW Channel 11, 5400 North St. Louis Ave, Chicago, IL Summer 2009.

WTTW Channel 11 is a PBS Network in Chicago which produces a multitude of television specials, documentaries, and music specials.  While interning with WTTW I assisted in the production of an upcoming women's health series called "Women's Health Secrets: What every woman should know." My duties icluded researcing show topics, transcribing and logging footage, making arrangements for shoots, and assisting on shoots in the studio and on location.  My main project was producing several multimedia pieces that will be featured on the show website.

Kyle Tuor. Rainbow Riders Intern/ CSA Promoter Intern, Monmouth, Illinois. 

Rainbow Riders is a not-for-profit, therapeutic horseback riding program for children with special needs. The facility is located at Prof. Joe Angotti's ranch just outside of the Monmouth College campus. The mission of their program is to provide safe, professional and affordable therapeutic horseback riding opportunities, that contribute positively to the physical, cognitive, emotional and social well being of children with special needs. The tasks I have been assigned to help out with this program are: physical labor of taking care of the barn and horses, creating a rider handbook for the summer camp riders, helping with grant proposals, creating PR documents, and communicating with clients.
     I am also working with another one of the communication professors, Jeff Roegner, on promoting his charity rock concert. His band will be performing an hour long concert in the Dahl Chapel in order to raise funds for the Challenged Athletes Foundation. This program provides funding for critically needed adaptive sports equipment like handcycles, running prosthetics, and sportschairs for those who have become disabled and are challenged from participating in the sports they love. For this event, I will be promoting awareness and helping collect funds through PR releases and running various volunteer meetings.

CATA Class of 2009 - Internships